Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon.

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is a T-shaped federal refuge of 187,757 acres in Oregon's Harney Basin, about 30 miles south of Burns, with its base at Frenchglen and arms reaching Malheur and Harney lakes. Its flat, dry grassland is cut by a narrow meandering stream bordered by a dirt track and low gray-green shrubs, while a steep bluff of dark gray columnar rock rises above pale green brush. The headquarters is a single-story building of rough light brown stone blocks with a red-brown tiled roof, a gabled glass entrance, a stone chimney, and "MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE" carved beside a yellow "Information Center" sign.

The government set aside the area in the early 20th century in response to intense bird hunting that had depleted many species. Later decades saw the construction of channels and dikes to maintain and shape habitats for migratory birds.

The refuge headquarters stands on a site where Paiute tribes camped seasonally for thousands of years before settlers arrived. Photographers William L. Finley and Herman Bohlman used images of plume-hunted birds to lobby President Theodore Roosevelt for protection in 1908. The stone headquarters building, marked "MALHEUR NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE" beside its entrance, now serves as an information center for visitors.

A visit works best in spring or fall when migratory birds populate the water surfaces. The center south of Burns offers maps and current sighting notes that help with orientation on the sprawling routes.

The area sits in a basin with no natural outlet, so water evaporates or seeps away rather than flowing to the sea. This closed hydrology creates shifting water levels that change the extent of wetlands from year to year.