Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Oregon, United States

Cold Springs National Wildlife Refuge covers 3,117 acres about 7 miles northeast of Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon. It lies over the 1,600-acre Cold Springs Reservoir, held back by an earth-fill dam completed in 1908 to supply irrigation water. Wetlands and open water are ringed by uplands of big sagebrush and native steppe grasses, with willow and cottonwood along the riparian edges.

The refuge was established in 1909 under President Theodore Roosevelt as a protected area for native birds and waterfowl. This action reflected early conservation efforts in the United States.

The refuge's name comes from the cold springs that fed the site before the reservoir was built. Today it draws hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers, and its wetlands host large numbers of wintering waterfowl each year.

The refuge is open from sunrise to sunset for visitors interested in hunting, fishing, birdwatching, or horseback riding. It is best to stay on designated paths and avoid disturbing wildlife habitats.

The refuge sits on the 1,600-acre Cold Springs Reservoir, filled by an earth-fill dam the U.S. Reclamation Service completed in 1908 to supply irrigation water to farms in this arid, seasonally cold desert. The reservoir is part of the Umatilla Basin Project, and the refuge was established the following year, in 1909.