WILDLIFE WATCHING -- The secret to wildlife watching is getting to a good spot and hanging out.  Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge south of Cheney is a good place to start, as wildlife enthusiast Carlene Hardt has discovered in recent years. Here's a note to go along with the photos she snapped last week at the refuge.

In spring, Turnbull teems with life and I look forward to what I might see every time I go. And it was fun to share the excitement of a young girl whose family had stopped to watch the swans near me - it was the first time she had seen a swan!

It is encouraging to see that the pair of trumpeter swans from last year have returned. They had four cygnets last year and I hope they'll raise another family this year.

A $3 fee per vehicle is charged to enter the refuge headquarters area, motor tour route and trailheads.  Or, a federal Duck Stamp suffices, as to federal access permits such as the Senior Pass, which is available at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management office in Spokane Valley.