GREEN RIVER – Have you ever wonder how Seedskedee and Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge got its name?
Refuge officials said it is a question often asked by visitors. The Refuge brouchure states: The name Seedskadee originated from the Shoshone Indian word “Sisk-a-dee-agie” meaning “river of the prairie hen.”
“The Romance of the Colorado River” by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh states: On the headwaters of Green River lived the Crows, who called it the Seedskedee Agie or Prairie Hen River.
Slight variations of which Native American Tribe to credit and the exact spelling, however both agree that it described the area of present day Seedskadee NWR and tied greater sage-grouse to the Green River. The phenomenon that the Native Americans observed, greater sage-grouse along the Green River, still occurs today.
Greater sage-grouse begin to move to wetlands along the Green River as the surrounding sage steppe begins to dry out in July and August. Officials said they are now starting to see groups of males and groups of hens with their chicks in a number of locations on Seedskadee NWR.
The best viewing opportunities are along the auto tour route near headquarters in the mornings and evenings. Drive very slowly, stopping often to look. They really blend in, making them hard to see unless they are moving or on the road.
