The Avocet
Excerpt from the Fall 2004 Avocet
President’s Message ~ Tim Armstrong
First, I would like to thank everyone who helped with the refuge workdays during the summer. At the June workday, we sold refreshments at the Kid’s Fishing Day. In July, we replaced warped siding timbers and gravel and pulled weeds along the Friends trail. In August, we painted the conference room in the former administrative buiding at the Alamosa refuge. This was the first step of a three-phase project envisioned and planned by Kristen Gilbert that will turn the building into a full-fledged Visitor Center. Kristen and two refuge volunteers, Frances and Pick Dibbern will continue to transform the conference room into a Discovery Center by painting murals and installing cabinets. We have submitted a Nature of Learning Start-up Grant to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to help complete this first phase. If the grant is approved, the funds would allow Kristen to develop a wetlands education curriculum and involve local school children in designing the Visitor Center. We are currently exploring funding opportunities for the second and third phases of the project. The plans for the second phase call for converting the former storeroom into a classroom. The third-phase would involve the development of interpretive displays for the former reception area and a designated area for a bookstore where we can sell books and other materials. We started selling books, cards and some other materials at the Alamosa refuge this summer, and our sales have been better than we expected. Special thanks to everyone who helped decide what bookstore materials we should offer and to Kristen, Frances, and Pick for selling them while staffing the Visitor Center. We have one more workday scheduled for this year. On Saturday, September 18, we plan to work at the Olson property on the Monte Vista Refuge (see related story). On the national level, there are over 230 Friends groups, with more forming each year. Across the country, Friends groups are vocal supporters for the refuge system and the wildlife it protects. Wildlife can’t speak for itself, so our work is critical to insure support for our refuges at the local and national levels. Thanks to all our members for supporting these efforts.