Excerpts from the December 2002 Avocet

Third Annual Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest A Success
The third annual Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest sponsored by The Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges was very successful. Nearly 100 pieces of artwork were submitted from schools throughout the San Luis Valley. All of the artwork was displayed at the Alamosa Refuge Office through November. All contestants received a ribbon for participating and first, second and third places in each grade category received prizes provided by the San Luis Valley Chapter of Ducks Unlimited and the Friends group.
Thank you to all the schools, teachers and students who participated. The Valley is home to a number of outstanding young artists! The Friends would especially like to thank local artist Jim Gilmore for judging the art contest.

President's Message

Last spring, Mike Blenden and I spent a week in Washington, D.C., where we learned how to help mentor new and existing Friends groups. My first mentoring visit was to Big Lake NWR in Arkansas last month to help a recently formed Friends group. The trip gave me the opportunity to reflect on our Friends group, what we have accomplished, and our future. My main conclusions were that 1) I am fortunate to be part of a tremendous group of dedicated people, including both the refuge staff and Friends, and 2) it's time to get started on new projects. We finished our first major project, constructing the trail on the MVNWR one year ago, and since then I have been looking forward to the filling of the Outdoor Recreation Planner (ORP) position at the refuge. The new ORP, Kristen Gilbert, arrived this fall and she has lots of energy and ideas for programs at the refuge. The first step for new projects is to develop a strategic plan, which we started at our November meeting. We will continue planning at our December meeting on Wednesday, December 11 at 7 pm in the Monte Vista public library. I encourage everyone to attend and help determine our future direction. I thank everyone for their help, and I'm looking forward to the New Year.