About us

The Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge became an officially recognized organization July 20, 2000. On that day, nine members met and agreed to serve as directors. Years of volunteering at goose check stations and bird counts at the Refuge led local residents Rudy and Winona Schuver to value the richness and complexity of the Refuge. It also led them to the realization that the understaffed and underfunded Refuge could benefit from a lot more volunteer help. And, in return, the Long Beach Peninsula and entire area around the mouth of the Columbia River would learn more about this treasure in its midst.

4th graders identifying amphibians

In 2001, the first year, Willapa National Wildlife Refuge staff and Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge volunteers entered three local classrooms educating local 4th grade students on national wildlife refuges, birds, wildlife habitat, and amphibians. The culmination of the four in-class lessons was a daylong field trip to Willapa Refuge. This visit to the Refuge lets students view habitats and wildlife discussed in classroom presentations. More than ten years later, this environmental education program now reaches classrooms in all elementary schools in Pacific County and at St. Mary's Star of the Sea elementary school in Astoria, OR. The program reaches out to over 200 4th grade students each year.

The environmental education component now extends to local Head Start programs, adult education programs, and a scholarship program for graduating seniors in Pacific County who are interested in wildlife and habitat related careers.

The Friends organization was also instrumental in the support of the Spartina Eradication Program for Willapa Bay. Friends members made annual trips to Washington, DC to advocate for the initiation and continuation of federal government support from 2003 through 2008. Today, the program is one the most successful in eliminating an invasive species from a native habitat.

Friends members are also very supportive of the Willapa Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Program (CCP), a federally-mandated 15-year strategic plan that covers wildlife and habitat restoration, extension of Refuge public use areas, and expansion of the Willapa Refuge lands. For more information on the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge CCP, go to their CCP web site.