Programs

The Friends of Willapa NWR are active in many areas including environmental education (for both adults and youth!), restoration efforts, interpretation, and community outreach. Friends members also participate in quarterly activities including a semi-annual barge trip and hike on Long Island and plant identification hikes on the Refuge.

Tapas and Tango
Join us for an entertaining evening of sampling Spanish tapas and sipping Spanish wines while viewing a tango demonstration and learning how to dance the rumba!

Where: Artisan at 114 Main, Ilwaco
When: Saturday, October 24, 2009, 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Suggested donation: $35 / person

Friends’ member Dave Watson, owner and dance instructor of
Portland’s Ballroom Parkrose, and his wife, JoEllen Jarvis, will
demonstrate the tango as well as give rumba dance instructions to our guests. This fundraiser will support the Friends' programs. Space is limited so please RSVP to Bev Arnoldy at director@friendsofwillaparefuge.org or at 360-665-0044.

Volunteer Corner
The Friends are always looking for more volunteers interested in helping with programs. Last year, Friends members volunteered the equivilant number of hours as one full-time refuge employee!

Volunteering adds to a sense of personal ownership in the Refuge System. And while that sense of ownership benefits the refuges and all the plants and animals that reside or migrate there, a personal connection with a refuge benefits volunteers too. Volunteers are awarded an Interagency Volunteer Pass after accruing 500 volunteer hours. This pass allows volunteers free entry to federal lands that charge fees, for one year. Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about the mission and importance of the Refuge.

There are many volunteer opportunities available, if you have the desire and the time to help. Contact Mariana Bergerson at the Refuge Headquarters office at 360-484-3482. Some of the current activities needing volunteers:

Gorse Pulling on Long Island
We always need to be removing gorse, which is something that can be done by either individuals or groups.

Trail and Campsite Maintenance on Long Island
Many trails are difficult to traverse due to down trees and overgrown vegetation. Campsites are also in need of attention.

Creating Digital Photographs
The Refuge is looking for volunteers to inventory and archive photos. Tasks include sorting through photos and slides, typing up information on a laptop computer, scanning with a portable scanner and laptop, and, in the future, organizing materials for long term storage. Tasks can be separate or combined, depending upon a volunteer's interest. Training and oversight provided. This will be an ongoing project.

Environmental Education
4th Grade
Willapa National Wildlife Refuge staff and Friends of Willapa NWR volunteers visit each area fourth grade classroom four times during each school year. Students are introduced to national wildlife refuges, birding, habitat types, and amphibians. Each spring, the same 4th graders are treated to an all-day field trip on the refuge.

8th Grade
In eighth grade, students again participate in a field trip to the refuge and an intense classroom program. This time, they are studying more complex issues including water quality, human impacts on the bay, use of keys, social and environmental issues, and more.

High School
In high school, select students perform their community learning hours at the refuge. These students learn about the day to day operations of a national wildlife refuge and receive a lot of one on one time with refuge staff. Other students participate in Ilwaco’s Natural Resources program. These students visit the refuge with their instructor throughout the school year. At the end of the school year, these students serve as instructors for the 4th grade and 8th grade field trips…passing their knowledge and experience on to younger students. The Friends of Willapa NWR also offer scholarships each year to area graduating seniors intending on a career in natural resources.

And beyond...
Learning should never stop! And the refuge and Friends offer many adult education programs throughout the year. These programs may be tailored to specific issues such as salmon restoration, or on the refuge and wildlife in general.

Outreach
Friends members staff educational booth displays at different public events throughout the year. You might have seen us at the Ilwaco Saturday Market, Nahcotta Seafood Festival, or FinnFest.

Refuge Volunteer Efforts
Friends members volunteer for a variety of programs on the refuge including trail maintenance, control of noxious weeds such as gorse, bird and fish surveys, and trail monitoring.