Friends of the Refuge Set to Revive

Allison Boehm, the new Americorps member who has recently been assigned to work with the Kootenai Valley National Wildlife Refuge as Outreach Coordinator, is announcing her intention to revive the Friends of the Refuge, a non-profit group who helps raise funds for the Refuge.

"The Friends of the Refuge has been inactive for awhile," Allison stated. "The group will help raise money to fund programs at the Refuge."

The meeting for those interested in becoming a Friend of the Refuge will be held on October 1 at 5:30pm at the Refuge Education Barn.

"This will not be a fundraising thing," said Allison of the Friends of the Refuge meeting. "We are looking for five to seven people who want to be on the Board of Directors. They would only need to commit to one evening a month to facilitate the Friends of the Refuge group. We are also looking for members for the Friends of the Refuge. Being on the Board or becoming a member can have a big impact without a big time commitment."

Allison, a native of New Hampshire who has recently relocated to Boundary County from Jackson Hole, WY, has a degree in environmental science/geology. Similar to the Peace Corps, Americorps volunteers earn just a living stipend to work in communities that have a need. Allison will spend the next 11 months in Boundary County putting together environmental education programs for the local schools.

Allison explained that the Refuge already has microscopes and other tools, but has not had the programs to use the tools. Some programs she is currently planning are an Astronomy Night for stargazing at the Refuge. She is also planning to institute Friday programs when kids are out of school, such as nature hikes to learn about local birds and geology as well as a Weather Day where students can learn cloud identification and try their hand at weather prediction.

"I'm hoping to do a lot of really great stuff and put my heart into it," she stressed. "There is so much wildlife at the Refuge. The birds and geology here are so amazing. This will be a great opportunity to keep kids involved in natural science."

For more information on the Friends of the Refuge or the developing programs, call 267-3888 or email allison_boehm@fws.gov.