Schoolyard Habitat Grants:
A major Friends of Patuxent initiative in FY03 was the application for
and receipt of a $52,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Office of the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. These funds were used to
establish a Schoolyard Habitat Coordinator position, to be shared with the Fish
and Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office. The coordinator, Karen Kelly,
works with area schools, teachers, and students to establish wildlife habitat
on school grounds. She is also spearheading the development of a Schoolyard
Habitat Demonstration Area adjacent to the National Wildlife Visitor Center.
Additional funding was received for this project from a Chesapeake Bay Gateways
Grant ($14,457) and from a number of other donations and memorials.
Educational and
Volunteer Support:
Besides
schoolyard habitat support, the Friends assist the Refuge by printing
educational curricula materials, supporting the Maryland Federal Jr. Duck Stamp
Competition (helping to finance awards and purchasing lunch for the judges),
and printing and mailing a monthly Volunteer/ Friends newsletter. They also operate
the electric tram (hire and schedule drivers, pay insurance, sell tickets, and
invoice for group tours), which is a key component of the Refuge interpretive
and educational program. The Friends also subscribe to a monthly service that
supplies bottled water at the National Wildlife Visitor Center for use by
volunteers and staff.
Annual Wildlife Art Show and Sale:
Besides raising over $9,000 in FY03, the annual Art Show brings positive
attention and visibility to the Refuge, and is one of the Patuxent's major
annual events. In conjunction with the An Show, the Friends partner with the
Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help facilitate the Mary land
Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp Competition.
Wildlife Images Bookstore - New Ventures:
New initiatives
in the bookstore in 2003 included the addition of a small sales outlet at the
Refuge North Tract Visitor Contact Station, and the addition of several new
products including bottled water, song bird boxes (constructed by refuge
volunteers), and the publication and sale of a series of small interpretive
guides and booklets about the flora, fauna, and history of the Refuge.
The Friends of Patuxent continue to pay for advertising in several tourism publications including the Maryland Events Calendar. They also pay for memberships in a number of community and tourism organizations including the Baltimore/Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce, the Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and Howard County Conference and Visitors' Bureaus, Maryland Tourism Council, Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington DC. and others.
Event Support:
The Friends of Patuxent facilitated the receipt of additional funding for
the Patuxent Research Refuge for Centennial and fishing events by participating
in the Refuge Challenge Grant program, matching Fish and Wildlife Service funds
with volunteer services and other support.
Research Support:
The Friends of
Patuxent supports both the Patuxent Research Refuge and the United States
Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. They administer an
"Adopt-a-Crane" program to raise funds for the Whooping Crane
propagation and recovery program. They have supported "Frog Watch"
and native bee research projects, and have supported scientific meetings and
conferences.
Board
meetings. They are scheduled on the second Thursday of each month (time and
location varies - check their web site, www.friendspwrc.org
or ask a member). The Board always needs good workers. Please tell a Board
member if you might be interested in participating in Friends'-sponsored
projects.
Board members
include a mix of refuge volunteers and community leaders. They are:
Harlan Tucker,
Chairman
Ed Grimes,
Vice Chairman
Evelyn Adkins,
Treasurer
Emy Holdridge,
Secretary
Linda Carter
Rich Dolesh
Ellen Pattin
Jerry Persall
Marsha
Salzberg
"Sparky"
Sparks
Agency
liaisons: Marilyn Whitehead and Nell Baldacchino