Mission: The purpose of the Friends of the Potomac River Refuges is to promote conservation, awareness, and appreciation of the wildlife and habitats of the Potomac River National Wildlife Refuge Complex and to provide assistance to Refuge programs.
Purpose of the Strategic Plan: This five-year action plan sets the Friends' priorities for supporting the
Refuge Complex through advocacy, outreach, environmental education and interpretation, natural resource management, membership, and Refuge Staff/Friends coordination. Fiscal considerations cross all areas. The plan is to be reviewed and updated annually.
Advocacy
- Seek funding for Visitor Center/Administrative Building
- Enhance awareness and support for Refuge Complex from
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- Elected local, state, and federal officials;
- Neighboring landowners;
- Local businesses; and
- Other non-government organizations and user groups
- Strengthen federal funding allocations for Refuge Complex
Outreach
- Priority events:
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- Featherstone Cleanup (March);
- Eagle Festival - Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck (April);
- Fall Festival - Occoquan Bay (October)
- Prepare work/communication plan for each event
- Publicity:
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- Website maintenance
- Facebook account
- Quarterly newsletter
- Seek additional, sustained funding sources
Membership
- Increase individual membership annually by 30 percent
- Increase corporate membership
- Increase awareness of Friends activities, opportunities, and accomplishments to/for current and potential members
Environmental Education and Interpretation
- Provide assistance to Refuge Complex education programs
- Encourage school use of Refuge Complex environment education facilities and opportunities
- Provide annual woodcock program at Occoquan Bay (March)
- Provide annual fiscal support to the Occoquan Bay bird banding station
- Support annual Prince William/Manassas Regional Science Fair with judges and awards
- Seed educational challenge cost-share opportunities
Natural Resource Management
- Recruit membership volunteers for Refuge Staff management and monitoring activities
- Review and comment on draft Refuge Staff proposals and plans
- Provide volunteers, material and/or fiscal support for Refuge Complex/Friends cost-share opportunities
- Provide information to interested parties on Refuge Complex issues and opportunities
- Coordinate with other organizations on issues outside Refuge Complex boundaries
Refuge Staff/Friends Relationship
- Continuously coordinate, build, and improve shared Refuge Staff/Friends vision
- Coordinate priorities with Refuge Staff on their requests for fiscal support
- Strengthen in all ways communication between Refuge Staff/Friends
- Annually compare and coordinate Refuge Staff/Friends planning calendar
- Liaison between Refuge Staff and others, if requested