What is a Refuge Support (Friends) Group?

A Refuge Support Groups is:

• An advocate for a local refuge and the National Wildlife Refuge System.

• A formal organization designed to support the mission of a refuge or other Service land.

• A private, independent organization formed and managed by local citizens.

A Refuge Support (Friends) Group is a grassroots organization formed by citizens who have a shared vision of supporting their local National Wildlife Refuge or other Service facility.

The groups are diverse, with each organization forming around the needs of their local refuge or other Service site. They include Friends groups, Audubon Refuge Keepers (ARK), Cooperating Associations, and other kinds of groups that are still developing. They join with Service personnel in a partnership that seeks to accomplish mutually defined goals.