Were very pleased that another friends group from our region has been selected as the best in the country, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director Bill Hartwig, noting that the Minnesota Valley NWR friends group was recognized in 1998. The relationship between our refuges and local volunteer and friends groups has always been strong. Without this support we could never accomplish as much as we do for wildlife and people in the Midwest.
Rydell NWR Manager Rick Julian echoed these sentiments. The Friends of Rydell have done a tremendous job of supporting the refuge and providing recreational and educational opportunities for people in northwest Minnesota, he said. Over the last couple of years theyve completed more than 40 special projects on the refuge and invested over $200,000 in improving the facilities. Being selected as National Friends Group of the Year is an honor they truly deserve.
With just 75 members, the nonprofit Friends of the Rydell Refuge Association is small in comparison to other NWR friends groups nationally. But according to the Associations President Bill Roeszler, their size doesnt deter the group from tackling large projects.
Weve put in seven miles of trails on the refuge, said Roeszler, three-and-a-half of those are paved. We also rebuilt a 120-foot long pier and hundreds of feet of bog walks.
These improvements, along with modifications at the refuge visitor center and adjacent landscaping, have now helped make much of the refuge accessible for wheelchair users, families with children in strollers, and elderly visitors. Hunting and fishing facilities for those with disabilities are also now offered as a result of the Associations work.
Roeszler anticipates these improved facilities will soon see much use during the popular Learning at the Lakes program series, sponsored by the group during the summer months. Well sponsor 10 to 12 programs and have outside speakers discuss conservation, education and wildlife issues, he said. Past programs have addressed landscaping, bats and wolves.
Whats next for the nations best NWR friends group? Roeszler hopes the Associations national recognition will spur an increase in the organizations membership and result in even more volunteers, partners and resources to enhance the refuge. For information about joining the Friends of the Rydell Refuge Association, contact Rick Julian at (218) 847-4431 ext. 212.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Services manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System of more than 520 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our homepage at: http://midwest.fws.gov.
