David Martin wrote the following article on the history of the Friends of Sherburne. David is an active Friends member as well as a director for the Friends Board.
The Friends of Sherburne NWR
St. Francis River
Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, with 30,700 acres of wetlands, oak savanna and grassland, has become a refuge, itself, to central Minnesotans. Over 110,000 visitors a year are treated to bald eagles, sandhill cranes, white pelicans and other migrating birds.
Sightings of deer, black bear, wolves and wild turkey are also a reminder of the refuge's healthy habitat. If you're lucky, you'll hear the commanding call of trumpeter swans. Occasionally, a Blanding's Turtle, considered endangered in Minnesota, is spotted along refuge roads moving with much less fanfare but equal importance in the ecosystem.
When the Friends of Sherburne formed in 1993 they accepted a challenge to help bring the refuge and the growing community closer together. One of the Friends early presidents, Sandy Connell, expressed the Friends' mission quite simply when she wrote, "The refuge is my refuge and I want to share it."
In that spirit, the Friends have accomplished a great deal. With nearly 300 members they have assisted with everything from trail maintenance to designing an environmental education curriculum to planning a new educational facility.
"Friends groups have changed refuge management," says Anne Sittauer, refuge manager at Sherburne. "They have become a vital part of what we do."
Funding for many projects has come from grants and donations. A $3,000 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant funded the purchase of materials for constructing 40 pairs of snowshoes. They are necessary equipment at Winterfest, an annual event in which more than 1,000 Minnesotans take on winter. A horse-drawn sleigh takes visitors through the oak savanna. A family sips hot cider while inspecting a snow shelter. Another group is roasting marshmallows over a campfire. Area businesses routinely donate generously for the event, enabling it to be offered free to the public.
The fall Wildlife Festival also gets substantial support from the community, both monetary and in goods like silent auction items. It's easy to see why the festival is so popular. Last fall 1,600 attendees could watch a block of wood turn into a duck, learn archery and see equipment used for prescribed fires. Food offerings, of course, are an attraction, especially outdoor grilled brats topped with sauerkraut. A free refuge birthday cake has its takers too. "We have great community support for our events. People here feel this is their refuge," says Sue Hix, the Friends' past president.
A second NFWF grant, for $3400, funded the purchase of two spotting scopes. These were mounted on strategically located viewing platforms along the refuge's seven-mile wildlife drive.
But the group's major accomplishments have been in the area of education. In 2000 the Friends received its third NFWF grant, of $3000, to write and publish an environmental education curriculum. Matching funds came from two community groups: Elk River Lions and Minnesota Bowhunters - Three Rivers Chapter. True to their mission statement, the Friends were on their way to "help the community develop a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the refuge and its mission.... for it to be valued and enjoyed by the community."
The curriculum, Exploring the Oak Savanna, is a well planned series of activities designed for teachers and keyed to Minnesota education standards. Four Friends who are teachers, selected, edited and wrote original activities. Although the materials are organized around elementary, middle and high school, many are easily adaptable across levels. Each fall 400 to 800 area students benefit from the curriculum when they are bused to the refuge to participate in Environmental Education Field Days. Since being featured at the National Friends Conference in 2002, Exploring the Oak Savanna has helped other Friends Groups plan EE programs.
Educational events also take place off the refuge. A Wildlife Expo of tanned furs takes to the road to area fair and community events several times a year. At a recent Princeton Early Childhood Community Fair over 300 stopped to inspect the furs on display at the Friends table.
Children were compelled, of course, to feel their varying degrees of softness. "I like this one," says Mindy, stroking a mink pelt. "There's a lot of touching and thinking. You could see the wheels turning," says Jim Pasch, a Friends board member who helped at the display. "It's a great teaching opportunity."
With annual visitation to the refuge now exceeding 110,000, the Friends have been on a quest to construct an educational facility that adequately serves the public. Such a facility would be a center for the many special events that now overflow the small, quaint, one-room schoolhouse on the refuge that seats only 40 visitors. For the past four years, Friends members have traveled to Washington, D.C. where they met with Minnesota's Congress members or their aides.
Friends members are continually in contact with Minnesota legislative aides who often attend refuge festivals. To underscore community interest in the project the Friends initiated post card mailing and petition signing campaigns.
Says Hix, "We know we're being heard in the halls of Congress. We tell them the rapid growth of our area emphasizes our need. We're committed to making it happen."
The Friends of Sherburne were especially honored to be recognized as the 2008 Friends Group of the Year by the National Wildlife Refuge Association. Four friends members, along with refuge manager Anne Sittauer, accepted the award at the national Friends' conference held at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. The award included a $2,000 cash prize.
Friends group accepting 2008 Friends of the Year award
