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| 4/30/2008 12:01:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article
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Contributed photo
Friends of Willapa NWR executives Katherine Driscoll and Amy Cook visited the office of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks in D.C. |
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Willapa Friends leaders thank lawmakers, learn of refuge topics at national conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. - "Thank you for your support of Willapa!" was the message delivered by Katherine Driscoll and Amy Cook to regional congressional offices during visits last week to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Driscoll and Cook are president and vice-president of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Friends organization, and were joined by nearly 300 Friends volunteers and Fish and Wildlife Service personnel from across the country who participated at the 2008 National Friends Conference held April 4 through 6 in Shepherdstown, WV.
"Congressmen Baird and Dicks together with Sens. Murray and Cantwell have proved themselves to be extraordinary champions of the Willapa Refuge and the environmental health of the Bay overall," noted Driscoll. "They have helped ensure success with our management programs to eradicate invasive spartina from the tidelands as well as restore more forest habitat to old growth characteristics." D.C. visits by Driscoll and Cook included Pete Modaff, Legislative Director for Congressman Norm Dicks, Congessman Brian Baird and Jamal Abdi, Legislative Aide, and Jaime Shimek and Katrina Lassiter, Legislative aides for Senator Patty Murray.
Besides a big "Thank you," congressional staff discussions included the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) being prepared for long-term investment and planning at Willapa NWR. The CCP will serve as a major directional guide for the future of the refuge, and public inputs are being collected now for inclusion into the plan. Topics of discussion around the CCP include the need to invest in long term strategies that promote natural and sustainable processes for habitat for the hundreds of species of fish, birds, wildlife and flora within the Willapa Refuge.
"We must protect, maintain and restore the numerous habitats that exist within Willapa NWR, as well as increase our capacity for recreational access to the Refuge with the understanding that wildlife comes first," noted Driscoll.
Hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge Association, the "Friends for the Future" conference featured sessions covering how climate change impacts refuges; ways in which refuge supporters can address threats from beyond refuge boundaries; and how refuges can help connect children with nature.
Driscoll and Cook participated in a variety of training workshops, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities that focused on public outreach and children's education.
"The conference sessions emphasized how a child's social, emotional, and physical well-being can benefit from staying connected to nature and the outdoors," Cook said. "And, as Congressman Brian Baird pointed out, we have an incredible treasure right here in our backyard with the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. It is an invaluable resource that can be used to teach kids about the environment and their place in it! We were pleased to learn that our Willapa Friends' programs for public education are among the best in the nation for this."
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