Friends Logo_RGB_Black Birds _1_KO.png

Making Tracks


The Newsletter of the Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Joyfully Connecting our Community with the Wonder of the Refuge
 
IMG_6621.jpeg
 

Photo credit Willem Stoeller

UPCOMING EVENTS
IMG_1135.jpg
IMG_1135 _4_.jpg
IMG_1135 _3_.jpg

President's Perch

by Cheryl Hart, President

November is a time for gratitude. Despite another looming government shutdown, wars in multiple parts of the world, unhoused people trying to live on our streets in the damp and cold of winter, mass shootings becoming a part of almost every evening’s newscast, and so many other awful things happening, there are so many things we can be thankful for.

When I was a kid and we went around the Thanksgiving table to say what we were grateful for, I was always afraid I would forget someone or something that deserved to be mentioned. I feel that way now but here goes—I am grateful for:

· Our Friends Board members and staff who put in hours of hard work every week to

make sure that our Friends organization and the projects we support are successful

· The amazing FWS Service Staff who work at Tualatin River NWR

· The beautiful refuges that we help to support and protect

· Our members who support us both financially and physically to do the work we love

· Our community partners who care about our refuges and help us make them better

than ever

· The nature conserved on our refuges for us to enjoy

· The wildlife who make these refuges their home

· The National Wildlife Refuge Association and Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates, organizations who remind us that we do not stand alone but are part of a system of National Wildlife Refuges and a network of Friends groups

· The children and youth who discover the refuge and fall in love with nature, ensuring

that our work will continue

· The volunteers who staff our Nature Store and welcome EVERYONE to the refuge

To all of you and those I forgot to mention, thank you! for caring about something that is so important and so fragile and so valuable. Let’s all continue to love, protect, and conserve Tualatin River and Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuges. 

Focus on Friends

by Bonnie Anderson,

Executive Director

It's Friendsgiving! That special time of year when you celebrate Friends, Family and everything you are thankful for. It also marks the beginning of what is known as the "Season of Giving" Recently I read a story about giving and gratitude. The storyteller reminisces about an event that happened in her childhood that brought her great joy and had a profound impact on her approach to giving.

"That day I learnt the value to GIVE.

The GIVER is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life learn to GIVE. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to GIVE- which is everything. The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving." With the "Season of Giving" in mind, I reflect on the mean to me of these word. One of my primary responsibilities is to raise awareness of what the Friends do and inspire the community to give to the Friends so we may continue with our important mission. Currently the country is experiencing tough economic times, and there is so much uncertainty. I believe everyone has a strong desire to make a positive difference in the world and that each of you understands the value of the Friends, so I ask you to consider making a donation, to GIVE. I know this act of generosity will bring joy to you as you visit the Refuge Complex or read about the programs and work the Friends are doing. The Friends welcome what you can give and know that it will make an impact in the lives of puddle stompers, school students, visitors, volunteers and the wildlife that depend on the Refuge.

Most of all - Thank you for being a Friend and I wish each of you a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving. Remember, the Refuge is a great place to walk off that 2nd helping of pumpkin pie!

On Thursday October 26th The Friends and the Refuge Staff were honored by the Beaverton School District for the amazing programing we do with Greenway Elementary School. These programs include the TREE program, Friday with the Friends, Bird Festival, the Change Maker Projects and the end of year fieldtrips to the Refuge. USFWS and Friends' Staff and Volunteers were each awarded a certificate of appreciation. It is gratifying to be acknowledged by Oregon's second largest school district and it is especially nice to see our amazing and dedicated volunteers recognized for all that they do for the community.

wrapped_presents.jpg

Holiday Open House and Giving Tree

You can help make the holidays brighter for children from low-income families in the area. Nature’s Overlook, the Friends’ retail store, is again collecting gifts for children from families who might otherwise be unable to afford presents. We have partnered with Greenway Elementary School in Beaverton and the SHARE Program at the Sherwood School District to assure that children in those programs have access to gifts. We have made it easy for you to help! Visit Nature’s Overlook by December 10, choose a tag off the tree, select an item suggested for a specific child, purchase the item, and we will deliver it in time for it to be distributed to a

family before school is out for the Christmas break. You will have the satisfaction of knowing you have helped a family in need, and you will be helping the Friends as well. And remember, Friends’ members get 10% off their purchases every day, and 20% off during our Holiday Open House on December 2nd and 3rd.

Thanksgiving Blue Bag Challenge


Looking for an easy way to help support the Friends- and dispose of those cans and bottles that pile up during the Thanksgiving Holiday? Well we have a challenge for you!

We are looking for 100 bags to be filled with cans and bottles (that have Oregon redeemable deposits) during the Thanksgiving season.

All you have to do is stop by the Natures Overlook Store and pick up one or more Friends' blue Bottle Drop donation bags and fill it up.

You can drop it off at a nearby Bottle Drop donation site or bring it back to the Natures Overlook store, and we will take care of it.

Blue bags generally generate about $10 each- so this is a great and easy way to support the Friends and declutter your house!

If you fill the blue bag with bottles- make sure to only fill it half way- Oregon Bottle Drop does not accept bags that weigh too much.

If you have your own Bottle Drop account- you can also donate directly to The Friends of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge from your account. We are an approved non profit for their Holiday Giving.


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Looking for a way to volunteer once a month? We are in need of a few volunteers with large trucks or SUVs that could help transport up to 15 filled bags to the nearby bottle drop location. Email if you are interested.

#GivingTuesday will be on November 28th. The Friends would like to offer a special gift to the first 50 donors on or before #GivingTuesday. Donors will have the opportunity to select from an assortment of professional framed nature photos by Oregon's own wildlife photographer Jim Cruce. The Friends are thankful to have received a large donation from the estate of Mr. Cruce to be able to offer this gift to our donors. Photos will be available for in person pick up from Nov. 28-Dec. 2 during regular Nature Store hours. Selections will be on a first come first serve bases.

Donations can be made on our website, in person or on our Facebook page.

Reduce your Taxes with Year End Giving

Are you a Friend of the Refuge who has an IRA retirement accounts that will be facing the Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)? You may need to take action soon to ensure that the donation is completed before December 31. Anyone with IRA retirement accounts will have to start taking if they will be 73 before December 30. The RMDs are taxed as regular income and can quickly bounce you into another tax bracket. There are significant tax advantages to giving some of that away through Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) to 501C3s like Friends of the Refuge. They count toward RMDs but are not a taxable part of the RMD. QCDs need to come directly from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to Friends of the Refuge. To initiate a QCD, you will need to make a request in writing to your IRA account manager and specify the amount you wish to contribute to Friends of the Refuge. You may need to take action soon to ensure that the donation is completed before December 31. 

Think of Friends of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex and how our work aligns with your goals and dreams to help wildlife and public lands if you choose to use QCDs to reduce your tax burden on Required Minimum Distributions or any other planned year end giving. As always, please consult your financial advisor for details on how to set this up.

Christmas Bird Count

The Friends of Tualatin River NWRC are excited to participate in Audubon’s 124th annual Christmas Bird Count on December 16th, 2023! This event has a long and storied past, rooted in the earliest days of conservation. On Christmas Day of 1900, 27 birders ventured into the field to hold the first ever Christmas Bird Count. This effort was held to offer an alternative to the traditional Christmas Day hunts that were common at that time. In the years since, the CBC has become a well-loved tradition for birders across North America. Not only does this event offer the opportunity to spend a day with fellow wildlife enthusiasts, but it also generates invaluable data that aids researchers and managers in conserving our nation’s avifauna.

 

Consider joining us for a day of birding and community building! No prior experience or knowledge is required. Each group will be paired with an experienced surveyor. Visit friendsoftualatinrefuge.org for more information and to register.

Calling All Photographers

By Phyllis Millan

Let’s share the beauty of TRNWR and other wild places through your pictures. Submit via email to FriendsPhoto@friendsoftualatinrefuge.org include your name, where the picture was taken and any pertinent information

Photo credit Richard Scheideman

SAVE THE DATE

MAKE A DIFFERNCE MONDAY BOWLING FUNDRAISIER

JAN 8, 2024 at Langer's

100% of Bowling and shoe rental fees will be donated to Friends of the Refuge!

Doors open at 11AM and goes until 11 PM

bowling_pins2.jpg

This Week at Interior

• Nov 9, 2023

This Week: Secretary Haaland hosts the 12th and final stop on The Road to Healing to hear from survivors of federal Indian boarding schools; the Bureau of Land Management advances more than a dozen renewable energy projects across the west; nearly $22 million is headed to five states to fund outdoor spaces; the Office of Natural Resources Revenue announces the disbursement of more than $18 billion to states and Tribes; a new U.S. Geological Survey study shows a toxic compound is widespread among adult amphibians in the United States; two California plants are taken off the list of endangered species; a fee free day this week honors our nation's veterans; and we head to Dinosaur National Monument to dig up our social media Picture of the Week!


 

Friends of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex

19255 SW Pacific Hwy Sherwood, Oregon 97140

503.625.5944 x 15227

www.FriendsofTualatinRefuge.org


 
Facebook
 
Friends of Tualatin River NWRC | 19255 SW Pacific Highway, Sherwood, OR 97140 5036255944 x15227
Unsubscribe info@friendsoftualatinrefuge.org
Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice
Sent by info@friendsoftualatinrefuge.org powered by
Trusted Email from Constant Contact - Try it FREE today.
Try email marketing for free today!