About Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge
The mission of the Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge shall be to educate the public regarding the flora, fauna, and natural environment of the Refuge, through functions and educational events, promote public support for the Refuge by encouraging and organizing volunteer services, and solicit public donations for use in supporting, assisting, and enhancing ongoing conservation projects on the Refuge.
No wonder so many concerned people like YOU (nature lovers, conservationists, wildlife watchers, volunteers, birders, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, ranchers, educators, anglers, hunters, business people and more) have come together to support Friends of LANWR.
Accomplishments
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We organize and host the annual Ocelot Conservation Festival in South Texas since 1997. In 2019, we also brought ocelot awareness to the Longhorn Cattle Company at our 'Afternoon with an Ocelot'! In the past we've hosted an annual ocelot Soiree, a fundraising event for Ocelot Conservation, and a 5K run through the Gladys Porter Zoo.
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Funded the purchase of live traps, trail cameras, and radio & GPS tracking collars for ocelot research.
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We partnered with USFWS to restore 153 acres of coastal prairie along Holly Beach, removed 8,500 lb of trash from the area, and and installed nearly 5,000 ft of fencing to prevent illegal dumping and offroading!
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Have donated approximately $7,000 since 2004 to help monitor and protect Kemp's ridley sea turtles, as well as donated equipment necessary to the recovery effort.
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Sponsor Save Texas Ocelots.org specialty license plate. Friends of Laguna Atascosa receives $22.00 from the sale or renewal of each plate from the TxDMV, 100% of which goes to ocelot conservation.
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Operate the Visitor Center's nature bookstore, which offers educational, interpretive and promotional materials. All proceeds go to projects on the Refuge.
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Successfully write and manage grants, including funding for the Ocelot Translocation Project, Bahia Grande Wetland Restoration, boardwalk overlooks along Laguna Madre at Plover Point and Redhead Ridge, and Aplomado Falcon Habitat Restoration at Bahia Grande.
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Conduct outreach through special events, the web site, brochures and other promotional materials.
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Lobby on a local and national level for land acquisition funding and other issues that affect wildlife conservation in South Texas.
Awarded 2013 Southwest Region
Friends of the Year Award
Our Board of Directors
President:
Nicole Ekstrom
Vice President:
Robert Severson
Co-Secretaries:
Joyce Hamilton
Madeleine Sandefur
Treasurer:
Dr. Thomas deMaar
Board Members:
Patrick Anderson
Dr. Greg Garcia
Dr. David Hicks
Pete Moore
Richard Moore
Dr. Sharon Wilcox
Shane Wilson