The National Wildlife Refuge Association Board of Directors provides expertise, support, and a strategic vision for the organization. They are conservation experts, business leaders, volunteers, and advocates dedicated to our mission to protect, promote, and enhance the National Wildlife Refuge System for the benefit of all Americans.
Each month, we highlight a former or current board member and get their thoughts on current events, how they got involved in National Wildlife Refuge Association, and what they love about nature and wildlife refuges.
Cheryl Hart is a Refuge Friends aficionado and currently serves on the National Wildlife Refuge’s Board and as the organization’s chair of the Friends Committee. Cheryl is also active in her local Refuge Friends group, Friends of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, and is on the board of NWRA’s partner Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates.
What inspired you to become a board member of the National Wildlife Refuge Association?
I had served on the board of Friends of Tualatin River NWR (TRNWR) in Portland OR for about 10 years. During that time, I became acquainted with NWRA, participated in Fly-ins, and responded to Advocacy Action requests. When I attended Friends Academy, Desiree Sorenson Groves and Joan Patterson did a presentation on NWRA. I saw the benefit for Friends to have a national organization to help us network and communicate with each other. NWRA seemed like the organization that was trying to do that. When I finished my term as President of Friends of TRNWR, I had a little extra time on my hands, so I talked with Joan and with Kathy Woodward, who was on the NWRA Board at the time, and they both encouraged me to become a part of the NWRA Board.
Why are Refuge Friends so important to the National Wildlife Refuge System?
Originally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service saw Friends groups as a source of fundraisers and advocates, but Friends groups do so much more. They are the “face of the refuge” in visitor centers and on trails, leading field trips, helping with restoration, and making connections to communities to encourage support for refuges. They are the heart and soul of national wildlife refuges.
What is your favorite memory from a trip to a national wildlife refuge?
Every month or so, I join our refuge Deputy Manager and her toddler for a walk on the refuge. Discovering nature with a young child who is exploring everything for the first time is a special experience for me.
How did you get involved with the Refuge Friends community and why is volunteering important to you?
I have always volunteered. When I moved to Portland, I needed a place where I could connect with nature as I had been able to do when I lived in Idaho. Lucky for me, there was a refuge less than a mile from my home that provides a buffer between me and the City of Portland. I decided that if I treasured that buffer, I needed to help protect it. I joined TRNWR and was soon asked to chair the “Store Committee” to develop a nature store for the visitor center that was just being constructed. Shortly after I agreed to do that, I was asked to join the board. 17 years later, I still chair the Store Committee and currently serve as President of the Board for the Friends of Tualatin River NWR.
How can the National Wildlife Refuge Association best assist Refuge Friends?
The partnership between NWRA and Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA), an all-volunteer group whose mission is to foster a network of nonprofit organizations supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System and the National Fish Hatchery System, has made a huge improvement in the resources and support available to Friends groups. Monthly webinars, a quarterly newsletter, blogs, a resource center, and two Facebook groups—one for general Friends topics and one focused on nature stores—have provided access to networking and support. NWRA can nurture and support the work done by CORFA and continue to stress the value of Friends groups to a healthy and strong National Wildlife Refuge System.