One Friend’s Story

By Ian Bergemann, President, Friends of Outer Island NWR (CT)

As a child and student at a local public middle school (Francis Walsh Intermediate School, Branford, Connecticut), I was very fortunate to visit Outer Island National Wildlife Refuge and so experience my first major exposure to the love of my life. I didn’t visit again until I was a college intern, but when I did, I felt the love reignite within me. That first summer volunteering changed my entire life and taught me exactly how I want to make an impact in this world: generate and preserve childlike curiosity through experiences within nature. I was able to do so by giving tours and leading environmental education activities with children that were the age I was when I first visited. At the end of my lessons with the students, I would tell them the story of how I dreamed of living on Outer Island when I was their age, and now I am living that dream. The twinkle in their eyes and their awestruck faces reflected that same inspiration I felt so many years ago.

At the end of my internship, I was adopted by Friends of Outer Island, the same group that had brought me to the island nearly 10 years earlier. Now, at the age of 22, I am president of Friends of Outer Island, a nonprofit volunteer organization that supports the refuge and its programs, including the education program. My story is one of building life-long relationships with Friends volunteers, the refuge, and the environment. When I am leading a program for visitors, I see them develop a similar connection—one of a love and curiosity for the things around us.

The following advocacy request – geared to Outer Island NWR—is general enough that you can adjust it to reflect current needs and circumstances at your own site:

The refuge contributes to the quality of life of our nearby communities and enhances the lives of the individuals of all ages who visit, volunteer, and support the refuge as Friends. We ask for your support to ensure the protection of wild places—including Outer Island NWR—and the funding required to maintain them.