Friends of Sherburne NWR Board members Brian Aho, Sue Hix, and Ron Cleveland, visited congressional contacts in Washington, D.C., March 5.

The Friends of Sherburne recently sent representatives to the 2007 "Beyond the Boundaries Workshop" sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Service with the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA), of which the Friends are a member. 

Sue Hix, Brian Aho, and Ron Cleveland participated along with Refuge Manager Anne Sittauer, braving the final blizzard of the season to travel to Washington, D.C., for the workshop, March 3-4.

Along with representatives of refuges throughout the country, the group was invited to identify challenges and opportunities resulting from the rapid development occurring near refuges.  They were then encouraged to consider ways to engage the community in refuge activities to gain support for the refuge and its work.  Additional sessions focused on how local land use decisions affect refuges and what land conservation tools and techniques may be used to provide "buffer" areas around refuges.

At the middle of the second day, the Beyond the Boundaries Workshop concluded, and Fish and Wildlife Service staff were dismissed.  However, members of Friends groups stayed to participate in advocacy training led by the NWRA, which is an advocacy organization for the National Wildlife Refuge System.  Friends members learned how to approach their legislators to request increased funding for the Refuge System as well as to discuss the needs of their own refuges.

The following day, everyone had a chance to test their new skills during visits to the offices of legislators on Capitol Hill.  The Friends of Sherburne representatives joined representatives from the Friends of Crane Meadows NWR and the Friends of Morris Wetland Management District to visit with staff of Senator Norm Coleman and Senator Amy Klobuchar.  Friends of Sherburne reps also visited the office of Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.  The highlight of the day, however, was a personal meeting with Congressman Jim Oberstar.  The group's overall impression was that the meetings were positive and offered an excellent opportunity to either begin relationships with newmembers of Congress or build existing relationships.