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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260722T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260722T150000
DTSTAMP:20260710T135551Z
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UID:10000072-1784728800-1784732400@coalitionofrefugefriends.com
SUMMARY:Refuge Budgets 101
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a Refuge Friends webinar with Greg Knadle\, Refuge Association Board member\, for an overview of how the National Wildlife Refuge System budget and federal appropriations process work. \nThis webinar will help Friends better understand how refuge funding moves through Congress\, what key steps shape the annual budget process\, and why sustained funding is essential for national wildlife refuges\, wildlife conservation\, visitor access\, and local communities. \nGreg will draw on more than 30 years of experience working across federal wildlife\, natural resources\, and appropriations programs to help demystify the budget process and answer questions from Friends. \nPresenter: \nGreg Knadle brings over 30 years of experience in wildlife conservation\, federal policy\, and strategic advocacy to the Refuge Association Board. His career includes pivotal roles with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\, including Refuge Operations Specialist and Refuge System Budget Specialist\, where he contributed to both on-the-ground refuge stewardship and national budget formulation and planning. \nGreg also served as professional staff on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee from 2003 to 2009\, advising across multiple federal natural resource accounts\, including the National Wildlife Refuge System. He later joined the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as Vice President of Government Relations\, where he helped secure and shape funding for wildlife and natural resources programs. Most recently\, Greg worked as the Federal Grants Coordinator for the New Mexico Congressional Delegation in both the House and the Senate. \nGreg is now a natural resource and federal budget consultant\, wildlife and nature photographer\, and artist in Falls Church\, Virginia. \nSign Up!
URL:https://coalitionofrefugefriends.com/event/refug-budgets-101/
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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ORGANIZER;CN="Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA)":MAILTO:coalitionrefugefriends@gmail.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260818T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260818T150000
DTSTAMP:20260807T105911Z
CREATED:20260807T105911Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260807T105911Z
UID:10000074-1787061600-1787065200@coalitionofrefugefriends.com
SUMMARY:Practical AI for Refuge Friends: Saving Time\, Strengthening Outreach & Understanding the Environmental Impact
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a Refuge Friends webinar with Janelle Wicks\, Dustin Braden\, and Willem Stoeller exploring practical ways Friends organizations can use artificial intelligence to save staff and volunteer time\, strengthen outreach\, and reduce administrative work. \nThis webinar will cover manageable uses of AI for communications\, fundraising\, financial reporting\, program evaluation\, volunteer coordination\, environmental monitoring\, and other day-to-day organizational needs. Rather than focusing on large or highly technical projects\, the presenters will share accessible examples that Friends groups can adapt to their own work. \nPresenters will also provide an overview of artificial intelligence and discuss the environmental impacts associated with AI and data centers\, offering a balanced look at both the opportunities and considerations that come with using these tools. \nPresenters \n\nJanelle Wicks has served as Executive Director of Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge since 2018. Her connection to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began in 2006 as a volunteer at a Service fish hatchery laboratory in Pennsylvania. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology with concentrations in Environmental Sciences and Marine Biology\, and her career has included work with federal public-land agencies and nonprofit education and program management.\nDustin Braden is a Director at Large with the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates and a nonprofit consultant specializing in technology\, data visualization\, grant writing\, and web development. He also teaches Environment and Sustainability at Ohio Wesleyan University and holds a master’s degree in Geography and Spatial Sciences from the University of Delaware.\nWillem Stoeller serves as a Director at Large with the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates and is a board member of Friends of Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge Complex. He has more than 35 years of experience working with nonprofit and volunteer organizations and has volunteered at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge as a visitor-center volunteer and naturalist since 2014. He previously served as the Friends group’s Treasurer and Vice President and chaired its Governance Committee.\n\nSign Up!
URL:https://coalitionofrefugefriends.com/event/practical-ai-for-refuge-friends-saving-time-strengthening-outreach-understanding-the-environmental-impact/
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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ORGANIZER;CN="Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA)":MAILTO:coalitionrefugefriends@gmail.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260916T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260916T150000
DTSTAMP:20260903T130235Z
CREATED:20260903T130235Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T130235Z
UID:10000078-1789567200-1789570800@coalitionofrefugefriends.com
SUMMARY:Building Capacity When Conservation Needs It Most
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a Refuge Friends webinar with Andrea Keller Helsel\, founder and Executive Director of the Conservation Capacity Project\, to learn about free resources and expert support available to conservation nonprofits navigating an increasingly challenging operating environment. \nThe Conservation Capacity Project provides no-cost\, personalized support to help organizations strengthen their operations\, respond to uncertainty\, and build long-term resilience. Friends groups can access expertise in areas including fundraising\, cybersecurity\, human resources\, financial management\, organizational strategy\, governance\, crisis planning\, and leadership development. \nAndrea will introduce the Conservation Capacity Project\, explain who is eligible for support\, walk through the kinds of assistance available\, and share how Refuge Friends organizations can connect with the Project when they need help. \nPresenter\nAndrea Keller Helsel founded and leads the Conservation Capacity Project\, which provides free\, wraparound support for Tribes and U.S. conservation organizations. She is also a philanthropic consultant. Previously\, she served an eight-year term as a Program Officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. There she developed and led the Foundation’s $40-million annual Western Conservation grantmaking strategy\, supporting Tribes and nonprofit partners advancing community-driven conservation in the U.S. West. Before joining Hewlett\, Andrea served as national director of strategy at the Western Conservation Foundation\, led the media relations team at the National Parks Conservation Association\, and worked in consumer marketing and public relations. Today\, she serves on the boards of several conservation organizations.  \nSign Up!
URL:https://coalitionofrefugefriends.com/event/building-capacity-when-conservation-needs-it-most/
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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ORGANIZER;CN="Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates (CORFA)":MAILTO:coalitionrefugefriends@gmail.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260929T210000
DTSTAMP:20260819T152052Z
CREATED:20260819T152052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T152052Z
UID:10000075-1790712000-1790715600@coalitionofrefugefriends.com
SUMMARY:Water for the Wild-Rebuilding the Lifelines that Sustain Our Wetlands
DESCRIPTION:Join the Friends of Bosque del Apache for a virtual presentation as we examine the important details of our Water for the Wild Campaign with Friends of Bosque del Apache staff and lead Refuge Biologist\, Claire Revekant. \nAt Bosque del Apache\, every season\, every wingbeat\, every annual migration depends on one essential truth: where water flows\, life flourishes. But in the arid Southwest\, water does not simply arrive; it must be carefully delivered and directed around the refuge through a network of gates\, channels\, and control structures — the arterial lifelines that carry this life-giving water to the wetlands. Many of these systems have worked tirelessly for decades\, but today they are aging and increasingly strained by extended drought and rising temperatures. This year\, with your support\, we’re working to strengthen these waterways and maximize every available drop — ensuring that water continues to reach the habitats that so desperately depend on it. \nIn this presentation\, we’ll take a deeper dive into the “what”\, “why”\, “where”\, and “how” of the project\, learning about the necessary repairs\, how we will achieve these needed improvements\, how this work will affect the refuge\, and why this work is so critical right now. Join us to learn more about how you can help! \nRegister Now
URL:https://coalitionofrefugefriends.com/event/water-for-the-wild-rebuilding-the-lifelines-that-sustain-our-wetlands/
CATEGORIES:Webinar
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