Coming Soon: Annual Meeting and Open House

Friends ever popular Annual Meeting and Refuge Open House will be on Saturday March 19 at refuge headquarters, off State Route 347 near Fowlers Bluff in Levy County. Come and enjoy. Dress for the weather. We spend a lot of time outdoors, and the indoors is essentially a pole barn. Even last year on a cool rainy day, though, all 100+ attendees managed to stay warm and have a great time. Here is the schedule:

Bill Kilborn

9:00 -- The gates open.

• Registration begins. Admission is free for Life Members and 2016 Annual Members. You may join or renew your membership at the Registration table. If you are a non-member and choose not to join, the admission is $10/person. You can join or renew online ahead of time. Click on the Join/Renew Now button in the column to the right on this page.
• The  Bill Kilborn Photo Contest opens for viewing and voting. Click here for details and guidelines.
  
• The Friends Booth opens with Friends promotional items for sale

10:00 -- The program begins.

• President Greg Lang will overview recent Friends accomplishments and upcoming Friends initiatives.
• Refuge Manager, Andrew Gude will overview recent Refuge accomplishments and plans for the next year.
• Installation of Officers - We may be the only non-profit in America that has fun installing its new officers! Donna Bushnell will be master of ceremony for the Installation, which has been a perennial favorite.
  

Tram Trail

11:00 -- The keynote presentation.

• Dr. Tom Hoctor, director of the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, will talk about the role of our Refuges and our Friends organization in the landscape conservation of Florida's Big Bend.
• Results of the Bill Kilborn  Photo Contest announced.

Noon -- Let the afternoon begin.

• Lunch prepared by our own Kenny McCain will be about at 12:00
• Nature walks on The River Trail and the new Tram Ridge Trail near headquarters. More here.
  
• Paddling on the Suwannee River. Click here for details and to reserve one of the limited spots.