Photo by Mike Cox

Annual Reports

Accomplishments during 2023 were:

  • Hosted an Annual Spring Fling soup luncheon for 34 Friends members and guests on March 25th with Dr. Tom Rosburg from Drake University as the keynote speaker.

  • Began the scheduling of art and photography exhibits in the Visitor Center’s Ding Darling Gallery

  • Organized the return of Concert on the Prairie in the more informal Tallgrass Tunes format with Jonny Lipford playing his Native American flutes on June 9th with 124 guests and 24

  • volunteers joining the fun.

  • Sponsored and staffed a table during the North American Prairie Conference in Altoona from June 25th to 29th.

  • Sponsored our second “Walk for the Wild” event in partnership with the Public Lands Alliance on October 7th during National Refuge Week.

  • Sponsored the fourth annual Spurs ‘n Tails Contest on opening day of Pheasant Hunting Season on October 28th to encourage hunters to visit the refuge.

  • Sponsored an annual Photography Contest and hosted a reception for the photographers on November 18th.

  • Provided funding for:

    • six biology and one Visitor Services intern stipends

    • four new intern laptop workstations

    • sponsorship of the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge participation in the “Great American Roadtrip” for Marion, Mahaska, and Jasper Counties

    • lunches for volunteers during the Christmas Bird Count in January and National Public Land Days in September

    • high school graduate scholarships to pursue a degree in conservation

    • internet service at the Visitor Center

    • OnCell app platform subscription for the Prairie Wildlife Drive narration

  • Updated the Friends website (tallgrass.org) and moved it to a new host platform.

  • Procured Prairie Meadows Community Betterment and Van Meter Advised Fund grants to purchase an Action Trackchair® for disabled visitor access to the refuge trails.

  • Completed sale of 74-acre Van Ryswyk North property owned by the Friends and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Refuge expansion.

  • Loren Lown and Austin Steinkamp joined the Friends Board while Mark Lyle, Daryl Howell, Jim Johnson, Joan Van Gorp, and Sydney Algreen-Hunter resigned from the Board after many years of service.

  • 359 Friends members at the end of 2023

  • 8,200 followers on Facebook

The Friends’ activities focus on funding and recruiting volunteers to directly support the refuge’s mission and maintain a healthy Friends community.