Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges
The Friends is an independent, non-profit group dedicated to supporting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge System. Our mission is to promote awareness of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Alamosa, Baca, and Monte Vista) through education, assisting in refuge projects, and supporting visitor services. Learn more here about the Refuges. Urgent Message from Board President Mike Blenden I want to thank you for your continued support and ask a serious question. The Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges has been supporting the Alamosa, Monte Vista, and Baca National Wildlife Refuges since 1999. Our accomplishments include: construction of the Meadowlark Trail; organizing and sponsoring the Kid’s Crane Festival; sponsoring the annual Friends and Neighbors Picnic; working with Congress to generate start-up funding for the newly established Baca NWR; funding and building crane viewing areas on Monte Vista; holding regularly scheduled volunteer work days; working with refuge staff to fund and expand crane viewing areas; and taking on the planning and execution of the Monte Vista Crane Festival along with the Monte Vista Chamber of Commerce and the City of Monte Vista. All of this was done with collaboration with refuge staff. We are anxious to engage in additional projects to benefit these refuges and the migratory birds, water resources, and the native wildlife they support. Click Here to read the rest of Mike's letter |
To find out more about the leaders of the 2025 Bird safaris, click here |
BECOME A MEMBER Today
Become a member and support your National Wildlife Refuges in the San Luis Valley. Home of the Monte Vista Crane Festival, Kid's Crane Festival and thousands of acres of wetland habitat supporting many species. Truly a treasure of the San Luis Valley.
The Friends were formed in 1999 by a small dedicated group. More than twenty years later, we are still going strong and working with our refuges to fulfill their mission. To date, the Friends have contributed to the building of the Meadow Lark Trail on the Monte Vista NWR, the Discovery Room at the Alamosa NWR, many years of Kid’s Crane Festivals, and the Monte Vista Crane Festival. We also assist the refuge with the yearly Friends and Neighbors Picnic that brings the neighbors of the refuge up to date on the refuge happenings. Friends members worked hard to advocate for the establishment of the Baca NWR in 2005. Friends volunteers stock and staff the bookstore at the Alamosa Refuge. Your membership and donations support these efforts.
Many Friends members have participated in the Monte Vista NWR Christmas bird count. We publish bi-annual newsletters. Since 2015, we are the lead organizers of the Monte Vista Crane Festival. Each year we have workdays on one of the three refuges. The perks for members are camaraderie, opportunity for outdoor and wildlife related activities, community service, and behind the scene Refuge tours.