How the Wetlands Campaign Can Help Chapters Gain Local Support for Centers

To help chapters and state field offices develop centers in their states, the Wetlands Campaign can offer information transfer and networking to share existing wetlands curricula, fund-raising assistance, and wetlands programming for new proposed centers. The campaign has already secured, for example, a $5,000 grant for Grays Harbor (WA) Audubon to purchase wetlands for an eventual Audubon Center. Wetlands programming can build community understanding and financial support for proposed centers and help attract dynamic local leaders to center boards of directors and finance committees. Programming can be the key ingredient in marketing center(s) to potential funders, giving concrete examples of the product a funder can expect from his or her gift. The campaign can provide programming packages tailored to local interests, such as habitat restoration or some of the following:

• Training for conservation advocacy. To help build community and financial support for centers with wetlands, the Wetlands Campaign can offer training workshops and materials for volunteer leaders and staff.
• Organizing wetland tours and other wetland on-site programs. Outdoor education or interpretive experiences can transform birders and wildlife enthusiasts into active participants in decision-making processes that affect wetlands protection and restoration efforts.
• Developing Wetland Citizen-Science and Stewardship Programs. Great potential exists for enlisting volunteers (students, teachers, birders, community leaders, and so on) in monitoring natural, restored, and "created" wetlands.

Naki Stevens, Director
Wetlands Campaign
360/709-9695.

WETLANDS ART:

Looking for Artwork for Your Newsletter? Have Art to Share?

Audubon's Wetlands Campaign is collecting wetlands art to make available, copyright-free, to chapter leaders for your newsletters, posters, and educational materials. Once the initial packet is ready, the art will be available to you through an electronic email file or through hard copies that you can cut and paste. Several chapter leaders have contributed drawings or helped to recruit artists in their community who will contribute drawings copyright-free. For example, the drawing of the Virginia Rail to the right was contributed by Barbara Schaffner from the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon. Thanks, Barbara!

Please share this announcement in your community: The Wetlands Campaign is looking for drawings of wetland or riparian birds, amphibians, wetland plants, or other wetland images that would rep roduce well. The images need to be black and white and either scientifically accurate or clearly abstract interpretive images.

Please contact Lea Mitchell, Audubon Wetlands Campaign, P. O. Box 462, Olympia, WA 98507, 360/709-9695 if you have any questions, ideas, or contributions for this project. All artists will be credited for their work.