TAKE ACTION

Raising the profile of the Refuge System and getting more funding to address the Refuge System's needs, these are the main goals of CARE. You can help make that possible through the following half-dozen steps.

1. Visit your local refuges, and bring along family and friends! Whether you are engaged in fishing, hunting, wildlife-watching, wildlife photography, environmental education, or environmental interpretation, the refuges are the ideal places to be.
   
   
2. Connect with the Friends Group at the refuge of your choosing. Many of the Friends Groups, with links to their websites, can be found using this Friends Group locator map.
   
   
3. Get your organization (e.g., community, conservation, or social) to support the work of your local refuge. And find ways to connect the refuge to local community events (e.g., business, schools, etc.).
   
   
4. Write letters to your local paper concerning the daunting funding issues surrounding the Refuge System.
   
   
5. Send a letter about the federal funding of refuges to your Senators and Representative in Washington DC. (See here for a model.)
   
   
6. Send a letter to your Senators and Representative in Washington DC about the importance of funding for the refuges after the hurricanes of 2005. (See here for details.) Look here if you need the address for your members from the Senate or House.