The Friends of the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge is a non-profit organization established to work with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the refuge's valuable resources for future generations of wildlife and humans through stewardship and education.

The "Friends" began meeting in December of 1999 in anticipation of the transfer of the property to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which took place on September 28, 2000. Our initial goal was to work with Fish and Wildlife to help open the refuge to the public. Now that the Refuge is open, we promote educational programs related to the Refuge and natural history of the area, and work to aid the staff, community and stake-holders of the Refuge.

To date the Friends have accomplished the following, working with Refuge staff:

• received grants for membership development and a photography contest
• photographed native wildlife and habitats, and Refuge buildings
• sponsored canoe trips, birding and butterfly walks and other activities
• located and documented vernal pools
• organized tours of the refuge
• posted boundary signs along the 17-mile refuge perimeter
• removed razor wire and other hazards

We continue to organize and carry out events and programs that help make the refuge more available to the public. And we work with Refuge staff to help improve the refuge. This work also provides an opportunity for members to get to know the refuge.

The Friends also organize a Home-school Environmental Education Program. There were ten programs between February and November of 2001, and there are scheduled programs from January to June of 2002. The programs are fully enrolled at this time. There are an average of 22 attendees. The programs have included Animal Tracking (offered twice), Vernal Pools (offered twice), Trees, Ferns and Mosses, Birds of Eastern Massachusetts, Pond Life (offered twice), Trees and Forests in the Fall, Fall Constellations, Stars and Motions of the Moon, Project FeederWatch, Native American Life and Ragged Remnants of Winter.