FAR's members and volunteers help steward the wildlife that depend upon the habitats of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge and adjacent lands and waters. Through support friends, members, and volunteers learn about the needs of the Refuge and have opportunities over time to participate in projects designed to help manage or take care of important habitats and wildlife. Some projects are scientific and include observation and data gathering efforts, some involve maintenance, and others are educational. The purposes for which Friends of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge-FAR- is organized are:
A. To maintain an association of persons interested in the conservation of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge (hereinafter called “the Refuge”), including Potter Marsh, in particular the protection of its unique and fragile subarctic salt-marsh ecosystem, and the abundance and diversity of its living organisms;
B. To work with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and other agencies and organizations, to support the efforts of these entities and of Friends of the Refuge towards Purpose (A);
C. To enhance opportunities for local residents and visitors to view and enjoy the Refuge, including Potter Marsh, to the extent these activities are consistent with Purpose (A);
D. To support educational activities that promote public understanding of the value of the Refuge, and awareness of the need to protect and conserve its ecosystem, to the extent these activities are consistent with Purpose (A);
E. To propose and support scientific investigation of the Refuge ecosystem, and to promote conservation and management of the Refuge that are based on sound scientific information about its species and habitats;
F. To promote and participate in fundraising activities for the benefit of the Refuge; and
G. To do and engage in any lawful activities that are in furtherance of one or more of the purposes enumerated herein and are within the rights and powers granted to non-profit corporations under the laws of the State of Alaska, and that are not inconsistent with exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.
