                         Friends of Pool 9 - Calendar of Events

Friends of Pool 9 Refuge Week Celebration, Annual Awards Banquet and Business Meeting.   Saturday, October 9, 2010

The FOP9 Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Dinner have been set for Saturday, October 9, 2010 at the Kerndt Brothers Community Center in Lansing, Iowa. We’re proud of the membership of Friends of Pool 9 and what we’ve accomplished. This is a chance for us to celebrate and show our appreciation of your efforts in Pool 9.

Please mark the date on your calendar, make plans to attend, and give us a call confirming your attendance. The Friends of Pool 9 Annual Meeting will begin at 5:00 PM with hors d’oeuvres and drink provided. We will have displays of this year’s activities and members will be asked to vote for winners of the Kids and Adults Photo Contests.

The Volunteer Appreciation Dinner will begin at 6:00 PM with a three-meat (stuffed pork, chicken marsala, and beef) buffet dinner with salad and cheese cake dessert catered by Milty’s restaurant. This year’s Pool 9 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner is co-sponsored by the McGregor District/USFW&S and the Friends of Pool 9 with a generous donation from Mike Conway, owner of Milty’s.

An awards program will follow the dinner for all volunteers in Pool 9 and the photo contest winners will be announced. It’s important that you contact either Sue Stirn (538-4055 or 538-4454) or John Verdon (538-4836) to make a reservation. Please RSVP by October 1, 2010 so meal preparation will be accurate.

In celebration of "National Wildlife Refuge Week" and the Upper Mississippi River NW&FR being designated a Wetland of International Importance we will also be hosting two events during the day on Saturday, October 9, 2010.

These two events are:

Bikes and Bins (Bins stands for binoculars!) - This will be an easy 10 mile bike ride starting at 10:00 am in Harpers Ferry and going north along Red Oak Road to look for 10 birds or animals using the Refuge's backwaters. We hope to attract at least 10 people!

This ride will be conducted at an easy pace to accommodate young and old alike. To participate you need a bike that can handle an unpaved rough surface. We will provide a support vehicle in the event that someone has a flat tire or needs assistance and drinks/snacks along the way. We will also bring a backpack full of guide books and binoculars, stopping to take a look at anything that interests the group.

Everyone is encourage to wear a bike helmet for safety!

We plan to meet at the TIllinghast Memorial Park on North 1st Street, across from the Public Boat Landing in Harpers Ferry, Iowa .

For further information, directions or to register for the event please contact Tim Loose @563-873-3423 ext 11 or via email at tim_loose@fws.gov.

Canoe the Slough (Middle Slough that is!) - This will be a 10 mile canoe/kayak trip on the recently created Reno Bottoms Canoe Trail. The Friends of Pool 9 helped create and establish this trail, including paying for the production of the signs and leaflets. This is a bring your own boat event! There is a link to the Reno Bottoms Canoe Trail on our home page.

The colors should be fabulous with the annual waterfowl migration just starting. Like the Birds and Bins activity we hope to attract at least 10 canoeist/kayakers and hope to spot at least 10 different migrating birds along the way.

We plan to meet at the the Reno Bottoms Trail Head just north of the small town of Reno, MN at 10:00 am. A shuttle service will be provided to help drivers get back to the trail head to pick up their vehicles at the end of the trip.

For further information, directions or to register for the event please contact Tim Loose @563-873-3423 ext 11 or via email at tim_loose@fws.gov.