Association Of The Friends Of The Wichitas Receives The 2026 Molly Krival Award
For Immediate Release October 20th, 2026
Contact: Eden Taylor etaylor@refugeassociation.org
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Supporters
Named Refuge Friends Group Of The Year
CACHE, OK - The National Wildlife Refuge Association has named the Association of the Friends of the Wichitas the recipient of the 2026 Molly Krival Award - Refuge Friends Group of the Year. The award recognizes the group's sustained financial support and volunteer service at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, along with programs that help surrounding communities experience and care for the refuge.
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge encompasses 59,020 acres in southwestern Oklahoma and welcomes approximately 2 million visitors each year. Its habitats support American Bison and other wildlife. The Friends help staff care for the refuge's resources and introduce visitors to its conservation work.
The group began as an informal volunteer organization in the mid-1980s and became a nonprofit in 2000. Approximately 400 members include volunteers who serve daily or weekly, organizing into crews and committees to support visitor services, biology, and facilities projects identified with refuge staff.
“The Friends of the Wichitas care about this refuge, and you can see it in the work they do,” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President & CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “They raise money for refuge projects and then help get those projects done. They make field trips possible and help new staff learn the place. That steady support matters to the people who work at Wichita Mountains and to everyone who comes there to experience wildlife. I’m so glad we can recognize their commitment with this award.”
Investing In Refuge Priorities Year After Year
Friends of the Wichitas and volunteers participating in an Invasive Weed RoundUp at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK | L.J. Rees
Since 2017, the Friends have funded more than $580,000 in refuge projects. Revenue from the group's Nature Store helps support work selected in coordination with refuge staff, turning purchases and community contributions into improvements that serve wildlife and visitors.
That funding has helped renovate a bunkhouse used to house summer interns and visiting federal wildlife officers, purchase trailhead kiosks that help visitors find their way, and complete smaller projects that benefit refuge operations. In 2026, the Friends also provided funding through Conservation Legacy for a summer intern focused on invasive species control, helping restore native habitats that support wildlife such as American Bison.
Members pursue grants that address refuge priorities and complement projects already underway. When funding comes in, volunteers help carry out the work, enabling the refuge to complete projects when staffing and other resources are limited.
Helping More People Experience The Wichita Mountains
📷 Red and yellow Coreopsis blooming among the rocks at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK | Carl Evans/USFWS
The Friends provide $250 grants for group field trips, helping people who might otherwise face financial barriers visit the refuge. Members also lead interpretive tours using an accessible bus, giving participants guided opportunities to learn about wildlife and the habitats protected in the Wichita Mountains.
The group has supplied fishing equipment and volunteers for youth fishing programs, supporting collaboration with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. These activities give young people opportunities to spend time outdoors and learn about the refuge through direct experience.
Members represent the refuge at public events, give presentations to Rotary Clubs, and work with local chambers of commerce. Their outreach reaches Cache, Medicine Park, Lawton, Fort Sill, and Snyder, as well as communities elsewhere in Oklahoma, helping neighbors connect with the refuge.
Volunteers Who Help Carry Projects Through
Friends members organize volunteer crews for priority tasks and help maintain refuge facilities and public areas. Their work includes regularly scheduled trash pickups and support for National Public Lands Day, when hundreds of volunteers have removed tons of trash from refuge roadways, streambeds, trails, and lakes.
Community volunteers participating in the 2023 Keep Our Refuge Beautiful event at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK | Friends of the Wichitas
The Friends provide meals for volunteer projects and public activities, a contribution refuge staff credit with helping increase turnout. Their members also address problems such as graffiti and share project updates through Facebook and the group's monthly publication, Friends Forum, helping neighbors understand refuge needs and see what volunteers are accomplishing.
Supporting 125 Years Of Conservation
In 2026, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge celebrated 125 years of conservation. The Friends helped plan the public anniversary celebration and committed up to $15,000 toward event support, including equipment rentals and meals for Tribal, community, and partner agency representatives.
📷 American Bison standing in a meadow of wildflowers at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK | Quinton Smith/USFWS
Board members helped plan the event, guided visitors through new administrative and maintenance facilities, and assisted with setup and cleanup. More than 350 people attended, bringing refuge staff and surrounding communities together to recognize the refuge's history.
The Friends also funded travel for filmmaker Peter Schriemer to attend and discuss his connection to the refuge and his new visitor center film, All Over the Map: Wichita Mountains. The Nora Roberts Foundation funded the film's production, which will introduce future visitors to the refuge's wildlife and conservation story.
A Partnership Built On Cooperation & Trust
Friends of the Wichitas members discussing communications strategies to strengthen support for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, OK | Friends of the Wichitas
The Friends also draw on the wider Refuge Friends community to strengthen their work at Wichita Mountains. They collaborated with Friends of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge when they took on operation of the refuge’s Nature Store, which generates revenue for refuge projects. Board member Lisa Jansen-Rees’s service with the Coalition of Refuge Friends and Advocates offers further opportunities to learn from other groups and identify partnerships across the country.
As an independent organization, the Friends advocate for the resources national wildlife refuges need. Members have met with members of Congress in Washington and Oklahoma to support the Land and Water Conservation Fund and additional funding for conservation work.
Longtime volunteers provide continuity during leadership changes, sharing knowledge of the landscape and refuge operations with new employees. Members participate in volunteer training and staff meetings, share meeting minutes and project updates, and meet with staff to work through questions and changing procedures.
“Being named as one of the best Friends Groups by the National Wildlife Refuge Association is an honor and a meaningful testament to the commitment of our members, past and present,” said Howard T. Styron, President of the Association of the Friends of the Wichitas. “To receive the 2026 Molly Krival Award is especially gratifying knowing the prestigious nature of the award. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge holds a special place in our hearts, and supporting the Refuge is a labor of love - one that brings our members immense pride and satisfaction.”
Named in honor of the late Molly Krival, a pioneer in the Refuge Friends movement, the award recognizes outstanding contributions by a Friends organization to the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Association of the Friends of the Wichitas is one of four recipients of the Refuge Association's 2026 National Wildlife Refuge Awards.
Learn more about the National Wildlife Refuge Awards at www.refugeassociation.org/awards.
###
The National Wildlife Refuge Awards, presented annually by the National Wildlife Refuge Association since 1994, honor the exceptional contributions of volunteers, professionals, and partners who strengthen the National Wildlife Refuge System. The awards celebrate the people whose passion and dedication protect wildlife, restore ecosystems, and connect communities to the natural world.
The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of public lands and waters in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation, encompassing more than 570 refuges and more than 850 million acres. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, refuges provide critical habitat for thousands of species and offer opportunities for Americans to experience nature through hiking, hunting, birding, photography, and education.
As the only nonprofit solely dedicated to supporting the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wildlife Refuge Association protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage through strategic programs that serve the Refuge System and wildlife beyond its boundaries. The organization addresses Refuge System funding, management, and strategic growth, while also promoting programs that maximize the system’s conservation impact.
