Tuesday, November 14, 2023
6:30 PM
Lost Valley Visitor Center
Glacial Park, Ringwood, IL
RSVP Here so that we can plan for seats & refreshments
The Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge are delighted that Shawn Graff, Vice President for U.S. and Canada Operations for the American Bird Conservancy, will speak at our Annual Meeting.
Shawn will talk about the role of the American Bird Conservancy in conserving wild birds and their habitats, especially in light of the 2022 U.S. Status of Birds Report that noted the loss of 3 billion birds (or 1 in 4 birds) since 1970.
Shawn will also talk about the Oak Ecosystem Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) where the American Bird Conservancy is the lead in restoring, enhancing, and protecting oak ecosystems in SE Wisconsin and NE Illinois.
This is a great time to get on track with renewing your Membership to the Friends of Hackmatack NWR!
We did not push for membership for the past few years due to the Covid pandemic, and many memberships have lapsed. We will be sending reminders out by email this month to let you know if you have lapsed. The SHOP section on this website makes it very easy to renew. Just add your choice of Membership level to the cart and pay online.
It’s also a great time of year to consider donations. Are you dealing with your Required Minimum Distribution from your IRA? Tax-Free Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) can benefit you and Friends of Hackmatack’s work.
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), also called IRA charitable distributions, enable individuals to fulfill their required minimum distribution by a direct transfer to support a charity/charities, as long as the sum of the distributions is within the $100,000 limit. And because QCDs don’t increase taxable income, they can help you avoid higher tax rates. You can use this strategy if:
- You are 70½ or older at the time of the gift.
- You direct distributions in the amount of your choosing, up to an annual limit set by the IRS from your traditional or Roth IRA to Friends of Hackmatack NWR (other types of retirement plans are not covered by the law).
- To count for the current tax year, QDCs distribution must be made before December 31.
Contact your IRA custodian and ask them to send the check for a “qualified charitable distribution” to: Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, EIN 46-2490340.
Mail to:
Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge
Attn: Treasurer
PO Box 413
Richmond, IL 60071