Friends of the Arcata Marsh

History

This organization was founded to raise money for the Interpretive Center, located within the Arcata marsh. Once the Interpretive Center was established in 1989, FOAM aimed to educate the community about many aspects of the marsh through various programs and activities.

Activities

FOAM is responsible for holding many activities for children such as science fairs and art contests. During Godwit Days, FOAM hosts games for kids through the Interpretive Center so that parents can view the migration. Every Saturday, FOAM offers nature walks as well as an occasional lecture series, all of which are free to the public.

Education

All of the exhibits inside of the Interpretive Center are designed and funded by FOAM. These exhibits vary from political views on waste water treatment to actual treatment of water. There are also many different pictures of the birds within the marsh displayed on the wall, all taken and donated by members of the community. The Interpretive Center provides free literature (via brochures) with information on bird trails as well as maps and information about the marsh. FOAM educates through a program called Wetlands on Wheels which brings materials from the marsh, to children's classrooms for an educational presentation by volunteer instructors (usually students at Humboldt State University)

Volunteer

The Interpretive Center, FOAM's headquarters, is mainly ran by volunteers as well as FOAM's activities and programs. Volunteers may perform a ranging degree of work, from maintenance to education. For educational work, such as taking visitors on tours of the marsh, docent trainings are required. Docent trainings are provided twice a year. All volunteer work is coordinated through the Intreptive Center which can be reached at (707)826-5143.