Friends of the ARK

About Friends of the ARK
OUR PURPOSE
Friends of the ARK, Inc. is a non-profit Texas corporation organized exclusively to support the work of the AMOS REHABILITATION KEEP in Port Aransas Texas.

The ARK primarily rehabilitates marine turtles and marine birds from the coastal zone of Mustang Island and St. Joseph Island.
We raise funds for the rescue of injured, sick and abused wildlife that will be rehabilitated, maintained and released back to their natural habitat or other licensed facility.

We also raise public awareness through educational outreach programs.
The Friends of the ARK logo
Kemps Ridley turtle spotted during Turtle Patrol.
Nesting Kemps Ridley turtle spotted on Mustang Island TX
FUNDRAISING
Fundraising supports the operating expenses
of the ARK in Port Aransas.

On May 1, 2006, the Internal Revenue Service determined that our organization is tax exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS Code and is classified as a public charity. Donations are tax deductible as charitable contributions.

If corporate contributions or grants require tax exempt verification, we can supply a copy of the organization's IRS Determination Letter upon written request.
Sea Turtle eggs in a cooler
Sea Turtle eggs collected by ARK volunteers during Turtle Patrol for transport to Padre Island National Seashore for incubation. They'll be released the day they hatch.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
There is no membership fee and anyone is invited to become a member. You just need to have a love of animals and a desire to improve their life by raising funds to help support the ARK and it’s mission.

For information on upcoming meetings and events, please click News and Updates.
A nesting Kemps Ridley turtle
A nesting Kemps Ridley turtle spotted during the ARK's Turtle Patrol that runs from April 1 to July 15 in Port Aransas
VOLUNTEERING

 To Volunteer with Friends of the ARK, contact Lee Harrison, 361-332-6361. We do fundraising for the Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) and provide educational presentations. There is no membership fee or insurance required to fundraise or do public speaking. We just have fun while we support the ARK. We have something going on all the time. You sign up for events when you wish and we meet as needed. We are always wanting new members and new friends!

You can help as often as you wish, and there is no mandatory amount of hours to devote. You need to have at least one of the following qualities: energy, creativity, muscle, logic, common sense or a sense of humor. Two or more of these qualities makes you a life time member.
Friends of the ARK at work!
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Tony Amos releasing a Peregrine Hawk.
ARK Volunteer Process:
The Amos Rehabilitation Keep with the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve and University of Texas Marine Science Institute currently accepts volunteers for the Rescue/Release program and the Sea Turtle patrol program. Applications to both programs are available at www.missionaransas.org under the Get Involved tab. Each program is run separately and you just apply for both to receive emails and information about both programs.  Volunteers are required to be 18 years of age and sign a liability and code of conduct document prior to beginning volunteer activities.

Rescue/Release volunteers will rescue and transport sick, orphaned, and injured birds and sea turtles on Mustang Island and occasionally nearby areas. Animals will be transported to the ARK for treatment. These volunteers will also assist with releases. For those who would like to assist with sea turtle rescues and released, we require that all volunteers take required sea turtle stranding training once a year (two trainings a year are offered- one in the spring and one in the fall). New volunteers wanting to assist with sea turtle rescues cannot be onboarded to work independently until one of these trainings offered through the Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network has been completed.

Sea Turtle patrol volunteers will responsible for surveying Mustang Island beaches and assisting with the response of nesting Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles from April 1-July 15.  Volunteers must complete annual training offered by Padre Island National Seashore each spring prior to volunteering. Virtual training is required for all volunteers who would like to participate in performing daily surveys of Mustang Island looking for sea turtle tracks, nesting turtles, and hatchlings. Additional in-person training is required, in addition to initial supervision from ARK personnel, for anyone wanting to excavate eggs, transport eggs, document nesting turtles, apply tags to turtles, or obtain tissue biopsies from turtles.  We require that all volunteers who would like to work with nesting turtles and nests to be an active part of the patrol program.   A minimum of 20 patrol hours is required as a minimum commitment each season.
(Click for .PDF form)
 
Contact
Friends of the ARK
P.O. Box 755   Port Aransas, Texas 78373
361-332-6361
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