Support the Friends of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

Message from the Executive Director

Hi, I’m Mary Rose, Executive Director of the Friends of Fort Vancouver. I’m excited to rally our community to support the Friends of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. We are the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service at this site. The park itself, administered by the National Park Service, is closed indefinitely due to the federal shutdown. As the shutdown continues, our operating costs continue to mount without the relief of retail income or Friends' sponsored activities in the park.

We are asking everyone to help support the Friends's efforts in the park. Normally, the Friends help sponsor major public activities like the Garden Fair, Pearson's Centennial Historic Fly-In, School activities and parades. The Friends help host the several hundred thousand annual visitors to the park and develop programs with NPS such as the Bark Ranger tours.

This week, we are sponsoring a booth on Fifth Street at Tuesday's Veterans' Day Parade to greet visitors, to reacquaint the community with the wonderful -- but suspended -- programs at the park, and to offer Fort Vancouver Bicentennial items for sale.

ADDITIONALLY, we acknowledge that these challenging times have raised food security issues within our community. We encourage everyone to donate unexpired canned goods at our booth and pet food, too. Our park hosts an infinite number of pets and their owners everyday. All food donations will immediately be transferred to appropriate food banks in Vancouver.

Our Mission and Community Role

Located in the heart of Vancouver, WA, the Friends play a vital role in preserving our heritage and ensuring future generations experience the rich history of our region. This role is challenged by the shutdown because we cannot open our bookstore; we cannot serve the public, and we cannot raise funds through events. We work closely with our partners and volunteers—including the National Park Service, the City of Vancouver, WA, and other special interest groups—to fulfill our mission. Our main operations are based at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center, where we guide the organization’s direction through numerous free events and nonprofit retail operations.

Impact of the Federal Shutdown

Since October 1, 2025, our facilities have been closed because of the federal shutdown. Our base revenue for projects and events—usually generated through retail proceeds at our small bookstore and Indigenous art gallery—is at risk. We function as a business and our vendors and utilities need to be paid. Our artists need to be paid. Our sales staff is furloughed. The park is closed, and while the Friends are a separate entity from the park service, in their absence, many of the public outreach initiatives and programs related to the Fort and Pearson Museum will no longer be accessible to the community.

How Your Support Helps

Your contributions will immediately help fund the essential operations and detailed planning for the programs and projects we are preparing even during this shutdown. These include:

Outdoor Booth at the Veterans' Day Parade -- a welcome to all visitors, limited sale of Bicentennial items, and a Food Drive for people and pets.

Holidays & History in the Park -- presenting sights & sounds of holidays past with costumed volunteers, artwork, and opportunities to purchase holiday gifts and decorations at bargain "historic" prices.

Why Your Support Matters

We need your help—no matter how small or large—to survive this government shutdown and move ahead. Like many other Friends groups across the nation, our nonprofit receives no direct government funding and will not be reimbursed when the shutdown ends. Within an urban park, the Friends' available resources are more limited than those of major nonprofit organizations supporting sites such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon, even though our mission shares similar objectives.

Every dollar counts and brings us closer to preparing and implementing the future. Let’s come together to support this incredible organization and ensure that our heritage lives on for all to enjoy. Thank you for your kindness and support!