Steve Alvarez
So Long, Farewell, Good-bye
Steve Alvarez arrived at Bitter Lake in 2000. The Friends of Bitter Lake was just being organized when he arrived, and Steve immediately became a part of the group. At that time, Bitter Lake was a fairly unknown part of the Wildlife Refuge System, and the Regional Office rarely took the time to visit our refuge. With the first Dragonfly Festival in 2001, which Steve was an integral part of organizing, national publications began to visit the refuge and reporting on the dragonflies. The office in Washington D.C. sat up and took notice of the unique nature of Bitter Lake. At the time, Joe Skeen, a local sheep rancher, also served as a congressman in the House of Representatives. The Friends group organized Joe Skeen Day, and Skeen fell in love with the refuge. He worked tirelessly to obtain funding for the amazing Visitor Center that bears his name. Steve was present during the construction and used his experience from different refuges across the country to implement many ideas that were incorporated into the final design. The Center changed the entire atmosphere of the refuge. Continue reading the January 2026 Newsletter