Our site volunteers this month are Jeff and Dorie, and Carl and Pat. Jeff is a retired military officer and a jack-of-all-trades. He drives tram tours, fixes things, and does anything that needs doing. Carl’s and Pat’s specialty is marketing. Last year they initiated the Live Auction preceding Bay Day by soliciting many valuable donations from our local merchants. This spring they’re continuing that work so that we can have terrific Live Auctions on the Thursday nights before this year’s Fall and Spring Bay Days. Site volunteers are essential to the Buffer, which has only four paid staff.
Tag Archives: buffer volunteers
National Volunteer Week!
It’s National Volunteer Week!
This is a perfect time to give a shout out to our “Extraordinary Volunteers”!
We have a great problem in that there are too many to list and we certainly would never want to leave anyone out. In order to familiarize you with what they do to help us and to give you some ideas of what you could do to help at the Preserve we are listing by categories. Not everyone could or would be a site volunteer; office assistant; fundraiser; board member; gardener; cook; event planner; grant writer, baker, tour guide, Visitor Center greeter, IT expert, webcam installer, event worker, purchaser, presenter, brochure maker, deliverer, . . . and the list goes on and on and on. If you have a talent and some time we bet we can find a place for you! Call Sandra at 229-1787, Ext. 1 for more information.
MANY THANKS to March Ard, Linda Palma, Lillian Hughes, Lynda White, Jeff Ross, Dusty Alford, John Ehrman, Gene Cox, Dewey Blaylock, Shannon Lynch, Nancy Thomson, Sonny Chafin, Christine Lutz, Pam, Roy Ogles, Lee Edmiston, Penny Weining and others for work on special projects throughout the year!
To ALL BAY DAY Volunteers – We can’t say thank you enough! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You are awesome! There are too many to name and we certainly do not want to leave anyone out.
To our Site Volunteers — You are such a valuable resource for the Preserve. It would be really hard to try to do without you. You contributions are outstanding. We truly THANK YOU ALL!
To those who help us with our Prescribed Burns – we do appreciate your assistance. You make our burns possible! The Nature Conservancy, PFTC (Prescribed Fire Training Center, Tallahassee), FL Forest Service, Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, T. H. Stone Memorial, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Bald Point State Park, South Gulf County Volunteer Fire Dept., and Karen, Robin, Mike, Kristy, and many more.
On-Site Volunteers
Carl Janish and his wife Pat Caruana are on-site volunteers through April. Carl and Pat are experienced in sales, and they have developed a program of annual donations from local merchants to sponsor Bay Days. Businesses are asked in the spring to make in-kind donations, such as merchandise or gift certificates, which will be used for the Silent Auctions at the next Fall and Winter Bay Days. Pat and Carl have received annual sponsorships from more than 55 generous local businesses! Pat is also a great cook and helps with occasional events at the Buffer, and both do miscellaneous odd jobs.
From November until March 31 the Buffer Preserve had long-time volunteers Joy and Dave Peterson staying in one of the RV spaces and spending lots of time improving the Buffer Center. Among other tasks, Joy paints, and Dave drives Tram Tours into the Buffer Preserve, as well as driving other Buffer vehicles when needed. They have now returned to their home in East Alton, Illinois.
Alternative spring break students from James Madison University have completed replanting of the two native plant gardens close to the Lodge. The students also helped remove invasive torpedo grass that has appeared near these gardens.