Success Stories About
Volunteers
It’s time to Take Pride
By: José J. Rivera, Park Ranger, Lake Okeechobee
Saturday,
January 17, 2004. 8:45 am. In the cool, pleasant morning air, people started
to gather at the St. Lucie Visitor Center. Familiar faces mingled with new
ones. They all came together with one goal in mind: improving the St. Lucie
Nature Trail. Volunteers were signing up for Take Pride Trail Day, a
volunteer service project organized by the Corps of Engineers at the St.
Lucie Lock Recreation Area (SLLRA) in Stuart, Florida.
Jacksonville District’s South Florida Operations Office (SFOO) has changed
the program known as Take Pride in Lake Okeechobee (TPILO) from a once a
year occasion in Clewiston, to a series of events throughout the year across
Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway. These projects will help the
Corps accomplish its recreation and environmental stewardship missions in a
cost effective manner. It will also promote pride, stewardship and ownership
of public lands and will be nationally affiliated with Take Pride in America
and National Public Lands Day.
Take Pride Trail Day at the SLLRA kicked off this year’s TPILO program. The
St. Lucie Nature Trail is about 0.8 of a mile long and offers an opportunity
to observe some of the flora and fauna of Florida. Slash pines, saw
palmettos, gopher tortoises, armadillos and the occasional alligator can all
be found on the trail.
The group of volunteers completed numerous projects to maintain and improve
the St. Lucie Nature Trail. Volunteers and Corps staffs worked together to
build a fence, create an observation overlook, haul out debris and remove
exotic vegetation.
The event had a total of 56 participants, including Girl Scout Troop #470,
the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Juvenile Offender Training Camp,
community members and several Corps employees who donated their time. After
the work was completed, participants shared stories and enjoyed a grilled
lunch in the SLLRA picnic pavilion. The day once again proved what a
valuable asset volunteers are to our agency.
Take Pride Trail Day Participants take a
breather at the end of the workday.
Do you have a volunteer success story to share?
We will rotate
stories and print them as space becomes available.
