The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative’s Volunteer Team is excited to kick off the 2022 growing season! Winter was good for a rest, but we love spring and can’t wait to get together to start up the fun again! We always appreciate all of the hard work that our volunteers contribute and consider them an integral part of our larger team.
On March 2, our core volunteer team leaders will meet online for their annual planning meeting. At the meeting they will discuss and review the previous year’s volunteer activities while providing feedback for ways to improve this year’s activities. They will also develop the plans and goals for this year’s work at the Austin Peay State University Native Plant Teaching and Research Garden.
Recurring work days will begin soon afterwards. Additional events and volunteer opportunities are planned throughout the rest of the season. Our volunteers engage in a variety of projects that support the preservation, conservation, and restoration of our native grasslands and the species that depend upon them for survival. We invite anyone who is interested to join us.
Seed collecting is one of our common volunteer activities in the fall.
Who can volunteer?
Anyone can volunteer with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative. Some of our volunteers are individuals who are looking to make a difference while enriching their personal hobby experiences or who are considering a career path in ecological restoration. Others are corporate groups who are interested in organizing “give-back” events for their employees. Still others are Scout groups working on conservation badges or projects for an Eagle or Gold Award.
We’re flexible and eager to work with anyone who is interested in volunteering. If you want to learn more about volunteering or possibly organizing a special volunteer opportunity for your business, organization, home-school group, class, or other group, then please contact Laura Hunt, SGI Volunteer Coordinator (laura.hunt@segrasslands.org), to discuss what our path together can look like.
Do volunteers need any special skills?
The only “special skills” our volunteers need are 1) an interest in our Southeastern grasslands, 2) a willingness to learn, and 3) a desire to do something to help out. It doesn’t matter if you are starting from scratch or if you are an expert in the field. If you’re starting from scratch, then we’ll train you how to do anything we need you to do and we’ll work with you until you’re comfortable doing it. If you’re an expert in the field, then we’ll ask you questions and learn from your experiences while sharing our experience and knowledge, because none of us know everything and we’re all constantly learning and growing. We want to serve and help our volunteers grow while making a difference in the world, no matter where each individual volunteer is at in his or her journey.
Talking, getting to know each other, and having fun are important components of our volunteer program that you can find at any of our activities and events.
What types of activities do volunteers do?
Our activities evolve with the seasonal progress of nature. Common spring and summer activities include weeding, pruning, canopy clearing, and thistle killing. We’ve also partnered with the Garden Club of Nashville to start a project where volunteers can grow and foster native plants that are destined to be planted in various conservation and restoration projects. Common fall activities include collecting seeds and planting the foster plants that were propagated earlier in the season.
Year-round and virtual projects include uploading photos to mapping projects and using historical data to map historic grasslands. Other activities in the past have included conducting surveys for prairie remnants or for rare plants, improving habitat for rare and endangered plants, planting urban grasslands, and much more. We really do have something for everyone.
In addition to the traditional work activities, we also take time to learn together, get to know each other, and encourage each other. Volunteering with SGI is more than just getting together to do a chore. We like to laugh and have fun while we’re working and at special volunteer appreciation events. Flower gazing, good ol’ garden fun, and catching a breeze in the shade are common components of our work days. We also regularly ask our volunteers for their feedback and opinions on how we can continually improve the program.
What if I want to volunteer, but I don’t know what I want to do?
That’s ok. Laura is happy to chat with potential volunteers, learn about your interests, and find something that works for you.
Common spring and summer volunteer activities include weeding, pruning, canopy clearing, thistle killing, and other habitat management activities.
Where do the volunteer activities take place?
Recurring Work Days
We have recurring work days throughout the growing season at the Austin Peay State University Native Plant Teaching and Research Garden at Sundquist Science Complex and at Dunbar Cave State Park. We may also be adding recurring work days at some private or corporate restoration areas as the season progresses.
For logistical reasons, all of our recurring volunteer activities take place in the Clarksville, Tennessee area. That’s because we only have one volunteer coordinator and she is based out of the Clarksville area. Like the rest of us, she can only be in one place at a time. However, we still have activities in other parts of the region. They just don’t happen multiple times a month.
Other Events and Activities
Most of our events and activities in other parts of the region are special, one-time events to accomplish a specific task. Those events and activities will be announced as they are scheduled. We also have multiple partners who we work very closely with in other areas of the region. Many of them have their own volunteer programs and opportunities. In addition, we sometimes have virtual volunteer opportunities.
Please don’t get discouraged if you want to volunteer, but don’t live in the Clarksville, Tennessee area. Contact Laura and let her see if there are any SGI volunteer events planned in your area, opportunities to volunteer with our partners in your area, or virtual volunteer opportunities that you can participate in.
How can I find out about upcoming events or opportunities?
Laura will begin sending volunteer emails as our regularly scheduled work days start back up. The emails will contain all the necessary details about the next work days or events, including as much as possible about what to expect given that many of our activities take place outside and everyone knows the weather is always a wild card in the Southeast. The volunteer emails are designed specifically for our volunteers and others interested in our volunteer activities. You can sign up for the volunteer emails using the button below.
The Southeastern Grasslands Initiative Volunteers group on Facebook will also have information about events and activities. Our goal with this Facebook group is to create a community space where our volunteers can share pictures, tell stories, ask questions, learn about events, and actively engage with each other. However, because of the way that Facebook chooses what content to show its users, signing up for the volunteer e-mails is the best way to make sure that you stay up-to-date about the details of the week's activities.
Other General Information
If you just want to learn more general information about the volunteer program and ways you can participate, please email Laura Hunt at laura.hunt@segrasslands.org.