Community Efforts
Our Volunteers
We recruit and coordinate community volunteers who are interested in joining our land management crew, becoming instructional docents or offering administrative services. Our land management volunteers work details include construction, maintenance, and restoration of trails, specific habitats, and other land improvement projects on a regular basis. Our docents are volunteer educators who provide instructional learning experiences and strive to foster a sense of environmental stewardship in particular naturalist areas. We work with volunteers who have experience in wildlife photography, event marketing, social media, and general office support. The administrative volunteers who provide a variety of support duties to the education program managers, instructional docents, and Preserve staff. If you are interested in joining our volunteer team you can register as a volunteer.
Trail Maintenance
The butterfly garden is a well-loved section of The Preserve’s educational and wildlife resource. The Midland chapter of Stewards of the Wild worked together with the Girl Scouts and individual volunteers to clear out and mulch the trails near the garden. Trail maintenance is a key component of keeping The Preserve safe and accessible for all. The preserve is used year-round by the community as a well-loved outdoor recreation destination. Timeworn hiking trails immerse visitors in their natural surroundings and turn peaceful mornings and sunny afternoons into an everyday wellness activity. Our thanks to Stewards of the Wild and our volunteers!
Milkweed Project
This spring we received a grant that provided us with pollinator resource. We worked with volunteer families to plant and nurture over 200 milkweed plants to sustain our pollinator population. Milkweeds get their name from the sticky white sap that oozes from their leaves when they are damaged, and these poisonous plants are what makes monarch butterflies toxic to its predators. Monarchs rely on milkweeds as it is the only source of food for their caterpillars, but these plants are rapidly disappearing. We were happy to be able to restore some natural pollinator habitat with this native plant. Our thanks to our land management team and volunteers!
BIRD OBSERVATION STATION
The Preserve’s wildlife tends to shy away from high traffic areas, particularly on our busiest days. One Eagle Scout came up with a solution to give the wildlife a sense of security while affording our visitors a front row seat to the day’s activities. This beautifully designed observation area offers ten windows at varying heights so that visitors of all ages can observe one of the preserve’s bird feeding stations, without disturbing the wildlife. A small bench and cover allow visitors to rest and remain shaded while they take in the sights of multiple bird species enjoying feeders and fruits. Our thanks to this creative and hardworking scout and all our volunteers!