VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHTS
Twenty-seven enthusiastic volunteers from teens to retirees participated in National Public Lands Day at Pickering Creek Audubon Center on Sunday, September 19.Twenty-one participants were first time volunteers.  Thirteen St. Peter and Paul Key club students descended upon Gilbert Byron house, painting the cedar siding with wood sealant, washing windows, and scraping doors. Four members of the Washington College Student Environmental Association joined other volunteers trimming overgrowth and laying out logs to mark trails. This group also worked hard spreading mulch around the educational area behind the office.  Other volunteers industriously cut, bundled and stacked the corn stalks as decoration for Pickering Creek’s annual Harvest Hoedown.

Volunteers had the chance to immediately see the fruits of their labor, enjoy a well-earned lunch break, and learned a little natural history along the way. Several teens discovered fresh figs for the first time while they helped clear the children’s garden. Supplies and lunch were covered in part by Together Green, a partnership between Audubon and Toyota Foundation to encourage volunteerism for conservation.  





VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Welcome to the first installment of the volunteer spotlight. This new section will feature an individual, a group of volunteers, or a special activity supported by our volunteers at Pickering Creek.

This year local teens volunteered at Pickering Creek throughout the spring and during summer camp as part of our pilot Junior Naturalist, or Youth Conservation Leadership Club.  Two shining star volunteers, Seaghan Lambert and Leah Hoxie, each logged over 120 hours at Pickering Creek this past April through August   Beginning in April students in 7th through 12th grades were given opportunities to wrack up their service learning hours by learning about nesting in Wood Duck boxes, learning about invasive plants at Earth Day Workday, learning about oyster restoration efforts, and studying and practicing leadership at summer camp.  The club combines practical conservation efforts with gaining confidence in leadership skills.  In addition to volunteering, Seaghan and Leah also took part in other Junior Naturalist activities including amphibian searches through the wetlands (one of Seaghan’s highlights), bird walks, and field trips to other conservation centers.  

Seaghan, an 8th grader at Easton Middle School, and Leah, a sophomore at Easton High School, were among 12 of their peers throughout the Chesapeake Bay region to participate in the Junior Naturalist program this past season.  “I just really love nature and helping kids learn about nature,” says Seaghan.  This season’s conservation leadership club will start in late October and run through another great summer with many more exciting naturalist adventures and volunteer opportunities.  “He enjoyed himself and it was refreshing to see him involved in something besides video games”, says one club member’s parent.