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CHINSEGUT OFFERS VOLUNTEER TRAINING
December 15, 2006
Contact: Kristin Wood (352) 754-6722
If you love working with people and want to help
spread the word about conserving Florida’s fish and wildlife,
Chinsegut Nature Center has just the partnership program for
you.
The nature center located just north of
Brooksville, is recruiting additional volunteers to meet an
increasing public demand for its services. The Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which operates the
center, is conducting its next volunteer orientation session
from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31.
“As the center grows we increasingly depend on
volunteer involvement to deliver educational programs to school
children and groups that visit,” Kristin Wood, center director,
said.
In addition to presenting educational programs,
volunteers are instrumental in organizing and helping out at the
center’s popular festivals, assisting with trail maintenance,
invasive nonnative plant control, general grounds management,
office staffing and other unique projects. The nature center
also hosts public workshops and evening talks and is open for
hiking, birding and other types of recreation on Fridays and
Saturdays.
“Volunteers have become the backbone of a
strong, locally involved constituency who understands the
importance of wildlife and habitat management in the area,” said
Geoff Brown, community partnerships coordinator of the FWC’s
Office of Recreation Services.
Each Wednesday following orientation and
continuing through April 25, a new topic will be presented to
volunteers-in-training during a 3- to 4-hour session at the
nature center.
Topics in the volunteer training include:
geomorphology of the area; ecology and mammal tracking;
herpetology; birding; butterflies; natural plant communities;
Chinsegut’s cultural history; fire management; learning how to
use a map and compass; and techniques of environmental
education.
For more information on how to volunteer,
contact Lucille Lane at Lucille.Lane@MyFWC.com or Kristin Wood
at Kristin.Wood@MyFWC.com or call (352) 754-6722 for an
application and to schedule an interview. Chinsegut Nature
Center is located one mile west of U.S. Highway 41 on SR 476.
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