Volunteer Appreciation at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
72 volunteers contributed more than 10,000 hours over this past season.
With higher temperatures and humid weather moving in, Floridas snowbirds are already beginning their northward migration. This means saying see you next season to many dedicated volunteers at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
To show appreciation for 72 dedicated volunteers who contributed more than 10,000 hours over this past season, Sanctuary staff hosted an appreciation event on March 29 sponsored by Panther Island Mitigation Bank. With a theme of sunflowers, the event encouraged volunteers to enjoy a cocktail party on the back patio and listen to remarks and accolades shared by staff about their impact. Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Kristina OHern and Sanctuary Director Lisa Korte presented the 2021 勛圖窪蹋 Florida Volunteer of the Year Award to Joan Dunn. All volunteers received their annual pin, this year featuring the beautiful southeastern sunflower (Helianthus agrestis) that brings so much beauty to the sanctuary each fall, designed by longtime volunteer and artist Leslie Burgess.
After the formal presentation, the volunteers were encouraged to breathe in the beauty of the Sanctuary with a special, after-hours boardwalk stroll, complete with calls for reflection while uplifting voices of indigenous people, including the quotation below.
When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you cant eat money.
Alanis Obomsawim, acclaimed Canadian filmmaker and member of the Abenaki people.