Volunteers of Irvine Nature Center did some incredible work this past year!
Here’s a look into what we’ve done:
PumpkinFest was a HUGE success this fall! 120+ volunteers contributed a total of over 1000 hours of volunteer service filled with crafts, hay rides, games, and more! A huge thank you to Franklin High School National Science Honor Society, Franklin High School National Art Honor Society, Garrison Forest School, Towson High School Key Club, St. Timothy’s School, Jemicy School, and Tiger Lillies from Towson Univeristy, along with Irvine’s sensational Volunteer Naturalists, Garden Keepers, interns and work study students!
Our Tree Planting Event at Irvine was rewarding for everyone involved! The Severn School planted over 500 trees alone in Irvine’s new wetland restoration area. Volunteers from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Irvine’s Nature Preschool and Earth Friends classes as well as Irvine’s own volunteers and staff were also helpful in planting over 200 more trees. Irvine is thankful to all the volunteers who came out to help and is especially thankful to RES (Resource Environmental Solutions) for leading this event.
Save the Date: Volunteer Naturalist Maple Magic Training is January 30th 10:00am to 3:00pm. Learn to ID maple trees, tap the trees to collect sap and boil down the sap into maple sugar and candy- everything you’ll need to know to lead students on field trips! Contact Rob Mardiney at MardineyR@explorenature.org for more information.
Benjamin Fertig was awarded the Jeanne Baetjer Volunteer of the Year Award. Ben volunteers in many areas at Irvine including One-Day Events, as a Volunteer Naturalist, Butterfly Docent, Development Volunteer, and Native American Site Volunteer. He was also an incredible help on Giving Tuesday by raising over $1300 in donations for Irvine!
And now, the announcement you’ve all been waiting for…
In 2017, volunteers contributed 22,188 hours of service!!! From assisting with Irvine’s Nature Preschool, Parent/Child Classes, leading field trips, and caring for Irvine’s animal ambassadors, to invasive plant removal, tree planting, and even stuffing envelopes, Irvine volunteers do it all!
THANK YOU to our SENSATIONAL team of committed volunteers!
