[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E111-E112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA VOLUNTEERS HONORED FOR THEIR WORK TO PROTECT
ENVIRONMENTAL LANDS

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HON. C. W. BILL YOUNG

of florida

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the more
than 500 volunteers with the Pinellas County, Florida, Environmental
Lands Division, which help manage and preserve Pinellas County's
natural resources. These volunteers, whom I have the privilege to
represent, are a diverse group that range from the age of 12 on up.
These volunteers make a vital contribution to the county's
environmental protection efforts, ensuring that all citizens and
visitors are able to enjoy Florida's native environment. They
supplement the efforts of the Environmental Land Division's staff,
helping to oversee the nearly 16,000 acres managed by the division. In
the first half of 2008 alone, these volunteers provided over 13,605 man
hours in a wide range of activities.
The division's conservation efforts were recently honored both
regionally and nationally. In April 2008, the National Association of
Counties awarded the program with an Act of Caring Award for community
improvement. Additionally, in March 2008, the Tampa Bay Regional
Planning Council recognized the division for its community service, as
well as environmental and public education efforts. Following my
remarks, I will include for my colleagues the full story of the
volunteer effort as reported by Mariana Minaya of The St. Petersburg
Times as well as an editorial from the same paper.
Madam Speaker, the spirit of volunteerism and giving back to the
community is alive and well in Pinellas County, Florida and I am
honored to represent those who make such an invaluable contribution to
the protection of Florida's natural resources. Their hard work and
dedication allows the natural beauty of the land to be accessible to
all visitors and I would ask my colleagues to join with me today in
recognizing their outstanding achievements and to thank them for a job
well done.

[From The St. Petersburg Times, July 30, 2008]

500 Environmental Gems

(By Mariana Minaya)

Thirty years ago, before development swallowed up swaths of
Florida, Pinellas County had the foresight to begin setting
aside thousands of acres of land for environmental
protection.
Now, a robust corps of volunteers is striving to protect
the county's natural resources. The Environmental Lands
Division, which manages the county's preserves and other
protected areas, has seen its ranks swell to more than 500
people. It is the fastest-growing sector of volunteerism in
Pinellas County government.
The division's conservation efforts were recently honored
both regionally and nationally. The volunteers are an
``invaluable resource'' to managing the nearly 16,000 acres
under the department's care, said division director Dr. H.
Bruce Rinker. Without the volunteers, the division's staff of
34 people would be seriously disadvantaged.
So far this year, volunteers have provided more than 13,605
man hours, equaling more than $263,433. These numbers are up
from the 1,387 hours of volunteer service in 1998, the year
the division was founded within the department of
Environmental Management.
The volunteers care for 30 different ecosystems. They staff
educational centers at the Brooker Creek and Weedon Island
preserves, maintain trails and grounds, survey flora and
fauna, perform clerical work, lead hikes and help with
research.
The sheer number of volunteers, the hours of labor they've
donated, and the variety of duties they performed impressed
judges of two awards programs this year. In April, the
National Association of Counties recognized four counties
from about two dozen entrants with an Acts of Caring Award
for community improvement, said spokesman Bill Cramer.
In March, the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
recognized the division for its community service, as well as
environmental and public education efforts. The division
received a $2,500 grant for its volunteer program from the
Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.
Judges ``were amazed . . . to have a program that has that
many volunteers,'' said Wren Krahl, spokeswoman for the Tampa
Bay Regional Planning Council. ``The other thing they were
impressed with is how much they've accomplished with the
stringent budget that they've had.''
Over two years, as the division's staff has shrank by 14
positions, the volunteers recognize that the need for them
``is real, not feigned,'' Rinker said. The division wants to
grow by 10 percent more volunteer hours each year to offset
the effects of staff and budget cuts.
To keep the ranks full, the division keeps the red tape to
a minimum, said Kristin O'Meara, the land division's
volunteer site coordinator. Once a background check clears,
volunteers are open to the wide range of activities. They
accept anyone age 12 and up.
Interest appears to be as strong as ever from both young
and old. About half the volunteers are retired. About 15
percent are under age 18. Some do it for school requirements;
others have a passion for wildlife and nature.
``How can you resist being able to work in the great
outdoors?'' Rinker said. ``Driving down our driveway is like
going back in time is what I've heard from people.''
That is the appeal for Bill Brown, 62, of East Lake, who
lived in Groveland as a child, spending time at his
grandmother's boarding house for orange grove workers, living
off the land.
``I can remember eating things on the endangered species
list,'' Brown said.
Volunteering gives Brown the freedom that 30 years of
office work as an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman never
afforded him.
``You don't have a timetable,'' he said. ``They give us a
job to do and then turn us loose, which I kind of like.''
On Tuesday mornings, he spends about four hours with his
buddy, Ty Miramonti, 65, of Tarpon Springs. As a former Navy
man and firefighter, Miramonti is the more adventurous and
the more experienced, having started in 1993. But once in a
while, his wild streak has gotten him literally stuck in the
mud, and his partner's caution adds some balance to the team,
which has worked together for seven years.
Together, the pair cruises through the Brooker Creek
Preserve on a four-wheel drive Ranger, clearing trails with
machetes in hand. It's hard work for old men, Brown said, but
it lets them stop to soak in the scenery or debate the
identities of the critters crawling on them when they need a
break.
``It's the type of thing you think an old man wouldn't be
interested in doing, but it really is invigorating because
you are totally immersed in the environment,'' Brown said.
``It really is cathartic to get out there.''
____

[From The St. Petersburg Times, Aug. 10, 2008]

Preservation Requires Volunteers

Without an army of volunteers, Pinellas County's
environmental lands would become impenetrable jungles
dominated by exotic, invasive species.

[[Page E112]]

In no time, these lands that were preserved so residents
could always observe native Florida would look nothing like
native Florida.
Just how large an army is working at the task was revealed
in a recent story in the St. Petersburg Times. Several
hundred volunteers have been helping the county's
Environmental Lands Division maintain the almost 16,000 acres
for which it is responsible.
The sad fact is, even that number of people can scarcely
scratch the surface of the work that needs to be done in the
county's preserved lands. If more don't help, the battle
eventually will be lost.
It is clear that government will not be able to take up the
slack, at least not as it is currently configured. Because of
budget cuts, the staff of the county's Environmental Lands
Division has been reduced by 14 positions and now numbers
only 34. And only a handful of those are assigned to full-
time maintenance duties in the preserves.
The lands division now is hoping to grow its volunteer
ranks by 10 percent each year to offset its staff cuts. All
ages are welcomed--even youths from 12 to 18 can volunteer
with parental involvement.
A variety of tasks is available to volunteers, from the
hard but essential job of removing invasives such as air
potato and Brazilian pepper, to leading hikes, doing research
and staffing educational centers.
The problem, of course, with relying so heavily on
volunteers is that they don't generally spend as many hours
at the tasks as paid employees, and they usually insist on
flexibility. Some, like Bill Brown of East Lake, can offer a
half-day every week to the effort. Few spend as many hours as
Reggie Hall, a volunteer who devotes much of his life to
maintaining the Ozona Preserve in North Pinellas.
The combined effort of all those environmental volunteers
led to recent recognition for the program from the National
Association of Counties and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning
Council.
The role of volunteers will be even more important in the
next few years, as budgets continue to tighten and the
pressure on Pinellas environmental lands grows. If you are
over 12, and you have a few hours to spare helping to
preserve these precious open spaces, consider signing up as
an environmental lands volunteer.

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