For most volunteers, passion for what they do lives deep in their souls. No one knows this better than the volunteers at French Regional Park in the Three Rivers Park District. Deb Lewis, Diane Bushyager and Brad Pierson have a combined 7,459 hours of volunteering (and counting), which is not the only thing that breaks them from the pack.
“One thing that separates all of these volunteers from their peers is that they are all recipients of the Distinguished Volunteer Service Award, the highest honor that Three Rivers bestows on its volunteers,” Deb Vosler, volunteer coordinator for Three Rivers Park District, says.
Taking a look at both programs, we can see what keeps these volunteers coming back each year.
Deb Lewis & Diane Bushyager – Bluebird Monitors
Volunteer season is March through September for bluebird monitors Deb Lewis and Diane Bushyager, and they do more than just watch for bluebirds.
“Starting in March, our monitors make sure all the bluebird houses are closed up, clean, and ready and waiting for the bluebirds to arrive,” Madeliene Linck, Three Rivers Park District wildlife technician, says. “Our monitors report back to us about how many bluebirds they see during the season, how many bluebird eggs have been laid, and how many survive.”
Not only do the monitors report back to the park’s technicians, they also do maintenance on the birdhouses to make sure each bluebird can inhabit it and grow during the season. For Lewis and Bushyager, it has been an exciting experience.
“It is more than just putting up a house and waiting for the birds to come,” Lewis says. “It’s watching how they interact with other birds, the weather changes, environmental changes, where they have a nest and fledging (raising young birds to fly). It’s knowing that we are doing something to help recover that population.”
Bushyager agrees, but takes a different approach to her volunteer role"
“It is an educational process,” Bushyager says. “To me, it’s a fun process. I just enjoy being outside and interacting with them. It makes me feel good and it’s a wonderful excuse to be out in nature.”
Brad Pierson – Maple Syrup Program
Harvesting maple syrup might sound tedious, but it is a process that has a sweet spot in Brad Pierson’s family genes. The season can start as soon as mid-February or later in April with a five- to 10-day window to harvest. Volunteers start in the early part of the season by tapping and collecting the sap of the sugar maple tree. For the program to be successful, they must collect enough sap to boil without stressing the trees.
However, Pierson gets more than just syrup out of his time volunteering for the program. It is a chance for him to relax and enjoy being out in the wilderness.
“It keeps me active and I enjoy being outside at this time of year,” Pierson says. “I guess I am a bit of a pyro and enjoy the quiet in the woods with the fire going. Truly, I get a lot of reading done in the hours, as it is not a major effort once the process is going. All I have to do is watch and maintain the boil.”
What Pierson enjoys most about the program is getting the chance to educate today’s children on where their food comes from. This opportunity also gives him the chance to reflect back on his family history and help improve upon it for future years.
“I originally came to this program because of the stories my grandmother and dad told about my great-grandfather maple syruping, and it was something I could involve my two daughters in at the time,” Pierson says. “Now we [Pierson and his wife Diane] have two grandsons, and are just starting to pass it on to them.”
How to Volunteer:
For more information on how to volunteer with Three Rivers Park District, call 763.559.6706 or visit threeriversparks.org/volunteer.
Volunteer opportunities at French Regional Park include:
- Park patrollers (next training series starts March 14)
- Program assistants with the Outdoor Recreation School
- Natural resources monitors (Soft-shell turtle monitoring in June/July)
