Tag Archives: Robert Barossi

environmental volunteers, Robert Barossi, South Carolina, Waccamaw River

After the Volunteers Test the Waters

October 17, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

My last post offered a number of stories about volunteer efforts to clean up local rivers. Volunteers are also often the people who collect water samples from those rivers for local experts to test. There are many reasons why this is important and essential work, as detailed in this story from South Carolina. That state was recently hit with a devastating and deadly flood event. When the waters from flooding recede, they are often, if not always, filled with greater levels of bacteria, pollution and chemicals. Volunteers like the ones in the story linked above are often tasked with collecting samples of those degraded waters so that scientists can find out just how polluted or unsafe the water might be. This effort in South Carolina was led by Waccamaw Riverkeeper and their volunteers, along with volunteers from Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Watershed Academy.

If you’ve enjoyed the stories on this blog, download m eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. Available at the following links.

environmental volunteers, One Green Planet, Robert Barossi, volunteer opportunities

Great Ways to Get Involved and Volunteer

September 21, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

I thought I’d start this week off with something a little different. Although every story on this blog includes ideas for how you can get involved in your own area, I don’t often post stories that specifically offer advice for getting involved. This is a great list that I found this morning, with some fantastic ways that anyone can work for the planet, no matter where they live. While you’re there, check out some of the other great stories on One Green Planet.

If you’ve enjoyed the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. Available at the following links:

citizen science, environmental volunteers, Robert Barossi, water monitoring

Volunteers in the Water

September 4, 2015 Rob 1 Comment

(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Bodies of water all over the world are in need of regular monitoring to ensure the health of the natural ecosystem as well as the humans who live in the local watershed. In countless places, it’s environmental volunteers who do the monitoring. This story, out of Delaware, features a volunteer team who are a prime example of the kind of work these citizen scientists are doing. They offer a great example of not just the kind of work, but how it benefits both them and the organizations they volunteer for. Check out this link for more info on the University of Delaware’s Citizen Monitoring Program and all of the work being done by their dedicated volunteers.

If you have enjoyed the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. Available at the following links:

environmental volunteers, Newport, recycling, Robert Barossi

Volunteer Shell Game

August 31, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

(photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

There are a number of great things happening in this story out of Newport, Rhode Island (which happens to also be one of my favorite places). In that city by the sea, there’s an ongoing effort led by the Nature Conservancy to restore oyster beds in coastal ponds and estuaries. All by itself, that’s a fantastic thing, as it will go a long way towards improving and restoring those fragile and important ecosystems. Also great is that the effort involves a number of local businesses, restaurants who are donating oyster shells to the Conservancy. This group of restaurants is donating thousands of pounds of used oyster shells which the Conservancy, along with its volunteers, will return to the shoreline. It’s another exciting example of environmental organizations, volunteers and area businesses working together to preserve and protect the local natural habitat.

If you’ve enjoyed any of the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. Available at the following links:

citizen science, environmental volulnteers, Robert Barossi, Uncategorized

Volunteers and Snapping Turtles

August 10, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

(Photo by Dakota L., Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

by Robert Barossi

As many stories on this blog have demonstrated, environmental volunteers are often citizen scientists. They collect the data that professional scientists will use for a variety of experiments, tests and research. In Connecticut, volunteers are collecting samples from snapping turtles, samples which are part of a number of research projects. The information obtained from this research will do more than reveal the health of the turtles. It will also reveal the health of the ecosystem as a whole and the health of the humans who sometimes eat the turtles. Volunteers will be an important part of collecting the samples that researchers at Mystic Aquarium will turn into invaluable data.

If you’ve enjoyed any of the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. Available at the following links:

environmental volunteers, park rangers, Robert Barossi

Volunteers Working with Rangers

July 31, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

by Robert Barossi

I found out this morning that today is World Ranger Day. Along with environmental volunteers, Park Rangers are on the front lines of conservation efforts around the world. Rangers do a wide variety of jobs, including many tasks which are directly related to environmental protection and preservation. They are often, if not always, the ones who train and lead the volunteers who work alongside them.

There are numerous examples of volunteers and rangers working together. Here are just a few of them that popped up this morning: In Wyoming, both volunteers and rangers work to keep people using the parks safe. In Tennessee, volunteers are working alongside rangers to remove invasive species. The same kind of work is happening in Great Britain. A volunteer in this story from North Carolina notes that the volunteers support and assist the rangers by doing “necessary work that the park rangers don’t have time to accomplish.” And on the Delaware River, rangers and volunteers worked side-by-side to clean up the river during a large annual cleanup event.

If you’ve enjoyed the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. Available at the following links –

beach cleanup, Brevard County, environmental volulnteers, Robert Barossi

Volunteers Help People Pack it Out

July 27, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Finally back at the blog after a vacation in New York City and then a few days of recovering from vacation in New York City. A great story this morning from far south of there, Brevard County, Florida. A group called Keep Brevard Beautiful is holding a number of events this summer, all aimed at living up to their name, keeping Brevard’s beaches protected and preserved. Their most recent event implored visitors to those beaches to “pick it up, pack it out.” This was a great event which saw volunteers handing out biodegradable bags to beach visitors. Doing this eliminates one reason why trash so often gets left behind on beaches (“I didn’t have anything to put the trash in”). Hopefully, it led to lots of people picking up and packing out their trash and also gave them the inspiration and motivation to keep doing so in the future.

If you’ve enjoyed the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day

beach cleanup, environmental volulnteers, Philippines, Robert Barossi

Environmental Volunteers in the Philippines

July 16, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

(Photo by Anthony Alger, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

by Robert Barossi

For the second day in a row, an unexpected theme jumped out at me when I searched for environmental volunteer stories. This time – the Philippines. It got me thinking that I really need to post more international stories on here. So, let’s start today. The first story is a great article about 4,000 volunteers cleaning up beaches in the Dumanquillas Bay Protected Landscape and Seascape. The amazing event was part of a celebration of Coral Triangle Day and involved six coastal municipalities. I’ve posted many stories on this blog about beach cleanups and this is a great one due to the sheer numbers involved. It also demonstrates something I’ve tried to emphasize in the past, that these kinds of volunteer efforts do happen all the time, all over the world. The second article implores people to get involved in environmental volunteer efforts and offers six organizations to get involved with. While it is specific to the Philippines, it offers some great insight and advice that potential volunteers can use no matter where they live.

If you have enjoyed the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day

bird watching, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, environmental volunteers, Missouri, Robert Barossi

Volunteer Bird Watching

July 13, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

Image courtesy of James Barker at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by Robert Barossi

Sitting at my computer, looking out the window behind my desk, I couldn’t help but notice a robin bouncing around on the grass in my backyard. I watched him for a few moments as he puttered around and then took off, flying to a nearby tree at the edge of the woods. I decided that must be a sign that it’s time to post a bird-related volunteer story. This one, out of Missouri, was one of the first that I came across and one that I instantly liked. I liked it because it’s got some great photos of both birds and environmental volunteers working hard while enjoying something their passionate about: bird watching. The husband and wife team, Brad and Suzanne Wright, are Boone’s Lick Master Naturalists as volunteers for the Missouri Department of Conservation and are shown in the story doing some bird counting at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area.

If you’ve enjoyed the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day

Beavers, environmental volulnteers, Goats, Robert Barossi

Volunteers, Beavers and Goats

July 9, 2015 Rob Leave a comment

Image courtesy of ponsulak at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

by Robert Barossi

An environmental volunteer, a beaver and a goat walk into a bar…Ok, it’s not really the beginning of a joke. It’s actually the beginning of an environmental volunteer story out of Oregon featuring volunteers and goats working to help the local beaver population. When invasive species started taking over the beaver’s home, a local environmental organization brought in goats to deal with the problem. The group, Beaver Environmental Advocacy Volunteers (B.E.A.V.), rented 34 goats, who have been efficiently removing the unwanted plants. Once the goats’ work is done, the humans will continue to do whatever they can to help keep the beavers healthy and thriving. The young organization is a great example of how volunteers can work together (and with other species, like goats) to figure out ways to coexist with wildlife, rather than trying to simply remove it.

If you have enjoyed any of the stories on this blog, download my eBook – Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day

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Telling the Stories of Environmental Volunteers