Tag Archives: Robert Barossi

environmental volunteers, Hawaii, humpback whale, Robert Barossi

A Whale of a Volunteer Effort

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ID-100295257(Photo by rhamm, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

by Robert Barossi

Here in New England, there’s another major winter storm bearing down on us. This one is expected to dump another foot of snow, perhaps more, on top of the snow that fell earlier this week. With the falling snow and the beautiful, chilly winter wonderland all around us, it’s another good day to post a story out of somewhere tropical. This one comes from Hawaii, where volunteers are playing a major role in counting humpback whales and recording their behavior. According to the story, the program “allows the public to learn more about humpback whale population, distribution and behavioral trends.” The data they collect can be used by local and national organizations and is integral to monitoring and studying the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.This important program has been going on since 1996 and now includes some 2,000 volunteers who monitor the whales at more than sixty locations.

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

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Manatees, Naples, Robert Barossi, wildlife rehabilitation

Volunteers Help Wounded Manatees

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(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

From birds who fly into city skyscrapers to animals hit by vehicles while crossing the street, volunteers are often part of the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife. In Naples, Florida, volunteers took part in the release of manatees recently rehabilitated and deemed ready to return to the wild. Hopefully, this story will have a better end result than another recent story, out of Alabama, where a rescued manatee died before it could be released back into the best area for its survival. While there was a tragic end to that story, it does highlight again the role that volunteers played in both spotting the manatees and assisting local agencies in rescuing and rehabilitating them.

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

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

BeingFinal

Africa, Robert Barossi, Seychelles

Volunteers Rehabilitate Island Forests

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(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Recently, I posted a story about volunteers planting trees in northern California, in an effort to protect and improve the forest and its ecosystems. In that post, I mentioned that this type of work happens all over the world, in vastly different places. Today, a story from an island nation off the coast of Africa demonstrates that point. The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago made up of 115 islands, lying approximately 1,000 miles east of southeast Africa, in the western Indian Ocean. On one of the islands, an organization is working hard to rehabilitate and replenish the lush forests which have become largely barren, due in part to invasive species. The Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles, a non-governmental organization which works with a number of volunteers, is working to plant new trees, including native species, on Praslin, the second-largest island. This work, along with the organization’s other projects, will go a long way toward rebuilding, protecting and preserving the environment of this tropical island and its forests.

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

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

BeingFinal

environmental volulnteers, New Jersey, Robert Barossi, Surfrider Foundation

Volunteering in All Kinds of Weather

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IMG_0620(photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Recently, I posted a story about a couple of volunteers in New Jersey who showed up in frigid temperatures to pick up trash. Today, there’s another story about New Jersey volunteers who did not let weather stop them from doing important environmental volunteer work. This time, volunteers showed up in the rain to clean an area along the Jersey shore, just south of Atlantic City. The South Jersey Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation led the effort in Ventnor, where even the mayor pitched in and helped out. This great event proves again that dedicated volunteers will not let bad weather stop them from helping their community and the planet.

 

If you have enjoyed any of the stories on my blog, I hope you’ll consider downloading my eBook, Being Where You Are: How environmental Volunteers Impact their Community and the Planet Every Day:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

BeingFinal

environmental volunteer, Forest Unlimited, Robert Barossi, tree planting

Volunteer Tree Planting

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Up a Tree(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Surprising to nobody might be the fact that all the volunteer stories I’m coming across today are from California, where the weather is warm and sunny. Here in New England, winter has finally arrived, with temperatures in the teens and single digits. Still, there’s no doubt that volunteers in this area are still out there, testing water quality, checking trails and keeping up with their important activities. For now, a look at one of those Californian volunteer tales, this one from Sonoma County in northern California. Volunteers are working with the group Forest Unlimited to plant redwood seedlings in an effort to “enhance and protect forests and watersheds.” The organization, which plants trees in a number of areas, makes sure that the new trees are placed in areas where they will survive and thrive, ensuring a positive ecological impact. While not always so carefully targeted, tree planting is an important task that volunteers or anyone else can easily take on no matter where they live.

Check out Forest Unlimited’s website for more information on their events and activities.

If you have enjoyed any of the stories on this blog, please consider downloading my eBook, Being Where You Are: How Environmental Volunteers Impact Their Community and the Planet Every Day. It’s available on:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

and iTunes

BeingFinal

Robert Barossi

Some Very Exciting News

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Walk in the Woods(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Now that the holiday season is over, It’s definitely time to get back to blogging here on a more regular basis. But, first, I wanted to share some great news. This blog was always meant to be a companion to the book that I wrote about environmental volunteers, a book that shares its name with this blog. That book started as my thesis project for my Master’s Degree program at Green Mountain College. Now, after three years of work, my eBook is available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. It will be available at other, smaller, niche sites as well, but it’s in three of the big four right now (iBook is also hopefully coming soon). While it’s true that in this day and age, it seems like everyone is publishing and self-publishing books and eBooks, the amazing feeling of this moment is not diminished. This is easily one of the best moments of my life and one of the biggest achievements of my life. If you’ve read any of the stories here  on this blog, I hope you’ll consider buying my eBook (a printed version is planned and hopefully coming soon). In it you will find many more great stories of environmental volunteers, told in their own words. Writing it was some of the most rewarding work I’ve ever done and I look forward to sharing it with many of you.

You can download it at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

and Kobo

It is also available through Apple, in the iTunes store, the iBooks section.

Chicago, Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, environmental volunteers, Robert Barossi

Birds in the City

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ID-100224232(Photo by porbital, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

by Robert Barossi

To say that humans have completely changed the natural landscape of this planet might be the most obvious statement ever made. In every corner of the globe, in a million different ways, humans have irrevocably altered the habitats of numerous animal species. One of the most devastating changes, in terms of wildlife and their survival, has been the rise of massive cities and metropolitan areas. These urban landscapes have created an entirely new universe for animals to deal with and survive in. In one major metropolitan area, the city of Chicago, there is a group of volunteers doing everything they can to help some of our animal kingdom neighbors.

Dedicated members of the all-volunteer Chicago Bird Collision Monitors are on the streets of Chicago every day, looking for injured birds. According to their website, “Our teams spend the early morning hours recovering these birds to save the injured and document the fatalities that have occurred.” CBCM’s inspiring work provides help to many of the birds who are simply living their natural life in the confusing and dangerous world of the city skyline. The group also provides invaluable information to other people who are interested in helping our feathered friends.

environmental volunteer, invasive species, San Diego, San Diego Natural History Museum

Volunteers Under the Mistletoe

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ID-100152905

(photo by digidreamgrafix, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

by Robert Barossi

The holiday season is without doubt one of my favorite times of year. Whether it’s holiday songs playing on my car’s stereo while navigating snowy streets or houses covered in Christmas lights that fill my neighborhood, I’m a sucker for pretty much anything related to the holiday season. Kissing under the mistletoe is, of course, just one long-standing tradition of the season and this story from San Diego focuses on that famous plant and the legend and lore that surrounds it. It’s also got one of the best titles I’ve seen for a volunteer-related story, “Mistletoe: A Parasite of Peace.” While the article offers lots of information to explain that attention-catching title, it also focuses on a group of volunteers, the Canyoneers. This group of dedicated and passionate volunteers work with the San Diego Natural History Museum and lead area hikes and, every year, sell mistletoe to raise money for their nature programs. Gathering and selling the plant is a holiday season tradition for these volunteers, one that helps them fund some of the great work they do all year round.

More information here on San Diego’s Natural History Museum

Just for fun, a couple of resources I found about the lore and legend of mistletoe, form The Farmer’s Almanac, Smithsonian Magazine and The History Channel

environmental volunteers, Robert Barossi, voluntourism, voluntourists

Volunteer Tourists

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Underwater Leaves(Photo by Robert Barossi)

by Robert Barossi

Lately, while searching out stories of environmental volunteers, I’ve noticed the term voluntourism pop up again and again. I realize that this idea has been around a long time. For many years, people have traveled to an area as a tourist and spent their time there working as a volunteer, often for an environmental cause. It seems that lately, the idea is picking up steam and gaining popularity. Here’s one story out of North Carolina, where voluntourists are helping sea turtles.

While these traveling environmental volunteers may be helping out and making a real difference, many are skeptical. This article from NPR discusses the trend and asks “Who is it helping most?” And this article from ABC News in Australia asks more questions about the potential benefits, what they are and who gets them, of voluntourism. And finally, this post on Huffington Post says right in the title, “helping abroad isn’t always helping.”

Interestingly, it’s easier to find stories debating and vilifying voluntourism than find stories about volunteer tourists really helping the environment. I can’t help but think, though, that these traveling environmental volunteers are doing some real good in some places. The question is whether or not that good is outweighed by a number of negative impacts caused by their travel to and presence in a foreign place.

Audubon Christmas Bird Count, environmental volulnteers, Robert Barossi

A Holiday Volunteer Tradition

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ID-100134733(Photo by Tina Phillips, Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Every holiday season, thousands of volunteers take part in a massive citizen science project, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. This event, which helps Audubon to track the health of bird populations, is now in its 115th year. Again this year, starting on December 14, tens of thousands of volunteers, in thousands of locations, will explore their local areas, searching for as many birds as they can find and catalog. The invaluable resource created by all the data will be used to inform decisions, policies and research all over the country. It is a yearly tradition for many people, families and organizations, and an undeniably impressive and inspiring environmental volunteer effort.

Here is the official site for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

And more local stories about the Bird Count, in places as different as Montana, New Mexico, Wisconsin and the San Juan Islands