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Save of the Week: Nature Conservancy Staff, Volunteers Help with Hurricane Relief Effort

October 3, 2005

On Friday, September 23, fourteen Nature Conservancy staff and two Nature Conservancy volunteers from across the country left for Hattiesburg, Mississippi on a two-week volunteer assignment to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. An official part of the overall federal emergency response, The Nature Conservancy team may participate in a wide array of tasks, from clearing downed timber on roads and in natural areas, to helping evacuees.

Team members, all of whom have received wildland fire management training, hail from Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. At least 14 additional staff and volunteers may join the official response effort later, if teams are still needed.

Chad Bladow of The Nature Conservancy's Indiana program is the team’s official leader, or “Crew Boss.” Safety is foremost in the minds of Bladlow and his team members, all of whom have up-to-date tetanus vaccinations and have been briefed on a variety of possible hazards, including contaminated water, downed power lines, heat stress, dehydration, snakes, insects and disease.

How You Can Help Donate Online Support our work to restore the natural ecosystems damaged by the hurricanes.

The nation’s wildland fire management resources were mobilized within days of Katrina's landfall in support of the federal government’s overall hurricane response. Because many Nature Conservancy fire management staff have been entered into the Incident Qualifications and Certification System — the mechanism by which thousands of government employees track their fire qualifications and are dispatched to manage wildland fires and prescribed burns — they are eligible to serve alongside federal agency staff and other responders.

Although their hurricane-related duties have little or nothing to do with fire, their training in incident response, stewardship skills and hazard materials awareness — along with their fitness levels and standing as part of the U.S. fire management community — allowed Nature Conservancy staff to participate in this monumental effort.

During their stay in Mississippi, the team will be “Administratively Determined” (AD) employees of the USDA Forest Service, which is also providing housing, transportation, meals and other support. Nature Conservancy staff members are using vacation days or unpaid leave during their absence.

Within The Nature Conservancy, this effort is being coordinated by Paula Seamon and Sam Lindblom of the Conservancy's Global Fire Initiative. The Conservancy’s participation was facilitated by Geographic Area Coordination Centers across the United States and by Region 9 of the USDA Forest Service, especially staff from the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri.

For More Information:

• The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Florida
  The Nature Conservancy has worked in partnership with the communities and people in these states for decades. Our hearts go out to them.
• Statement: Impact of the Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast Region
  Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma were national tragedies and our hearts go out to those who have suffered unimaginable loss and displacement. The first priority must be to address the needs of Gulf Coast communities that are now coping with lost lives, homes, businesses, power and security. As these needs are met, focus must then turn to the damage caused to natural systems and resources.
• Statement: Impact of Hurricane Stan
  As communities along the U.S. Gulf Coast and Florida struggle to get back to normal after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, another deadly hurricane has brought destruction to the Meso-American countries of Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
• How You Can Help: Support Our Work to Restore the Natural Ecosystems Damaged by the Gulf Coast Hurricanes
  For more than 40 years, The Nature Conservancy has worked across the Gulf states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas to protect coastal habitat. Now, more than ever, action must be taken to restore these areas.
• Our Partners: USDA Forest Service, National Interagency Fire Center and the U.S. Incident Qualifications and Certification System
• Archive of our Saves of the Week and Success Stories
  Read more about The Nature Conservancy's work to save the last great places on Earth.