East Central Community College Volunteers Give Time and Talent

Volunteers marking and recording gopher tortoise burrows © Rebecca Stowe/TNC

In the spring of 2005 the Environmental Club of East Central Community College in Meridian, Mississippi, volunteered valuable time recording gopher tortoise burrows on the Charles M. Deaton Preserve. Students and faculty marked each burrow, measured its attributes and recorded its location using GPS equipment. This information will help The Nature Conservancy monitor populations of the endangered gopher tortoise. The club also participated in archaeological testing of a mid-1800s-era house site at Deaton Preserve. Over the past few years, East Central Community College students have volunteered hundreds of hours on Conservancy nature preserves and restoration projects, contributing valuable time and talents to our conservation efforts.

For volunteer opportunities in your area please contact the nearest field office:

Northeast Mississippi Conservation Program
Tupelo: (662) 844-1885
Central Mississippi Conservation Program
Jackson: (601) 713-3355
Upper Pascagoula Preserves
Lucedale: (601) 947-3111
South Mississippi Conservation Program
Ocean Springs: (228) 872-8452