Volunteer with TNC in Florida
Achieving our mission would not be possible without our volunteers. We invite you to turn your passion into action by volunteering at our preserves in Florida.
Legacies of Local Impact
Volunteer Stories from TNC's Center for Conservation Initiatives
To achieve our mission, we need people power.
At TNC's Center for Conservation Initiatives (CCI) campus preserves, volunteers help out in ways big and small, expanding our impact locally and globally. Read their stories and get inspired to put your talents to work at a preserve near you.
Cultivating Seedlings
Volunteers help grow native wiregrass from seeds for replanting at Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve.
© Ralph Pace
Planting trees with TNC
Seeds of Success volunteers join TNC's Blowing Rocks Preserve for a native tree planting at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
© Sarah Kittredge / TNC
Cultivating Seedlings
Volunteers help grow native wiregrass from seeds for replanting at Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve.
© Ralph Pace
Planting trees with TNC
Seeds of Success volunteers join TNC's Blowing Rocks Preserve for a native tree planting at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
© Sarah Kittredge / TNC
Joining Forces for Longleaf Pine Rapid Response
Volunteers join TNC to remove non-native, invasive natal grass at Tiger Creek Preserve.
On a crisp January morning, TNC’s Tiger Creek Preserve (TCP) manager Cheryl Millett got a call. It was a nursery partner who had an extra order of 5,000 longleaf pine seedlings in need of a home.
Thanks to a methodical prescribed fire and strong volunteer program, TNC was able to jump-start 100 acres of planned longleaf habitat restoration. The race to plant the seedlings within two weeks of delivery—the best way to ensure survival and success—was on.
TCP volunteers stood at the ready. Stewardship staff quickly identified the most ideal locations for the seedlings, determining that they’d most likely thrive on four units burned in the past year.
How does a team plant 5,000 seedlings? With partners, tools and on-the-clock coordination.
We borrowed tools called dibblers from the neighboring Lake Wales Ridge State Forest and rallied other local partners like the FWC Ridge Rangers, who eagerly joined us in the race to plant the seedlings. One team staged the seedlings, while another continuously watered them. Using the dibblers, volunteers created an opening, inserted a seed plug, compressed the soil and kept moving.
Quote: Cheryl Millett
Pam Plants Longleaf Pine A TNC volunteer plants a longleaf pine seedling using a bright orange dibbler. © Nolan Fischer/TNC
It was all hands on deck. We planted rain or shine.
Preserve Manager, TNC's Tiger Creek Preserve
Not only did we meet our two-week goal, but all the seedlings were planted in six days. Twenty-two volunteers and 160 hours later, the newly planted longleaf pines are thriving and have matured to the grass stage. Volunteers continue to monitor each young tree, watering them during central Florida’s dry season.
“These are long-lived trees,” says Cheryl, reflecting on volunteers’ passion for longleaf pine. “We’re planting something that’s going to mature in 80 years. It’s a legacy project. We are growing the future.”
It is this passion, strong partnerships and coordinated, science-based restoration that help bring back longleaf pine to the southeast. This iconic giant once towered over millions of acres but has now been reduced to less than 5% of its historic range. Longleaf pine are key to protecting other species we cherish, including gopher tortoises, red-cockaded woodpeckers and eastern indigo snakes.
Together, one seedling at a time, TNC and our partners are making a difference for nature.
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Jim and Patty Goodhart, Workcampers at TNC's Tiger Creek Preserve
Tiger Creek Preserve workcamper volunteers celebrate 15 years of service.
Jim Goodhart is a mechanic by trade, and at the preserve he is a do-it-all handyman. From fixing vehicles and equipment to learning woodworking skills, he is more than just Mr. Fix It, but a trusted source of knowledge for TNC staff.
“It feels good to be called upon for advice and input," says Jim. “I feel my skillsets are valuable to the team.”
Patty Goodhart joins Jim, putting in hard work on our restoration and recreation efforts.
“I pull invasives—I love that—and I’m always on the lookout,” says Patty, also known as the Rattlebox Queen. She specializes in treating invasive plant species, like rattlebox and natal grass. She also helps with trail maintenance and educational events, ensuring a welcoming visitor experience.
Both Jim and Patty know that their legacy is not only in the everyday tasks they do, but also in the people they meet along the way. They pass on their knowledge to new preserve staff, sharing their experienced insight on how the preserve works and tasks that need to be done. Jim teaches stewards how to fix their tools, and Patty trains new volunteers as they come on board.
For Jim and Patty, it’s the people that make Tiger Creek Preserve special. “That’s what keeps us coming back,” says Patty. “I think The Nature Conservancy depends on volunteers. We are a part of this future.”
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