Volunteer

Tracey Haines’ love of nature from a young age—and her recognition that it is under threat today—led to her interest in conservation and wanting to get involved with local organizations. “I’ve always appreciated nature and cherish it today as a place to de-stress, get some exercise, and admire the beauty of it all,” says Tracey. The Nature Conservancy is proud to present Tracey with the title of 2023 Delaware Volunteer of the Year thanks to her deep commitment to TNC whether leading guided hikes or assisting with preserve maintenance activities and trash cleanup events. “This volunteer work helps me to be ‘part of the solution’,” she adds.

After moving to southern Delaware a few years ago, Tracey began exploring TNC’s public preserves (McCabe and Ponders Tract) while simultaneously becoming a Delaware Master Naturalist. As Tracey learned more about conservation threats like loss of habitat and biodiversity to development, threats to our water and concerns about invasive species, she was intrigued to see the work TNC has been doing to respond to these various pressing challenges our environment is facing today.

Tracey has an affinity for the conservation and restoration efforts at the Ponders Tract of Permberton Forest Preserve. She says seeing these tangible efforts in “real time” helped her better understand conservation practices like using controlled burns to encourage growth of native species, many of which face threats from invasives and a changing climate.

“At Ponders Tract... I deeply value what TNC is doing there, in that an old logging site is being turned back into a mixed hardwood forest,” Tracey observes. “It’s going to be so exciting to watch the great progress over the next years to come. It’s easy to already see the differences from the planted pines from logging times to the areas TNC has begun to restore.  These changes are also providing important habitat for many species, including birds, bugs, amphibians, and other wildlife.”

After learning so much about TNC’s efforts at Ponders Tract, Tracey began volunteering to lead guided hikes to share her knowledge with others. “I really enjoyed leading a tour (and future tours!) there to share what I’ve learned and engage with interesting participants who asked great questions. Their questions challenged me to learn even more about the property and TNC efforts there,” she observed.

People give their time to assist TNC for numerous reasons and Tracey is no different.  “One important motivator for volunteering is that I feel like I’m being a part of the solution to conservation challenges,” she notes. “Also, volunteering with TNC is a great way to meet wonderful and interesting people, including staff, volunteers, and event participants. I’m not retired yet but when I am I look forward to having even more time to volunteer with TNC!”

Please join us in congratulating Tracey as the 2023 Delaware Volunteer of the Year and be on the lookout for future guided hikes led by Tracey in southern Delaware.