State Parks volunteers worked over a million hours last year

Florida’s State Park Service said there has been a new record set for volunteer hours at state parks during the 2008-09 fiscal year. More than 6,000 volunteers contributed more than 1.2 million hours of service to Florida’s state parks last year – a 53,000 hour increase from the previous fiscal year and a record high for the park service. The volunteer hours equate to roughly 581 full-time positions saving the state $24 million dollars. Volunteers contribute to the Florida Park Service in a variety of ways to help maintain the natural beauty of Florida’s beaches, waterways and trails – participating as interpreters, tour guides, greeters, landscape artists and resource custodians. If you are interested in volunteering some of your time to a local state park, you can learn about volunteer opportunities on-line at www.friendsoffloridastateparks.com.