TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Park Service along with the U.S. Forest Service National Forests in Florida have been selected as the 2011 Take Pride in America National Award winners. A reception and ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., at the White House, recognizing the award winning recipients and their achievements on Monday, July 18, 2011.
A panel of judges reviewed volunteer programs from around the country and selected entries based on their outstanding commitment, hard work and dedication to public lands.
In 2010, Florida Park Service entered into a partnership agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to place a Florida Park Service AmeriCorps volunteer on each of the three National Forests in Florida. This groundbreaking partnership recognizes the need for an all lands approach to volunteer engagement and community outreach.
“The Florida Park Service is pleased to partner with the US Forest Service in this capacity as the AmeriCorps program is one of our most valuable assets,” said Department of Environmental Protection Florida Park Service Director Donald Forgione. “Developing this relationship for the betterment of Florida's natural resources has allowed state park team members to exchange ideas and experiences with those serving in the national forests.”
The collaboration, now in its second year, enables three FPS AmeriCorps members to serve as volunteer and community outreach coordinators on National Forest System lands. The idea is simple but unprecedented. FPS oversees a large and highly successful AmeriCorps program on its state lands, which enables parks to efficiently and effectively recruit, train, and manage volunteers.
The FPS AmeriCorps program is administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and operates in 160 state parks throughout Florida and their surrounding communities. In cooperation with park staff, local organizations and schools, AmeriCorps FPS members provide service in the areas of habitat restoration, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, prescribed burning, trail maintenance, cultural and historical restoration, environmental education and volunteer recruitment.
“The Florida Park Service recognized an opportunity to enhance their capability to connect Floridians to ‘the Real Florida’ by increasing involvement with the U.S. Forest Service to engage youth and community members in public service,” said U.S. Forest Service Volunteer Program Coordinator Katie LaJeunesse.
The FPS AmeriCorps members serving on National Forests have overseen numerous volunteer events ranging from small trail maintenance outings to large trash collection events with hundreds of participants.
According to AmeriCorps volunteer Paul Wheelhouse, “For me, my biggest sense of reward and fulfillment is living the U.S. Forest Service’s mission, ‘caring for the land and serving people.’ I have been trying to embody the concept of ‘serving people’ each day I work in the AmeriCorps service.”
The U.S. Forest Service and the Florida Park Service invested in a belief that connecting people to their public lands, regardless of administrative boundaries, contributes to greater sustainability. With budgetary shortfalls, this concept of cross-boundary public lands management has proven to be a successful collaboration.
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