Armand Bayou Nature Center Volunteer Newsletter Bayou Foliage MARCH 2014 VOLUME 33, ISSUE 3 MARCH 1 Stewardship Saturday 13 Volunteer Board meet- ing, 5:30 pm 13 Volunteer Meeting, 6:30 pm, auditorium 14 Prairie Friday 15 Stewardship Saturday 16 Sundays In Nature, 1-3 pm 20 Bayou Foliage deadline 21 Prairie Friday 22 New Volunteer Orienta- tion 28 Prairie Friday When you are finished with this publication please recycle it. Thanks! Down at the Bayou by Madeleine K. Barnes VOLUNTEER MEETING March 13, 2014 6:30 refreshments 7:00 program 8:00 business meeting On the trail again this month, I am exploring the reasons for volunteering. I have the opportunity to meet and work with many volunteers from a variety of backgrounds. Both of the volunteers I contacted are serving on the volunteer board this year and were gracious in sharing their insights. One of these is Karen Sutera, who heads up the guided trail hikes on weekends, which include the owl prowls and firefly hikes too. She has been volunteering for several years at ABNC while working full time. Like many of us, she spent much of her childhood outside (in Michigan), enjoying nature and activities that included hiking and camping. As an adult, her focus moved to a growing family and career. Then one day while driving on Bay Area Blvd., she saw the sign for ABNC and felt she was missing activities she had enjoyed before, like hiking in the woods. So she signed up to volunteer and finds that by the act of hiking and sharing her love of nature with others, her “spirit is renewed and re- freshed.” She is an enthusiastic volunteer naturalist and this attitude is worth catch- ing and sharing. I also spoke with another long time volunteer, Polly Swerdlin. Polly personifies the meaning of “volunteer” by being willing to take on roles and responsibilities whenever the need arises. She is currently coordinating weekend greeters for the guest admissions area and natural history/cultural history (farmhouse) inter- preters. In addition, she is working on a special project each week to scan all of the photos/slides in the archives onto a hard drive for accessibility. She has said that even if you are tired or somewhat stressed by other issues, they seem to fall to the side once you get out in nature and see something that you find interesting or amazing. She is a pleasure to work with due to her attitude of making the work fun, and is a dedicated volunteer supporter who loves sharing cultural history with others. Why do you volunteer? What would you tell others if you were asked? I would like to share your perspective with others and would appreciate hearing from you. Each of us has something to contribute as well as what we receive in return. What have you seen lately at ABNC that you thought was amazing or special?
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Armand Bayou
Nature Center
Volunteer Newsletter
Bayou Foliage M A R C H 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 3 3 , I S S U E 3
MARCH
1 Stewardship Saturday
13 Volunteer Board meet-
ing, 5:30 pm
13 Volunteer Meeting, 6:30
pm, auditorium
14 Prairie Friday
15 Stewardship Saturday
16 Sundays In Nature,
1-3 pm
20 Bayou Foliage deadline
21 Prairie Friday
22 New Volunteer Orienta-
tion
28 Prairie Friday
When you are finished
with this publication
please recycle it. Thanks!
Down at the Bayou by Madeleine K. Barnes
VOLUNTEER MEETING March 13, 2014
6:30 refreshments
7:00 program
8:00 business meeting
On the trail again this month, I am exploring the reasons for volunteering. I have the
opportunity to meet and work with many volunteers from a variety of backgrounds.
Both of the volunteers I contacted are serving on the volunteer board this year and
were gracious in sharing their insights. One of these is Karen Sutera, who heads up
the guided trail hikes on weekends, which include the owl prowls and firefly hikes
too. She has been volunteering for several years at ABNC while working full time.
Like many of us, she spent much of her childhood outside (in Michigan), enjoying
nature and activities that included hiking and camping. As an adult, her focus moved
to a growing family and career. Then one day while driving on Bay Area Blvd., she
saw the sign for ABNC and felt she was missing activities she had enjoyed before,
like hiking in the woods. So she signed up to volunteer and finds that by the act of
hiking and sharing her love of nature with others, her “spirit is renewed and re-
freshed.” She is an enthusiastic volunteer naturalist and this attitude is worth catch-
ing and sharing.
I also spoke with another long time volunteer, Polly Swerdlin. Polly personifies
the meaning of “volunteer” by being willing to take on roles and responsibilities
whenever the need arises. She is currently coordinating weekend greeters for
the guest admissions area and natural history/cultural history (farmhouse) inter-
preters. In addition, she is working on a special project each week to scan all of
the photos/slides in the archives onto a hard drive for accessibility. She has said
that even if you are tired or somewhat stressed by other issues, they seem to fall
to the side once you get out in nature and see something that you find interesting
or amazing. She is a pleasure to work with due to her attitude of making the work
fun, and is a dedicated volunteer supporter who loves sharing cultural history
with others.
Why do you volunteer? What would you tell others if you were asked? I would
like to share your perspective with others and would appreciate hearing from
you. Each of us has something to contribute as well as what we receive in return.
What have you seen lately at ABNC that you thought was amazing or special?