Volunteer Group Projects

Volunteer logo with NPS arrowhead
Volunteer logo with NPS arrowhead

NPS

Organizing a Group Volunteer Project


Volunteer groups carry out a wide variety of projects. From trimming vegetation along hiking trails to removeing invasive plant species, volunteer groups provide the many hands needed to greatly enhance park trails, facilities, and habitats. Learn about how your group can become involved by viewing the different projects below.

 
Flamingo Volunteer Group

Spring Cleaning - Year Round!

Trash greatly affects the health of wildlife, habitats and humans. Animals may be harmed if they mistake litter for food. Chemicals may contaminate water and soil and leech into surrounding habitats and, for people who come to Everglades National Park to explore, fish, hike, bike and canoe, trash is not a welcome sighting. With this job, many hands can make a huge difference! Come out and create a pile of your own, one that will be hauled out of the Everglades.

Recycling for the Health of the Everglades

We are happy to say that mountains of recycling are generated by people who visit and work in the Everglades (they are the only mountains we have in South Florida!). Sometimes this pile accumulates so rapidly; it fills the Recycling Center faster than we can remove it. If you would like to help sort, crush and bale recycled cans, plastic, glass and cardboard, you will be moving mountains to help maintain the health of the Everglades and the Earth!

Maintain and Enhance Park Facilities

Volunteer groups provide great assistance in maintaining park visitor facilities. Pressure washing and painting visitor centers, campground kiosks, and parking lot vehicle dividers and bumpers are just some of the projects that contribute to the appearance, safety and upkeep of park facilities, as well as, enhance the experience millions of visitors have in the park each year.

Maintain Park Trails

Florida's climate allows vegetation to grow year round, at an often rapid pace, making trail clearing a year-round work-out! Help increase and enhance pathways to Everglades exploration by trimming vegetation along hiking, biking and canoe trails.

Invasive Plant Species Removal

Many plant species have been introduced to Florida from countries around the world by past and recent settlers and visitors. They were brought here for a wide variety of reasons and planted in great numbers. These introduced species spread rapidly, in part, because they have not evolved here and have no natural predators or diseases to keep their growth in check. This advantage allows them to out-compete and displace native plants. Eventually they may, and often do, take over entire ecosystems, greatly reducing plant, and, in-turn, animal and habitat diversity. Help release the grip these plants have on our native communities! Help restore the diversity and health of Everglades’s ecosystems by assisting in the removal of introduced, invasive, plant species.

Wetland Prairie and Pineland Restoration

From 1918 until 1975 an area in Everglades National Park, known as the “Hole-in-the-Donut” was farmed. The disturbed ground left behind, was quickly dominated by a dense stand of introduced Brazilian pepper. Since 1997, a large-scale restoration effort has been underway to remove the Brazilian pepper and it’s seed bank, making the area suitable for native plants and animals. Restored areas are now home to 15 species of fish, 30 species of reptiles and amphibians, 90 species of birds and 8 species of mammals! Become an integral part of this exciting restoration project by removing Brazilian pepper and/or planting pine seedlings.

Last updated: September 12, 2018

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

40001 State Road 9336
Homestead, FL 33034-6733

Phone:

305 242-7700

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