| The Friends of the Shawnee is ramping up its volunteer efforts. The Shawnee National Forest is a vast 288,000 acres of natural beauty stretched out across the southern tip of Illinois. Keeping that much land clean, in good shape and good health is a huge challenge. There are a lot of good people at the Forest Service; but with ever decreasing budgets and increased usage, they really need our–and your–help.
We are looking to bolster our volunteer program to help the Shawnee in 4 areas:
Clean Up: This involves picking up litter along trails and parking areas, but this also includes cleaning up “dumps” that are found throughout the forest– people that dump construction waste or household items.
Trail Maintenance: Leveling trail tread, removing trip hazards, getting/keeping water off the trails, and trimming back the trails.
Invasive Species Removal: There are a number of invasive species throughout the Shawnee. These plants and trees are not only unsightly but also bad for the health of the forest.
Guest Relations: We are looking to help visitors with questions and guidance. These positions may be at one of the Ranger Stations in Harrisburg, Vienna and Jonesboro or at our more visited sites like Garden of the Gods, Bell Smith, Inspiration Point, Snake Road (in season), Lake Glendale, etc.
Some volunteer work will be done in groups and individually. Most will require some training.
We are also looking for Stewardship Leaders. Leaders will be dedicated, well-trained volunteers to help lead various efforts in the one or more of the 4 above categories.
Sign up today for upcoming volunteer activities at volunteer@shawneefriends.org |
