Eyes and ears of Jefferson County Open Space

They preserve, protect and provide –; in that order, said Scott Waters, trails coordinator for Jefferson County Open Space.

“That’s what we do,” he said. “We get you outside, and you have an opportunity to become a steward of your public land.”

Jefferson County residents had two opportunities to learn about volunteer opportunities at the Open Space parks. The Open Space Volunteer Recruitment Fairs took place Feb. 25 in the evening and during the day on Feb. 27.

Representatives from at least eight different Open Space branches circled the room at the Open Space’s administration building.

“We’re kind of the eyes and ears,” said Sandy McCray, a volunteer park host.

Park hosts get to go to all the different parks, she said. They talk to people and keep tallies of things that help the Open Space program understand trends in each of the parks.

“We meet and greet, answer questions and make sure everybody’s enjoying the parks,” said Wendy Woods, a volunteer park host. It’s a lot of fun and “it’s not very often that you find somebody in a bad mood in the parks.”

Bob and Debbie Jones have been volunteer park hosts for 14 years. They meet a lot of nice people, Debbie said, and have been exposed to all sorts of wildlife –; snakes and bears included.

“It’s just so nice to be outdoors,” Debbie said.

The citizens’ science natural resources crew has many exciting things going on, said natural resource specialists Tony Auciello and Steve Murdock. There’s the butterfly study that helps protect the Pawnee Montane Skipper –; a butterfly that lives in the Open Space and is on the federally threatened list because of habitat loss. Then there’s Nest Watch, part of a nationwide study that monitors the nesting success of secondary cavity nesting birds.

Citizen science “is using volunteers to go out and collect scientifically valid data on a larger scale than we would be able to do with paid employees,” Murdock said.

Volunteers enjoy the work and receive training to learn how to do it, Auciello said.

Volunteering at the Lookout Mountain Nature Center is a way to be involved and a way to give back, said Bobby Pendley, a volunteer naturalist.

One example is the school programs, he said.

“When a light goes off in their heads, it’s so rewarding,” Pendley said.

It doesn’t take any particular type of person to be a volunteer with the Open Space, volunteer supervisor Jana Johns said.

The only thing they need is passion.

“Good volunteers just love the Open Space,” Johns said. “They’re people who really love something and want to support it.”

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