Published: March 04, 2008 08:45 pm            

Agency recruits all land lovers

Maintaining trails, planting trees are among volunteer programs offered by land conservancy

Volunteers are the heart and soul of many nonprofit organizations -- including the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. Paula and Bryce Dreeszen exemplify the volunteer spirit that is so vital to the success of so many community based projects.

"We were interested in preserving the land where we always came to vacation," said Paula Dreeszen who moved to the area with her husband Bryce two years ago.

The Dreeszens, who had volunteered in their southeastern Wisconsin community before moving to Interlochen, were eager to put their time and energy into helping to maintain a favorite spot, the Arcadia Dunes Nature Preserve in Benzie and Manistee counties. They quickly contacted the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy to volunteer.

"The area seems more like your personal back yard that you enjoy taking good care of," said Bryce who along with Paula serve as preserve stewards, visiting more than 300 acres of the 3000 acre preserve twice a month to look for environment changes and report to the Conservancy.

Last year Paula contributed more than 600 hours of time and put 4,000 miles on her car as a volunteer. Both Dreeszens volunteer for the Land Conservancy while Paula volunteers for the Benzie Audubon Society and Bryce contributes time as the VASA race director and for SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education.

Rolf von Walthausen, volunteer program coordinator for the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy is hoping to recruit more volunteers like the Dreeszens when the program hosts a volunteer open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 12 at the Conservancy office, located at 3860 North Long Lake Road in Traverse City.

New and current volunteers will be invited to explore volunteer opportunities for 2008 including maintaining trails, monitoring preserves, joining a Friends Group, leading hikes, restoring grasslands, collecting seeds, removing invasive species, creating photographs and videos, planting trees, building signs and maintaining tools and equipment.

Skill training will be available for chain saw use, plant and animal identification, habitat monitoring, GPS and trail blazing.

For more information on volunteering for the Grand Traverse Land Conservancy, call 922-1268 or visit their Web site, www.gtrlc.org.

        

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