The 2021 Wilderness Volunteers Photo Contest

It's been quite the year and even though we have mere weeks left in 2021, Wilderness Volunteers is pleased to announce our 2021 Photo Contest. This is one of our very favorite annual events and we want to celebrate the 2021 project season This year we're back to four categories:

• On the trail / hard at work. Photos that depict any kind of work or a hike during a 2021 Wilderness Volunteers project. Think tools, volunteers, hikes, and anything that looks like work.
  

• Landscapes. Photos with a landscape from a 2021 Wilderness Volunteers project. 

• Camp life is the life for me. Photos of life in camp from a 2021 Wilderness Volunteers project. Could include meals, hanging out at your tent, R & R, playing games, etc.
  
  
• Wildlife, wildflowers, and trees. Photos from a 2021 Wilderness Volunteers project depicting wildlife, wildflowers, trees, and vegetation.

This contest is open to all project leaders and volunteers who participated in a 2021 Wilderness Volunteers project. It's time to sit down with your phone, your laptop, or your camera and find those winning shots that make the judge's life so hard. 

Click on each category above for the upload page.
Click here to view entries so far for each category.

Please include your full name and which 2021 project your image is from.
(eg. ScoobyDoo_CrabOrchardNWR2021.jpg)
    
    The contest will close on  Friday, January 14, 2022, at the end of the day. One winner will be selected for each category with one grand prize winner being selected. You can enter as many photos as you like, just be sure to do so before the deadline. The winners will be announced on Friday, January 21, 2022. 

Official Contest Rules:

• All photos must be taken on any Wilderness Volunteers Project and subject matter must comply with Leave No Trace ethics & principles.
  

• Each entry must include the photographer's name and the 2021 project it was taken on in the file title.

• The same photo cannot be entered in more than one category. Judges reserve the right to switch images to other categories.

• The contest is open to all WV project participants and leaders, except for Wilderness Volunteers staff, contest judges, and their families. WV reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, entrant eligibility.

• Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. Awards will be selected by a panel of judges, and all decisions are final.

• Entries must be submitted to the Wilderness Volunteers photo gallery no later than 11:59 pm UTC on by  Friday, January 14, 2022, to be eligible.
  

• Judges may exclude entries that do not meet the above criteria.

• Winners will be notified by email. Wilderness Volunteers is not responsible for lost or damaged prizes.

Please Support Wilderness Volunteers

2021 has been quite the year for Wilderness Volunteers! Despite the ongoing pandemic and tremendous wildfire season, we have successfully navigated a leadership transition and a safe and successful project season. Support from people like you was essential to Wilderness Volunteers’ survival. We could not have done it without you!

For the past six months, Wilderness Volunteers has stayed operational and fielded projects thanks to the hard work of Aidalicia Swertfeger, our Program Manager, members of the Board of Directors, and many dedicated individuals in the Wilderness Volunteers community. We saw several "retired" Wilderness Volunteers folks step up to help with our endeavors to rejuvenate Wilderness Volunteers in these changing times. Together, we welcomed a new Executive Director, three new Board members, and two new volunteer Board advisors. Our team is in the final stages of a major website rebuild and we expect our new, user-friendly site to launch in the next week or two (stay tuned!).

To date, we have safely fielded 26 projects this year, despite COVID-19 concerns, record wildfires in many of our project areas, and agency challenges. However, with over ten projects that were forced to be canceled due to COVID-19 surges and threatening wildfires, and with some fielded projects not hitting full capacity, we will see a decrease in our overall projected revenue for 2021.

Thanks to the generous support of donors last year, Wilderness Volunteers was able to continue “giving something back” throughout another year of challenges and uncertainty. Today, we are asking for your support to help ensure the stability of Wilderness Volunteers as we move successfully forward into the future.

We have set an ambitious goal of raising $75,000 by the end of 2021 to help cover unrealized project fee revenue, help stabilize Wilderness Volunteers for the long-term, and fund exciting new projects and initiatives in 2022. Please consider making a gift today to help Wilderness Volunteers continue our work of preserving the wild places we all love.

Next year, we will be celebrating 25 years of “giving something back” to our nation’s public lands. Over the past 24 years, we have provided over 310,000 hours of volunteer labor to public land management agencies: the equivalent of over $7 million in labor. Our community of dedicated volunteer project leaders, past project participants, and supporters are proud of the value we collectively add to our public lands through the work we accomplish. Your support today will help ensure that Wilderness Volunteers can continue this important work for another 25 years.

TO MAKE A DONATION, please visit:

our PayPal donation page

Or MAIL IN A CHECK to:

Wilderness Volunteers

PO Box 22292

Flagstaff, AZ 86002

Wilderness Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to Wilderness Volunteers are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Our 2022 project schedule will be released on Wednesday, December 8th, with a longer project season and new projects being added throughout the year. Be sure to check our website for more information: www.wildernessvolunteers.org

On behalf of our public land agency partners, visitors to our beloved public lands, and all of us here at Wilderness Volunteers, we thank you for your ongoing support.

With gratitude,

Cheryl Walczak, President, Board of Directors

Carrie Henderson, Executive Director

Wilderness Volunteers Welcomes a New Executive Director

Dear Wilderness Volunteers community,

Following a months-long nationwide search, the Wilderness Volunteers Board of Directors is excited to announce the hiring of Carrie Henderson as Wilderness Volunteers’ next Executive Director. Carrie will begin her duties and responsibilities on October 27, 2021.

Carrie brings years of experience and success in the nonprofit realm. She has proven effectiveness in improving public recognition of organizations, recruiting, directing, and sustaining volunteers, in management of complex food acquisition programs, and in outreach and sustained association with similar organizations. Carrie leverages collaborative relationships to accomplish organizational goals, executes successful planning to create a community of supporters, and has devised successful fundraising and marketing plans to support the financial needs of an organization.

When Carrie isn’t hard at work, she is an outdoor recreator,
backpacking in the Grand Canyon every chance she gets and trail running. She considers this position her "dream job" and looks forward to working hard to get Wilderness Volunteers on a positive trajectory into the future.

Thank you for your patience during this transition. We are confident that our collective ability will achieve a sustainable future for Wilderness Volunteers to provide people the opportunity to "Give Something Back" to our wild and public lands.

Most Sincerely,

The Board of Directors of Wilderness Volunteers:

Cheryl Walczak, President
Rick Volpe, Vice President
Ross Holloway, Secretary
Lee Cooper, Treasurer
Katy Giorgio, Member
Rebecca Glucklich, Member
Bill Wood, Member
Jacob Abel, Board Consultant
Bill Arbour, Board Consultant

Wilderness Volunteers Board Update

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Hello everyone, we have been busy! Here is the latest...

Board of Directors  

We are happy to announce the addition of three new people to the Board of Directors, bringing us to seven members. We welcome Katy Giorgio, Rebecca Glucklich, and Bill Wood.  They bring skills honed from prior experience in nonprofit and business leadership roles. They have demonstrated knowledge and success in crafting effective communication and marketing methods, and have shown successful implementation of organizational vitality over time in different realms.  

They are familiar with Wilderness Volunteers’ accomplishments over the years, having led or volunteered on projects themselves, and are committed to working to secure a thriving future for WV. We are happy that they will be celebrating with us next year as WV marks 25 years of public lands stewardship.

We also welcome two Board Advisers: Jacob Abel and Bill Arbour. Jacob brings his professional IT skillset to the table and will inform and assist us with such matters.  Bill Arbour, a longtime WV leader, observer, and volunteer brings extensive knowledge and ability acquired in numerous leadership and supervisory roles throughout his career.  He has renewed enthusiasm to advise and assist WV in outreach to new land agencies, organizations, and leader recruitment efforts.

With the addition of these dedicated individuals, we gain a wide variety of personal interests and experiences that will enhance WV’s community!    

Executive Director Search  

August 31 marked the final day to submit for the Executive Director position. Since we began in June, we have had over a thousand replies to our job posting and, with the help of former Board members, have been continually reviewing those replies for appropriate candidates.  We have narrowed that number down to 20 - 25 candidates whose submitted applications will be reviewed in detail this weekend and 4-6 "finalists" will be chosen for interviews in the next few weeks.  We expect to be offering the position to the most qualified candidate before the end of September.

Interim Website

This beautiful tool has been up and running, serving its purpose well throughout the 2021 season.  This is the result of efforts from many people including our Web-building company, volunteers with IT skills, and the professional design skills of Program Manager, Aidalicia Swertfeger. Thank you all for your patience and we look forward to the new complete website in the coming weeks.

Program Update

We continue to safely and successfully field projects, despite continuing challenges with the ever-changing pandemic. To date, we’ve completed 18 projects with one currently in the field, and have eight more left on the schedule. Our many thanks to the leaders,  participants, volunteers, and Program Manager, Aidalicia Swertfeger, for their continued support and dedication to Wilderness Volunteers’ mission. While we are grateful for the work accomplished thus far, wildfires and the delta variant have presented some major obstacles as we head into the last leg of our project season. We will continue to monitor risk factors for each project and make the appropriate decisions to keep our volunteers, leaders, agency partners, and communities we travel through safe. 

We hope everyone will use their best judgment and tools available to stay safe and remain healthy, and we implore our volunteers to stay updated with our COVID-19 Project Guidelines.

Buffalo National River: A Careful Entry into the 2021 Project Season

Early this past April, Wilderness Volunteers kicked off our 2021 project season. It had been over a year since we were able to field a project due to the pandemic and we crept towards April 4th with cautious hope and managed expectations. Here are some takeaways from our first service project this year.

Different but very doable. Because we all have a year plus of experience, knowledge, and information under our belts in pandemic living, in my experience, it wasn’t difficult to transition back into a Wilderness Volunteers project. Was it different? Absolutely. Would it have been challenging even 9 months ago? Likely yes. Is it still worth it? Completely.

    It’s been my observation that by this point in time, people have a pretty good handle on managing daily activities in the pandemic. People have also determined which outdoor experiences and adventures work for them and how to engage in these activities (ideally with prudence and regard for the safety of others). People are also yearning for the joy and fulfillment that comes with volunteering their time to your public lands, meeting new people, and learning more about a specific area/region.

While there are extra steps involved in committing to a 2021 Wilderness Volunteers project, helping the National Park Service with various projects took me exactly where I haven't been in quite some time: outside, surrounded by a nature I had not yet experienced, alongside volunteers from all over working together to accomplish a shared task.

Flexibility is key. We all know that being flexible in life can help you overcome some tricky times (and even turn them into positive ones), but when being a part of a WV project this year, it’s more important than ever. Before and during our project, our volunteer crew had to come prepared and remain nimble.

    We managed last-minute NPS changes to the occupancy of the facility we were using, dealt with a nixed workday due to lightning/thunderstorms, and were understanding as we all got the hang of how to complete camp chores in a safely and practically.
    Through our group's ability to pivot, we were able to tackle two projects in one day, safely splitting the crew so one could work on maintenance and care of a historic cemetery while the others could help repaint the exterior of a frequently used National Park Service facility. This worked out well because everyone was able to work on the project they desired that day, and one group was able to circle back and assist the other.

I miss the faces from all of the places. One of the major highlights of participating in a WV project is the chance to meet volunteers from all over the country. You can make friends you’ll visit during future travels, contacts to reach out to for suggestions about their hometown, or maybe a new pal you’ll plan to do a project with in the future. I’ve seen some lovely friendships blossom on WV projects and I’ve made my way to places suggested and loved by fellow volunteers.

    Leading the Buffalo National River project illuminated how much I missed the meeting and getting to know volunteers on service projects over the last year. We had a splendid crew of nine hailing from eight different states! Hearing everyone's experiences of how the last year has changed their lives was both fascinating and rewarding. Each volunteer on this crew brought something valuable and unique to the table, whether in the form of extensive flora or fauna knowledge, gear recommendations, super cool sounding travel recommendations, and their own outdoor experiences. Getting to know the volunteers over a week-long service project is like putting together a puzzle of one-of-a-kind pieces that came together completing an unforgettable image.

It's like riding a bike. The great news is that getting back into the project routine was fairly seamless by the end of day two even with the added precautions Wilderness Volunteers is taking to mitigate COVID-19. I was able to establish my routine, determine the overall pace of our volunteer crew, and enjoy the various moments that make volunteering highly enjoyable.

    Experiencing the Buffalo National River project was the natural marriage of life since March 2020 and the 14 plus projects I've done during my time with Wilderness Volunteers. For every moment I had to remind myself to put a mask back on, keep an appropriate distance from others or thoroughly wash my hands, I also enjoyed a stunning view, was present in a moment in the wilderness that felt magical, or had a hearty laugh from shared stories at base camp.

    I'd like to thank the volunteers of the 2021 Buffalo National River project for making my first service project back since the pandemic began very fruitful. Each one made this project a resounding success: their helpful nature, their kindness to each other, their grace when things didn't go quite according to plan, and the great qualities they contributed to our group. I look forward to working alongside you again!

A Twist: the 2020 WV Photo Contest

    While this year hasn't turned out quite as planned, some things will never change. In this spirit, we're hosting a down-sized annual WV photo contest. The categories this year will be:

• All in a day's work. Photos that depict any kind of work during a WV project. Think tools, volunteers, and anything that looks like work.
  

• Landscapes. Photos with a landscape from a project. Could also include your boots, a napping friend, etc!

• Camp life is the life for me. Photos of life in camp. Could include meals, hanging out at your tent, R & R, playing games, or juggling pulaskis (just kidding).
  

    The contest is open to any photo from any past Wilderness Volunteers project that you took. Winning photos from previous WV photo contests are ineligible for 2020 contest entry. This contest is open to all WV project leaders and volunteers, past and present. Dig out those boxes of photos, unearth your albums, and dust off your laptop or desktop—we're heading down memory lane.      

Click on each category above for the upload page.
Click here to view entries so far for each category.

Please include your name, the location, and the year (or your best guess).
(eg. Northcutt_LyeBrook2019.jpg)
    
    The prizes this year will be announced in November and the contest will end on Sunday, December 13th.  Below you'll find some entries and winners from past projects.

R. Brickley. BWCAW 2019.  

R. Brickley. BWCAW 2019. 

 

K. Kanthatham. Sawtooth Wilderness 2019.

 

G. Allen.  King Range NCA 2019. 

 

R. Kahn. Zion 2019.

 

K. Worley. Hakalau NWR 2018.

    One winner will be selected for each category. You can enter as many photos as you like, just be sure to do so before the deadline of the end of day on Sunday, December 13, 2020! We hope you'll join us for this Wilderness Volunteers 23 year project reunion.  

Official Contest Rules:

• All photos must be taken on any Wilderness Volunteers Project and subject matter must comply with Leave No Trace ethics & principles.
  
  
• Winning photos from previous WV photo contests are ineligible for 2020 contest entry.

• Each entry must include the photographer's name and the project it was taken on.

• The same photo cannot be entered in more than one category. Judges reserve the right to switch images to other categories.

• The contest is open to all WV project participants and leaders, except for Wilderness Volunteers staff, contest judges and their families. WV reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, entrant eligibility.

• Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. Awards will be selected by a panel of judges, and all decisions are final.

• Entries must be submitted to the Wilderness Volunteers photo gallery no later than 11:59 pm UTC on by Sunday, December 13th, 2020 to be eligible.
  

• Judges may exclude entries that do not meet the above criteria.

• Winners will be notified by email. Wilderness Volunteers is not responsible for lost or damaged prizes.

Celebrate Bat Week

Holy Flying Mammals Batman!

October 24-31, 2020 is Bat Week, an annual international celebration of our amazing flying friends and their important role in our ecosystem. 

While we may not see these nocturnal beauties very often while we're going about our daily lives they serve many crucial roles in preserving the health and diversity of our environment; from eating an incredible number of insects, to pollinating flowers and crops, to spreading seeds leading to the germination of new trees and bushes.

With over 14,000 species of bats the variety among species is incredible; the smallest bat is just over an inch long while the largest can have a wingspan of over 5.5 feet! Some feed on fruit (frugivores), some nectar (nectarivores), some insects (insectivores), while others have a more unique feeding specialty (vampire bats). 

What Do You Call a Group of Bats?

A group of bats is called a colony (in a cave), a cloud (flying in a group), or a camp (a unit of bats). 

A cloud of bats (Paul Cryan)

White Nose Syndrome 

One of the major threats to bats right now is White Nose Syndrome (WNS). This is a debilitating fungus that attacks the respiratory system of infected bats. It can be transmitted from cave to cave by bats and by people (spores on shoes and other gear).  

A little brown bat with WNS
(Ryan von Linden, New York Department of Environmental Conservation)

How You Can Help Bats

-learn more about bats and bat week

-share bat info and/or photos on social media using #batweek  

-stay out of caves if possible and if you do visit clean your gear thoroughly

-build a bat house

baby flying fox (Julia Boland, USFWS)

lesser long nosed bat
(Bruce D. Taubert/Bat Conservation International)