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The
restoration and survival of the beautiful Virginia Key Beach habitat
is not possible without the help of volunteers.
As
a restoration volunteer you will become part of our restoration
team. Your hard work will be critical in helping us reach our
goal—restoring the Virginia Key coastal hammock, a precious
coastal ecosystem with only 128 acres remaining in the United
States. With this phase of the project, we will be restoring close
to 3 acres of additional coastal hammock. As a steward of our
local environment, you will playing a vital role in building a
healthier urban community, as well as helping to increase biodiversity
globally.
Click
on any of the links below or just scroll down to take the first
step towards restoration:
Typical
Day
Typical Schedule
FAQ
**Pre-trip Educational Resources (Great
for Educators!)**
Reservations, Forms, and Directions
What
is the typical day like for a volunteer?
A
typical volunteer work day lasts from 3 to 4 hours, beginning
around 8:30 or 9:00 am. We meet under an old seagrape tree in
the native plant nursery on Virginia Key. Here you will meet naturalists
and resource managers from the City of Miami and Citizens for
a Better South Florida and discuss the restoration project, invasive
exotic plant biology, and the ecology of Virginia Key. Afterward,
we will take a nature walk through restored coastal hammock and
coastal dune en route to the work site, highlighting several native
and exotic species and how they contribute to or detract from
the healthy ecology of Virginia Key. Finally we'll arrive at the
work site and begin removing exotic plants, planting native species,
or removing garbage from the site, or... a little of everything.
We'll sweat. We'll take breaks. We'll enjoy the beautiful view
underneath the shade of a strangler fig. We'll get dirty and take
pictures. To conclude the day we'll return to the native plant
nursery to transfer seedlings in the nursery and propagate plants.
Then, regretfully, we'll say goodbye (for this time)!
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Typical
Schedule
Here
is the typical schedule for the restoration day, although we can
adjust the time frame somewhat to accomodate groups:
9:00am:
Meet at the Native Plant Nursery
9:00-9:30am: Intro to project, Citizens, and
Virginia Key
9:30-10:15am: Nature walk, arrive at work site
10:15-11:45am: Restoration work (planting, removing
exotics)
11:45-12:00pm: Break and return to nursery
12:00-12:45pm: Nursery work
12:45-1:00pm: Wrap-up and Depart
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Frequently
Asked Questions
What
is the minimum or maximum number of volunteers you can accommodate?
The ideal
number of volunteers is 20 to 25, although we can accommodate
more or less on occasion. We have hosted groups as large as 100.
Call 305-648-0000 or email citizens@abettersouthflorida.org
to find out if we can accomodate your specific group size.
Do
you host groups on weekends or during the week for this project?
We
host groups during the week for this project. However, we may
have other weekend opportunities for your volunteer group (such
as working on a demonstration landscape at our afterschool program
site). Please call 305-648-0000 or email citizens@abettersouthflorida.org
to find out if we can arrange a different volunteer event for
your group.
How
far in advance must I reserve a day?
Typically
we ask group coordinators to schedule at least one month in advance
to ensure they get the day they want. However, some groups reserve
days 2 or 3 months in advance, while other groups have lucked
out and scheduled the day they want just 10 days in advance.
What
does my group need to bring
or wear?
Volunteers
should bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a snack (only if
they have special dietary restrictions). They should also wear
clothes they won't care about getting dirty and closed-toe shoes.
Many volunteers also like to bring a camera. Citizens will provide
tools, gloves, water, a light snack, bug repellant, and backup
sunscreen.
Do
you offer any pre-trip resources to prepare my group for the volunteer
day?
YES!
Just look below for free downloadable
resources to compliment your trip to Virginia Key. We offer a
trail guide book, a packet of curriculum resources to use in the
classroom, and a comprehensive book on the project, including
descriptions about the history and ecology of Virginia Key.
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*Great
for Educators*: Pre-Restoration Trip Educational Materials
Pre-Trip
Trail guide
Pre-Trip
Example Curriculum
Pre-Trip
Booklet on REVIVE, the History and the Ecology of Virginia Key
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Reservations,
Forms, and Directions
To
reserve a day:
Pre-trip
Forms (Optional, but recommended to save time. Particularly useful
for large groups):
- Have participants
sign the Permission and Release Form
- Administer
Citizens' Pre-Test
to save time the day of restoration (please have students take
the test closed book)
Directions
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Acknowledgements
The
restoration of Virginia Key would not be possible without the
dedication of the crew workers of Virginia Key: Elier Paez, Geraldo
Capaz, Lazaro Zuaznabar, Jorge Brito, and Bonifacio "Felipe"
Alonso; and administrators at the City of Miami including Ernest
Burkeen, Raul Garcia, Micheal Barrechio, Rafael Gonzalez, Ed Blanco,
and Elizabeth Ott. Special thanks to Maria de Cardenas, Maria
Perez, Bonifacio "Felipe" Alonso, Ernesto Martinez,
and Juan Fernandez.
Funded
by
Funding
for this project was provided, in part, through a grant agreement
from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida
Coastal Management Program, by a grant provided by the Office
of Coastal Resources Management under the Coastal Zone Management
Act of 1972, as amended, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
US Department of Commerce. Additional funding was provided by
Miami-Dade's Department of Environmental Resource Management and
the South Florida Water Management District.
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