Volunteer

Sydnie Patterson is a senior at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville who joined the Save the Manatee Club team in December 2019 as a volunteer intern. She chose to travel far from home because she has always had a passion for manatees. “We don’t learn about manatees in Illinois. In eighth grade, we had an assignment on imperiled animals, and I picked manatees. I’ve been in love with them ever since,” she said.

Sydnie’s goal when she graduates in May is to work for a nonprofit organization as a volunteer coordinator. Growing up, Sydnie volunteered at a humane society for cats and dogs that her grandma owned, so Sydnie has always had a place in her heart for volunteering. At Save the Manatee Club, she helped with outreach and volunteer coordination by updating data and lists on the Club’s volunteers, researching ideas in volunteer recognition and recruitment, attending outreach events like Blue Spring Education Day, and much more. Her willingness to take on any task at the Save the Manatee Club office has been greatly appreciated.

Sydnie enjoys spending time with her friends, her boyfriend, Bobby, and her sister, Andie. She loves to hike, try new foods, check out downtown St. Louis, and explore new places. Thanks for joining us in Florida this winter, Sydnie!

Melissa and Mike Fishman from Rockledge in Brevard County, Florida wear their volunteer T-shirts and caps whenever they table at events for Save the Manatee Club. Join our volunteer team and earn points through the Volunteer Rewards Program to get your free shirt and cap.
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Earn It, Pin It, Show It!

Save the Manatee Club presents a variety of service pins to further recognize and honor the efforts and importance of our loyal volunteer/members. The special, customized pins are earned by registered volunteers who staff education tables for the Club at events, help out in our Maitland office, or give manatee presentations for the Club at local schools, libraries, etc. Wear the pins on the Club’s lanyard which holds the volunteer name tag, or on the Club’s volunteer cap or t-shirt.
See the Pins

Volunteers Spread the Word at 2020 Manatee Festivals>>

Volunteering is Believing You Can Make a Difference>>

Volunteers Pin the Positive!>>

Volunteers Receive Milestone Award>>

Volunteerism – Time Well Spent to Help Manatees>>

The Blue Spring Manatee Observer Program

Now in its third season, the Blue Spring Manatee Observer Program is a collaboration between Blue Spring State Park, Save the Manatee Club, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Sea to Shore Alliance, and Volusia County Environmental Management. The program runs during the summer months from April to November when the park is open for swimming, tubing, snorkeling, kayaking, and scuba diving and sees large numbers of visitors.

While historically only a few manatees would visit the spring during the summer months, the past couple of years have seen an increase in manatee usage of the spring, resulting in the need to have volunteers assist the park to prevent harassment of manatees during that time.

“I feel like we’re making a difference,” says volunteer Shari Dworkin-Smith, who joined the program this season with her husband Rob. “Not only can we make this a safer place for manatees, but we also get to educate a lot of visitors about proper manatee behavior and answer a lot of questions.”

Elementary school teacher Melissa Landreville agrees. “I educate kids in the classroom on a daily basis, so coming out here was just a natural next step,” she says.

Volunteers attend a mandatory orientation session in early spring to become familiar with proper behavior around manatees, learn manatee basics, and participate in a kayak training session by Debbie Wingfield, who represents Volusia County in the program. Volunteers are then usually scheduled for either morning or afternoon shifts with one volunteer on the kayak and one on the boardwalk. “Park visitors are always thrilled to hear there are manatees in the spring run,” says Monica Ross, who represents Sea to Shore Alliance in the program, “and with the education and guidance from our volunteers on how to pass by the animals without disturbance, visitors have the chance of a lifetime with manatees in the safe haven of Blue Spring.”

What started as a loosely-organized handful of volunteers has now grown into a group of over 40 volunteers who come from all walks of life. Students, full-time working adults, and retirees are among them. “We are extremely grateful to have such a large number of volunteers,” says Cora Berchem, who represents Save the Manatee Club in the program and schedules the volunteers on a weekly basis. “Our volunteers have put in over 850 hours this summer, which is amazing.”

This summer not only saw the birth of manatee Annie’s fourth calf, but two recently-released manatees learning how to adjust to life in the wild also frequented the park almost daily. In addition, many mother manatees brought in their young to show them the spring, making a volunteer presence ever more important.

“Blue Spring State Park is a very popular place with visitors during the summer months,” says Park Manager Michael Watkins. “We have over 200,000 visitors that come and enjoy the water activities here in the summer time and to have strong support from this great volunteer group is a tremendous help. On behalf of all the park staff, we are very thankful for their dedication and love the Blue Spring Manatee Observer Program.”

If you are interested in joining the Blue Spring Manatee Observer Program, you can sign up with one of the participating agencies and attend an orientation session next spring. To join with Save the Manatee Club, please email Cora Berchem at cberchem@savethemanatee.org