Information For Volunteers 
 

Ohio Earth Team Volunteer Program

In recognition of the interest and skills many Americans have in conservation, Congress passed legislation in 1981 – Section 1526 of PL97-98, Food and Agriculture Act – permitting the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to use volunteers.  In 1985, the volunteer effort was organized as the Earth Team, primarily due to the Farm Bill and the increased workload of NRCS.  The primary purpose of the Earth Team volunteer program is to expand NRCS services by using volunteer time, talent, and energy to help accomplish the NRCS mission.  Nationally, 22,000 Earth Team volunteers donated 435,653 hours of service totaling $9.3 million fiscal year 2011.

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Celebrating Earth Team Volunteers in Action

National Volunteer Week is April 15-21, 2012.  Earth Team volunteers are a valued member of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) team in Ohio!  Earth Team volunteers are an integral part of the conservation partnership and each member takes pride in the fact that they maintain and improve our natural resources and environment on private lands.  Last year, 270 volunteers contributed 4,702 hours of service throughout Ohio.  Their volunteer contributions saved the government approximately $98, 036.  Volunteers sometimes work out of the NRCS Columbus State Office or at a field office throughout the state.  In 2011, volunteers assisted with natural resource inventory and assessment, conservation education, helped to promote the benefits of conservation and Farm Bill Programs, and provided assistance with the everyday clerical duties.   

The NRCS theme for this year is “Celebrating Earth Team Volunteers in Action” and we have a lot to celebrate because there has been a lot of action.  We have made good progress this past year improving our land and water resources. Earth Team volunteers are very involved in our conservation projects and are a vital member of our conservation team!  The work of Earth Team volunteers allows us to stretch available resources and helps put additional conservation practices on the ground. Their assistance improves our customer service and the environment for all of us. 

At Ohio NRCS, we are very proud of our volunteers’ talents and commitment to conservation. We value their partnership and dedication as we work together to implement conservation throughout Ohio.  Please join with us in celebrating National Volunteer Week as we enjoy the conservation contributions that Ohio’s Earth Team volunteers make.

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Volunteering Through the Camera’s Lens

Graduate student Alex Snyder is an Ohio Earth Team volunteer who finds inspiration through the lens of his camera.  While completing his graduate degree at Ohio University's Office of Sustainability, Alex found time to volunteer his photographic talents by capturing Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack’s visits to Ohio.  Alex has served as Secretary Vilsack’s Ohio photographer on four separate occasions as an Earth Team volunteer. Alex learned at a young age the value of volunteering from his grandparents who volunteered for years in the Ohio park system.  Alex’s love of photography began while spending his summers helping park officials and visitors in Ohio’s Hocking Hills, one of the most naturally diverse Appalachian regions.  “At 12 years old, I took up photography and found an inspiration to succeed that has proved to be my ticket to see the world,” Alex said. Alex not only volunteers with NRCS, but with the Friends of Hocking Hills, a non-profit organization benefiting the Hocking Hills region.  As an ex-Officio officer for the Friends of Hocking Hills, he is currently working on both a print and interactive book celebrating the area.  Alex also serves as acting Social Media Coordinator for The Photo Society, a group of over 80 National Geographic photographers.  If that’s not enough on his plate, Alex has started a successful business in commercial, wildlife, and conservation photography.  While earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Photojournalism, Alex purposely took challenging and diverse courses to build a comprehensive knowledge base in preparation for a demanding career.  He has earned a specialty in Biological Sciences and mastered scientific writing skills as well as studying Interactive Multimedia.  Alex is interested in so many areas, but what he tries to do is blend all of his interests into being a well-rounded photographer. Photography has taken Alex from grizzly bears in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula to the street life of Edinburgh, Scotland; he has traveled the world with photography as his catalyst.  Alex says, “My life-long goal is to work and grace the covers of National Geographic.”  NRCS has benefitted greatly from Alex’s talents and willingness to join the Earth Team Volunteer Program.  With his perseverance and accomplishments to date, National Geographic is definitely on Alex’s horizon.

Earth Team Volunteer Mallory McDevitt brings home the FFA National Proficiency Award in Vegetable Production

Ohio has a very special Earth Team Volunteer.

Mallory McDevitt of Wapakoneta, Ohio, is a real go-getter. This 18-year old high school senior has been an Earth Team Volunteer since she was 14, the youngest age allowable for Earth Team Volunteers. She also serves as the Wapakoneta FFA Chapter Vice President. And if school, FFA, and volunteer activities sound like a lot for a senior, that’s not the case for this senior. Mallory owns and operates her own business, ‘Mals Garden and Landscaping’! She manages and operates a one-acre organic garden, both selling and donating her produce. For her extraordinary gardening accomplishments, she was awarded 1st place in Ohio by the FFA in the Vegetable Production Category of their Proficiency Award competition. She currently is among the top four national finalists in this category and among only 14 students in Ohio to qualify as national finalists in all of the 47 categories. The winner will be determined at the National FFA Convention in October.

When the Feds Feed Families Food Drive was announced this year, service-minded Mallory saw an opportunity to help. Her father, NRCS employee Steve McDevitt, investigated the possibility of Mallory contributing to the effort and learned she certainly could participate. Mallory decided to do more than participate; she offered to coordinate the food drive for the Wapakoneta Field Office. She worked with the organization that would receive the donations, Mercy Unlimited, Inc., of Wapakoneta and delivered the food collections to them weekly. She also charted weekly progress toward the goal she set for the food drive so everyone could see how they were doing.

The field office goal of collecting 1000 lbs. of food is where the story gets really great. This young lady challenged herself to make a pound-for-pound fresh produce donation equal to the total non-perishable donations collected at the field office. Mallory said, “It has become a personal challenge…not only does the office have a 1000 lb. goal, but I have a personal goal to provide more pounds of fresh produce than the office total.” Anyone who has ever gardened, particularly using organic methods, knows the work that goes into growing that quantity of food. It requires a lot of know-how, patience, perseverance, and labor to have even a small productive garden. But Mallory sees it this way, “Why let your garden surplus go to waste when our local food bank can distribute to hungry families and individuals.” Why indeed?

Through volunteering and donating, Mallory has learned that doing for others returns many-fold to one’s self. Seeing the joy others experience from her generosity and effort is tremendously rewarding. Mallory says, “Mercy Unlimited gets excited when I pull in and unload. They appreciate what I’m doing, especially the fresh produce, and I get a good feeling about what I’m doing.”

Last week the office met the 1000 lb. goal and more than 500 lbs. of that was fresh produce from Mallory. But even though the official end of the Feds Feeds Families Food Drive is August 31, she isn’t done. To Mallory, a goal is a thing to be surpassed. She says, “I plan to continue giving past the deadline since the garden will still be producing.”

NRCS is fortunate to have a mechanism to harness the passion and skills of people who want to volunteer, people like Mallory. The Earth Team allows anyone age 14 or older to do what they can to help people, help the land, and help society. Mallory McDevitt is a perfect example of an Earth Team Volunteer. Ohio State Conservationist Terry Cosby thanks Mallory for her extraordinary efforts and her contribution to NRCS. He says, “I wish the best of luck to Mallory in the FFA finals, but she’s already a winner in my book!”

** Update - On October 21, 2011, Mallory McDevitt was selected as the National FFA Proficiency Award Winner in Vegetable Production.  Congratulations Mallory!

Mallory's interview with the Ohio's Country Journal

Earth Team Contacts:

Missy Sanders
Ohio Earth Team Volunteer Coordinator, 7868 CR 140, Suite F, Findlay, Ohio 45840, 419-422-5438 (140)

National NRCS Earth Team Volunteer Program