Volunteers Are Essential

By: Stacey Wildberger

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time, they just have the heart.”   –Elizabeth Andrew

Volunteers are the backbone of the work Cape Conservation Corps does in the community.  We have been so fortunate over the years to have so many students, community members, board members and families come to support us and create healthy natural areas through invasive species control and planting native plants, champion healthy waterways for clean, swimmable and fishable areas through storm water management and take pride in healthier ecosystems. 

We have accomplished many of our goals throughout our history but we continue to want to do more.  Our effort at the Serene Ravine since 2012 has included the use of goats for initial clearing, hand clearing by both professionals and volunteers and minimal herbicide application (by licensed sprayers).  The area has been planted heavily with native trees, shrubs, flowering herbaceous plants and sedges and grasses to create a healthy ecosystem for the local fauna.  We have almost eradicated the garlic mustard that used to cover the area and prevent native plants from thriving.  We continue our work in the Serene Ravine with a weekly Weed Warriors, usually every Wednesday from 5-7 pm.  We are also looking for new volunteers to help us out.  This year we will also work on a site at Deep Creek Marina that was a Capstone Project for a local Watershed Steward Candidate to maintain the area as well as continuing the project under a new Watershed Steward Candidate.  Another site CCC maintains is at the Little Magothy Beach where Watershed Steward Candidate Brad Knopf installed a rain garden.  We regularly weed and maintain it and will be adding a variety of shade loving plants adjacent to the rain garden.  We are also looking to start removal of a large infestation on invasive Burning Bush.  This will require many helping hands!

Each April we participate in Project Clean Stream in partnership with Alliance for the Chesapeake (8 of the last 9 years).  This year we had 78 volunteers show up in force, spread out around The Cape and remove 234 bags of trash, including 6 enormous truck tires!

We have supported many Watershed Steward Candidates over the years in completing their capstone projects to become Stewards.  This has included monetary support as well as physical support.  Many Scouts come to us looking to help with projects or complete Gold/Silver Awards and Eagle Scout project as well.  Again we have supported those efforts with labor, money or supplies. 

We look to continue to our efforts for restoration, educate the community and provide programs that inspire people to do more and give more of their time and money. We are so grateful for the hours that all of our volunteers have given and look forward to having even more of our neighbors come out in support! Our recent Open House at the Serene Ravine was a huge success with many new faces coming out to see what we were doing and offer their time. 

Please reach out to me at president@capeconservationcorps.org if you would like to see what you can do to become involved. 

And finally one of the best quotes to inspire you to action “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. –Dr. Seuss