What would national wildlife refuges do without volunteers to help greet visitors, staff events, maintain trails and conserve wildlife habitat? Less. Much less.
And then there are the super volunteers � people who donate an amazing 10,000 hours or more of their time to refuges. That amounts to roughly five years of full-time work, according to the Office of Personnel Management. By a common estimate, those 10,000 hours represent a $240,000 savings to refuges.
What leads some refuge volunteers to give so much of themselves, week after week, year after year � often well past retirement age?
The answers are as varied as the people who do it. Meet a few of the National Wildlife Refuge System’s remarkable 10,000-plus-hour club members.
Chuck and Betty Mulcahy, National Elk Refuge, Wyoming â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;11,000+ hours each
Past professions: Airline ground operations (Chuck); flight attendant and dental assistant (Betty)
Volunteer tasks include: Radio track wolves and ungulates (hooved mammals); monitor trumpeter swan nests; use their skills as trained naturalists to excite visitors about refuge wildlife.
Why they volunteer: “Refuges are really jewels. It’s so good to build respect and interest for them.� � Chuck
What they like best: Interacting with visitors. “We’ve never gotten blasé about doing what we do. I like to feel I’m seeing all of this for the first time, as many visitors are. We try to feed that passion …â€� â€� Chuck. “[»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýappÏÂÔØ for the refuge] is good for us. It’s a symbiotic relationship.â€� â€� Betty
Moment to treasure: “We climb the butte once a week and wait ’til we can see all the swans and cygnets. We mark where they are on a map.� � Betty
Said of them: “They’re stellar volunteers â€� They inspire our visitors to want to know more.â€� â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Natalie Fath, former volunteer coordinator, National Elk Refuge
Larry Fudge, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è; 11,000+ hours (Note: Larry Fudge retired in 2021 as a refuge volunteer.)
Past profession: Junior high school science teacher; principal; school superintendent
Volunteer tasks include: Collects and cleans harvested seeds; takes part in annual bison roundup and screening; maintains trails; promotes refuge to community groups; clears invasive trees with a chainsaw and stump grinder to help restore endangered oak savanna
Why he volunteers: “It gives me a chance to work outside � Also, I like working with people � To show how much I appreciate them, every Monday I take a 9-by-13 pan of brownies I make and share them with refuge employees and volunteers.�
Moments to treasure: When barn owls began using a nesting box he built for them. “That was pretty exciting.�
Said of him: “An amazing worker, dedicated and talented � a great refuge ambassador.� � Nancy Corona, visitor services manager, Neal Smith Refuge
Frank McGilvrey, Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;27,000 hours (Note: Long-time Patuxent Refuge volunteer Frank McGilvrey died in June 2020. This profile was written before his death.)
Past profession: Wildlife research biologist, Patuxent Refuge
Volunteer tasks include: Weekly waterbird surveys; songbird and wood duck nest box surveys; invasive plant removal
What he likes best: “I really enjoy working with young people. [He mentored nearly 100 interns over the years.] They’re so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.�
Moments to treasure: Watching otters play. Watching a red fox catch a Canada goose. “You never know for sure what you’re going to find.�
Advice to others on volunteering: Biological fieldwork “can be strenuous �. You can’t mind the ticks, the deer flies, the [mo]squitoes, getting dirty, being sweaty� If you’re not willing to get down and dirty, you can’t be a lot of help [in the field]� As long as I’m having fun, I’ll keep doing it.�
Said of him: He’s “a human dynamo.� � Patuxent Refuge volunteer coordinator Diana Ogilvie
Karen Yochem, Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, Washington â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;18,000 hours
Past profession: Secretary, state government
Volunteer tasks include: Greeting visitors; answering phones; collecting fees
Why she volunteers: “It’s such a joy to work here. That’s why I’ve stayed as long as I have.�
What she likes best: “I get to see lots of people, talk to them � We get all kinds of questions. I try to come up with the right answers.�
Long view: Volunteering at the refuge has “really helped me as much as I’ve maybe helped the refuge. It gives me a reason to get up every day � It’s just a real pretty picture down here.�
Said of her: “She is our rock.� � Glynnis Nakai, project leader, Nisqually Refuge Complex
Wally and Carolyn Sternberg, Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refugesâ€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;14,000+ hours each
Past professions: Power station chemist (Wally); banking and direct sales (Carolyn)
Tasks they’ve handled: Maintenance; cleanup; habitat restoration; special events
Why they volunteer: “We work as a team� It’s a pretty exciting way to spend our time.� � Carolyn
What they like best: “We’re out in the country. No lights, no traffic, no noises� We talk with [visitors]. I enjoy that. And the staff is great.� � Carolyn. “It’s fun to go back to the places and see how you’re made a difference. Especially with boardwalks; some section we had to completely rebuild.� � Wally
Moment to treasure: �Air boat rides and laughing with [deputy project leader] Pon [Dixson]. Finding flying squirrels in the nest boxes. Kayaking out to Lake Pontchartrain. Overnight trips to Bayou Teche, Delta and Atchafalaya Refuges.� � Carolyn and Wally
Said of them: They are “absolutely amazing.� � Becky Larkins, supervisory refuge ranger, Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex
Jim Montgomery, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;15,000+ hours
Past profession: Biology instructor, junior college; instructor, New Mexico Military Institute
Volunteer tasks include: Monitoring lesser sandhill cranes and interior least terns; weekly crane counts and roost counts; small mammal surveys
Why he volunteers: “I get pleasure out of doing it, and I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile � If I had [the decision] to do over, I would do it again.�
Moment to treasure: “Watching 10,000 cranes take off within 30 minutes.�
Said of him: “He’s our sandhill crane expert. He’s a walking encyclopedia � a fixture to the refuge � He’s a go-to guy all the time.� � Steve Alvarez, outdoor recreation planner, Bitter Lake Refuge
Reese Lukei, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia â€�&²Ô²ú²õ±è;10,000 hours
Past professions: Certified public accountant and professional musician
Volunteer tasks include: Wood building (pole barns, kiosks, fishing piers; boardwalk trails) and maintenance; bird banding; supervising nine-person volunteer maintenance team; tracking raptors, including eagles and peregrine falcons; nature interpretation
Why he volunteers: “I’ve always been an outdoorsman � I like nature, particularly birds. My wife says it’s an incurable disease.�
What he likes best: “The camaraderie with the guys on the crew � With every project, if there are six of us on the job, there are six opinions. As long as they do it my way, everything’s okay.�
Long view: “Volunteering at a refuge is one of the most satisfying things a person can do that benefits both wildlife and people. That is why the crew has been together for 25 years� Our wives renamed us Reese’s Pieces, which the guys hate. They bought us orange hats. None of us will wear them.�
Said of him: “An invaluable volunteer for over 30 years � Back Bay Refuge would be unrecognizable were it not for his dedication, hard work and love.� � Erica Ryder, visitor services specialist, Back Bay Refuge
