The SNC Crew Had A Great Time Last Night At The Coral Springs Drive Thru Holiday Experience. Our Display

My friend and I pulled off the highway to go check the old boardwalk for gators and we saw this beauty. Someone must have tossed a nickel/dime/quarter on her back and it didn’t fall off the entire time we watched her floating around beneath us.

Today the SNC donated dish and appliance sets to FLITE Center. FLITE’s mission is to “guide those aging out of foster care and other vulnerable youth for a successful transition to independence.” 

The SNC is very happy we got the opportunity to give back to our community this way. Kids that have grown up through the foster care system are more vulnerable as they start their adult life and many of them do not have support systems to help them get started on the right foot.

Remember, as a community, there is no issue we can’t tackle together. 

bees are the best, sorry i don’t make the rules // insta

Riddles + an Event = Fun!

https://sawgrassnaturecenter.org/2021/09/28/world-animal-day/

Want to Save the Bees and eat cheese? 

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s how to entertain ourselves within the safety of our own home. Recreating some social favorites isn’t always easy, but here’s one thing that is: a wine tasting. Pair some of your favorite wines with a homemade charcuterie board!

Read more: https://sawgrassnaturecenter.org/2021/02/24/charcuterie-and-save-the-bees/

Caterpillars are juvenile butterflies and they are awfully hungry. These little guys are going to one day turn into Monarch Butterflies. Until then, they'll be in the SNC's caterpillar home before being released into our butterfly gardens.

Report from a Wildlife Rehabber: 

On February 19 a female opossum was caught in a car engine. The auto repair shop that found her called the Coral Springs Humane Unit to come help. After a long struggle, they were able to remove her. She suffered from several facial lacerations and was very thin. 

Since we have a developed community partnership, they brought her to us at the Sawgrass Nature Center. Once in our care, she was treated for the facial wounds, parasites, and her weight was monitored. She healed well, but the weight gain was slow moving. Eventually, she recovered to what would be considered a healthy weight. Only one thing was left - release. 

After almost a month in care, on March 13, the female opossum was released back to the wild. Now back out in the wild, she can continue to live out her life in her natural habitat. 

I have $24 to last me til Friday, what should I buy with it?

Importance of Volunteering

If you are a high school student, volunteering is probably a requirement for graduation. Finding an organization to volunteer with can be challenging, especially during a global pandemic. There are a couple of resources that can help you find opportunities. Before we get to those, I want to encourage you to think about your interests and what you hope to get out of your volunteer experience. I also want to encourage you to look beyond fulfilling a graduation requirement. Volunteering provides you with experience that you can list on your resume and if you stay with an organization for a while, it can lead to references and letters of recommendation. I always remind my volunteers to treat their volunteer position like a job. Just because you are not getting paid does not mean you’re not acquiring work experience.

Where to look

Hands on Broward is a database of volunteer opportunities in Broward County and it allows users to search for opportunities based on their interests and location. Volunteer Connect is Volunteer Florida’s opportunity portal. It runs on the same software as Hands on Broward and is another resource I recommend to anyone interested in volunteering.

Different organizations use these platforms in different ways. At the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital we use Hands on Broward to recruit episodic volunteers. This means that volunteers that sign up for these opportunities are not making a long-term commitment to us. You can volunteer once or multiple times, but you are limited to the dates and times posted.

If there is a specific organization, you are interested in start by visiting their website. Often, organizations will have volunteering information online. Be sure to read the requirements carefully and follow the instructions provided. If you have questions give them a call or send an e-mail if one is provided. Depending on the organization some volunteer opportunities will have age requirements. For example, our volunteer program has two different tracks based on age: Junior Volunteers are aged 13-17 and Adult Volunteers are 18 and older.

How to be a great volunteer

I am fortunate to work with amazing volunteers daily. They show up and do great work every single day. Our most successful volunteers understand our mission and how it relates to their assigned position. It is for this reason that I encourage volunteers to find something that aligns with their interests and goals. Please start your search early so that you are not scrambling to complete your hours with only months left to spare. Due to Covid-19 a lot of volunteer programs are operating at a limited capacity if they are operating at all.

Lastly, use volunteering as an opportunity to practice important skills such as speaking on the phone and writing professional e-mails. If you need to excuse yourself from a shift or need to ask a question it is a good idea to do it yourself rather than rely on an adult to do it for you. I love hearing from my volunteers and I especially like to see students taking an active role in the management of their volunteer role.

Learn more here: https://sawgrassnaturecenter.org/2020/11/17/finding-volunteer-opportunities-for-high-schoolers/

This is Michigan in the summer. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Chapel Rock and Chapel Beach [OC] [3946 x 7018]. - Author: whitewaterfanatic on reddit