LAUREL, MD — Volunteers really do make a difference, just ask everyone at the Patuxent Research Refuge in central Maryland.
Back in August, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials reached out to the Union Sportsmen's Alliance (USA) and its members because they needed help with the structures at the refuge.
The decking that provides access to fishing and wildlife watching was in need of some major TLC, and members at USA didn't hesitate.
Through it's Work Boots on the Ground program, eight union volunteers from the Baltimore DC Metro Building Trades, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 51, and the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters used their skills to renovate and overhaul the decking and railings on the Chan S. Robbins Outdoor Education Pavilion.
“This education pavilion was completely shut down and non-usable,” said USA Conservation Programs Manager Sam Phipps. “Now it’s open to the public and wheelchair accessible all because of USA and the trades.”
In all, union volunteers donated 264 hours of labor, valued at nearly $14,000, to complete the project.
On October 14th, which is Urban Wildlife Conservation Day, the refuge hosted a dedication event. USA volunteers were presented with a plaque that will hang in the newly renovated pavilion to recognize their hard work.
To celebrate, volunteers from IUPAT District Council 51 and Carpenters Local 197 helped the nearly 200 attendees build and paint bird boxes, which they took home. Milwaukee Tools supplied all the hammers and screwdrivers. Funds from the USA’s Capital Area Conservation Dinner were used to purchase 100 birdhouse kits and paint.
Jason Cangelosi, Visitor Services Manager at Patuxent Research Refuge, said both the rehab project and Urban Wildlife Conservation Day were great examples of collaborative partnerships. “We had a need, and it met the mission of the USA. They jumped in to complete work that we didn’t have the capacity to do,” he says. “It was a really good day to see so many people from so many backgrounds make this project successful. And it was cool that several of the union folks brought out their families, and they got to see the project that their loved ones completed.”
The Patuxent Research Refuge is the largest block of unfragmented forest between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. The Refuge is a haven for songbirds like the scarlet tanager and wood thrush. It’s also the only refuge established to support conservation research and habitat management.