Sierra Club-Loxahatchee Group

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We have on-going volunteer opportunities year-round. Please see the descriptions below:

Current Volunteer Opportunities:

• Fundraisers & Party Planners : these persons work on a committee (May-November) planning our annual Silent Auction/Holiday Party. There is live music, food, and lots of auction items that need to be procured. Lots of helpers needed.

• Virtual Publicists: several volunteers are needed to write brief articles for our social media outlets & local community newspapers to inform the public about our various events, meetings & programs.

• Membership Committee Chair: this person oversees the recruitment and welcoming of new members to the Loxahatchee Group. Committee Chairs serve as the head of a committee and facilitate meetings or tele/email conferences and delegate the workload.

• Program and Events Assistant to Chair: The program and events assistant helps the Chair of Programs and Events at the monthly general membership meetings and other events (other than outings).

• Outings Leaders/SUSPENDED DURING COVID-19: Outings leaders undergo training to learn how to lead a successful Sierra Club outing. They are able to plan and lead outings to local natural areas of their choosing.

• Inspiring Connections Outdoors/SUSPENDED DURING COVID-19 (West Palm Beach ICO) Leaders: We host a number of nature-focused overnight and day outing trips for youth living in underserved, low-income neighborhoods. These children often have limited opportunities to travel away from their urban neighborhoods to explore Florida's wetlands, uplands, rivers, and wild beaches. By way of these trips, the children will learn about nature, take in Florida's natural beauty, develop outdoor leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal skills while taking an active role in protecting the environment.

To become a Leader and share your love of nature with the children we serve, please contact Meryl Davids, WPB ICO Chair, meryl.davids@florida.sierraclub.org

http://ico.sierraclub.org/westpalmbeach/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Palm-Beach-Inner-City-Outings/181931885172556

• Interviewers/REMOTE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Interview political candidates campaigning on "green" or Sierra Club-endorsed policies, by geographic region. We will be electing 3 Palm Beach County commissioners, a Governor and other statewide officers, all state legislators and all members of Congress. As a 501, c-4 nonprofit, Sierra Club seeks to actively elect candidates, regardless of their political party who would sponsor and support legislative issues supportive of our environmental goals. One of the duties and responsibilities of the Political Committee is to circulate questionnaires to candidates interested in pursuing endorsement by the Sierra Club. As far as local elections are concerned, we must design and distribute such a questionnaire. Upon receipt of completed questionnaires, we then arrange to personally interview those candidates we determine to be supportive of our issues. The committee is seeking volunteers; we need your help and concern.

If this would be of interest to you or you wish to discuss further, please contact Jim Ewing, Political Chair, at vocewing@aol.com

• See our website for this year's annual strategic goals, that is, the issues we are focused on this year (2017): www.sierraclub.org/floria/loxahatchee/issues
• Also, you can volunteer on some of these current, important conservation issues:
  
  • Everglades Restoration
    Write OpEd articles and submit to our Conservation Chair, Drew Martin, at dmandch@aol.com See a sample letter published in the Sun-Sentinel on Everglades Restoration, see http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-06-04/news/fl-readers-view-everglades-20130604_1_everglades-restoration-sheet-flow-farm-runoff
  • Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact
    a unique and collaborative effort among Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe Counties, their municipalities and partners, developed this plan which calls for: "CONCERTED ACTION IN REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO REGIONAL AND LOCAL IMPACTS OF A CHANGING CLIMATE" See this link to learn more: http://www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org/
  • Waste Minimization
    Plastic bags and other plastic-based products end up in our landfills forever. See http://www.sierraclub.org/florida/miami/plastic-garbage
  • Want to become more energy efficient? See this link regarding the Ready for 100 Campaign initiative on energy efficiency for South Floridians: http://www.sierraclubfloridanews.org/2016/04/national-sc-director-michael-brune.html
  • Wind Power in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA)
    There is a proposal to put 120 wind turbines in the EAA between Lake Okeechobee and the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge.While the Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group applauds efforts towards renewable energy, we have concerns about the impact of the siting of these wind turbines on birds and bats. Take Action: we have no recommended actions at this time; check back as plans for the wind farm progress. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janegraham/everglades-wind-farm_b_4352273.html
  • The Battle for Briger Forest
    The Briger Forest is 683 acres of pine flatwoods, saw palmetto scrub, and wetlands that is home to endangered and threatened species. The area is slated for devlopment. See https://www.facebook.com/savethebrigerforest/
  • Take Action Against Longline Fishing
    According to the Pew Environment Group: "Surface longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico uses lines averaging 25 miles in length and set with hundreds of baited hooks. These hooks catch other maine animals besides the intended yellowfin tuna and swordfish. Yet longline fisherman keep less than half of the fish for commercial sale, discarding unwanted and undersize fish. Many of these die... A full closure to surface longlining in the Gulf of Mexico -- the only known spawning ground for Western Atlantic bluefin -- will protect both spawning bluefin and other marine animals." For more information or to take action against longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico visit www.pewenvironment.org/gulftuna.

The Sierra Club Loxahatchee Group has many opportunities for people who are willing to donate their time to preserving the environment. Volunteers can do general jobs such as sitting at a Sierra Club table at a local event or can do specific jobs such as chairing a committee.
Currently, we are in need of a:

New Member Chair-To meet and welcome new members and volunteers for the group, to help leaders of the group find volunteers to achieve the group's goals and to ensure that people are welcomed and engaged in a way that is satisfying and furthers the group's mission.

A Newsletter Editor-Oversee the publication of our monthly online newsletter, the Turtle Tracks.

The Loxahatchee Group welcomes any volunteers! You don't need any experience and you can donate as much or as little time as you would like. To find out more, contact our Chair, Mary Cassell at mackayak5721@gmail.com