The Heart of the Community: Why Local Volunteering Matters This Fall

By TMPF Team

As the weather cools and the leaves begin to turn, fall is the perfect season to embrace the spirit of giving back to the community. Volunteering locally offers a unique opportunity to connect with your neighbors, support meaningful causes, and make a tangible difference right where you live. Whether you're looking to protect natural habitats, help with community events, or lend a hand to those in need, this fall brings a variety of opportunities to get involved. In this blog, we’ll explore why local volunteering is essential to the heart of the community and highlight some exciting events happening in September and October where your time and efforts can truly make an impact. Let’s hear from some of our staff about their upcoming volunteer opportunities and how you can join in on the action.

Kevin Lynch

AmeriCorps Compliance and Community Service Manager

What do runners and volunteers have in common? A big heart.

If you haven’t heard, the Reno 10 Miler and Relay is almost here! While it might be too late for you to get your lungs prepped for race day, there is still plenty of time to volunteer as course marshal! Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation is the official nonprofit partner for the event which will take place on Sunday, September 15th, 2024. This fun race weaves through the beautiful University of Nevada, Reno campus, and around popular Rancho San Rafael park, starting and finishing right outside E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center. By coming out to help give directions and encouragement to the runners, not only will you be supporting outdoor recreation, but you will also be helping TMPF secure a donation for providing volunteer support! Join us to be one of the 60+ volunteers who turn their time directly into fundraising dollars. As the old saying goes, “Those who can’t run, volunteer”, right? 

Visit tmparksfoundation.org/volunteer to register.

Have you ever wished there was a way to improve the environment, get exercise, and have fun outdoors all at the same time? Well you're in luck! Rosewood Nature Study Area has all three: Trails for walking? ✓ Trash needing removal? ✓ Treasures to find? ✓ Introducing our best kept secret: Cache for Trash. Let's break it down:

Trash (noun)

/træʃ/ 

1. something worth little or nothing 

2. discarded matter that destroys our parks, trails, and open spaces

Cache (noun)

/kæʃ/

1. a secure place of storage

2. your reward for being a steward of our wetlands

Cache for Trash (volunteer opportunity)

/kæʃ fɔr træʃ/

1. gps coordinates to a cache in exchange for trash collected from our wetlands 

2. the perfect way to spend a few hours in the outdoors on our trails

Now that the secret is out, come down to Rosewood Nature Study Area anytime during visitor center hours and add a little extra adventure to your walk through the wetlands. Staff will hook you up with a bucket, a trash picker, and a pat on the back for helping keep our park squeaky clean. As you enjoy your stroll, pick up any trash you see that has somehow escaped our watchful eye. Return your findings (hopefully minimal!) to the visitor center and you will receive an email with GPS coordinates to a hidden object (are you sure that is a rock?). Find the object, remove the raffle ticket inside, and return it to the visitor center to select your prize! Trails, Trash, and Treasure. Doing good has never been more fun. 

Current Visitor Center:

Tuesday - Saturday 9:00am - 6:30pm (LIMITED HOURS UNTIL SEPTEMBER, for info call 775-360-6068)

Closed Sunday and Monday

Our parks are for everyone. This is the belief of Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation. On a larger scale, this is also the sentiment behind the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. Every year on this day volunteers across America come together to show that our community is for everyone by crossing “divides, differences, and ideologies to serve with neighbors and strangers alike to build important bridges”. To honor this day, the Parks Foundation is looking for a group of 15-20 volunteers to come together to help keep our parks accessible, sustainable, and enjoyable for everyone. If you and your team would like to contribute to this goal, while also enjoying our outdoor spaces and strengthening team bonds, please reach out to volunteer@tmparksfoundation.org and let us know #IWillServe. Our parks and community will thank you.

Jay Howard

Trails Program Manager

We’ve got your day planned for Wednesday September 11, and it will absolutely be the most fun and rewarding day you’ve had in a long time. Do you have a favorite trail to walk? A relaxing stroll through an Aspen stand with the quiet sound of the ‘quaking’ leaves. Or maybe a cycling trip is more your style, in the high country, and away from the hustle and bustle of the city below. Just a fun ride through our great open spaces with friends. Maybe being on horseback is your thing, or just getting out into nature to discover the wonder of wildflowers and wildlife. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast or just support the idea of having great recreational spaces in the Truckee Meadows, please join us for a volunteer Trail Day on September 11. This is an important Day Of Service, and is a great way to give back to your community! Our trails get a lot of use throughout the year and are often in pretty rough shape. They need you…from 8:30am - 12:30pm, to do light maintenance in order to make them ‘happy trails’. This will involve the use of hand tools to do a variety of things from simple trail tread shaping for erosion control, to the removal of vegetation. Learn more and sign up here and look for TMTrail Days!

Can’t make this one? Trail Days take place throughout the year with upcoming dates September 21 and October 26! Learn more here!

Elena Larsen

Nature Study Area VP

The annual Fall Plantemonium is scheduled for October 5th from 9:00am - 12:00pm! TMPF will be establishing a variety of native plants throughout the wetland to improve habitat quality for wildlife, stabilize stream banks, and compete against noxious plant species. Without help from the community, TMPF would not be able to get all of the necessary plants in the ground to continue the restoration efforts of the program. Assistance from the public is so appreciated and helps to conserve our open spaces! Save the date, registration opens soon!

We also have other volunteer opportunities at Rosewood like Phenology Observer Volunteer, where you'll observe and document the fascinating changes about the region's native species as well as how all plants and animals respond to changes in climate, like temperature. Or Precipitation Observer! Record essential precipitation data throughout the changing seasons that raise awareness of drought concerns in our community and that help build precipitation maps locally and globally. Both of these options contribute vital scientific data to the Rosewood Nature Study Area.

Volunteering not only strengthens the community, but it also offers significant personal benefits, especially when combined with outdoor activities. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress, boost mental clarity, and improve overall well-being. Engaging in volunteer events such as planting trees, rebuilding trails, or participating in cleanup programs allows you to connect with nature while making a meaningful impact. Studies even suggest that outdoor volunteering can help ease seasonal mood changes by keeping you active and uplifted as the days grow shorter. As we move toward winter, volunteering outside can be a powerful way to preserve your mental health and foster a sense of accomplishment and connection. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about upcoming volunteer opportunities, where you can continue enjoying the benefits of the outdoors throughout the colder months. Finally, thank you too all of our amazing volunteers, we appreciate everything you do!