Volunteer Handbook - 2021

VOLUNTEER HANDBOOK

MARCH 2021

PHOTO BY RICK KANE

About the Conservancy

With the support of landowners, individual donors, foundations and volunteers and the partnership of local, state, and federal agencies, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has protected more than 44,000 acres of land and over 140 miles of shoreline along the region’s exceptional rivers, lakes and streams. Since 1991, the Conservancy has diligently carried out its mission to protect natural, scenic, and farm lands –and advance land stewardship – now and for future generations.

We focus our land conservation efforts to permanently protect critical watersheds, high-quality farmland, valuable forest land and ecologically significant dunes along Lake Michigan’s beautiful and endangered shore. This work protects water quality, safeguards critical wildlife habitat, helps ensure the future viability of farming in our region and protects the viewsheds that make our region so breathtaking.

We protect land in several ways:

• By working with landowners to permanently protect private land through voluntary conservation easements. Conservation easements allow for the protection of conservation values important to GTRLC as well as the landowner while maintaining the landowner's private ownership of the property.  More than 280 landowners have worked with us to preserve their cherished farms and natural lands.

• By acquiring high quality natural lands through purchase or donation to create Conservancyowned nature preserves, which are open to the public.

• By assisting local governments in creating or expanding public parks and natural areas that result in enhanced access to nature and improved recreational opportunities.

• By providing technical assistance with the administration of farmland protection programs.

PHOTO BY NATE RICHARDSON

To date, the Conservancy has protected and directly manages over 10,000 acres of natural land held open to the public throughout our five-county service area – a feat we cannot accomplish without our incredible volunteer colleagues.

A "Land Ethic" Community

As naturalists and conservationists, we hold ourselves to the standard set by Aldo Leopold and the “Land Ethic,” importantly expanding our definition of community to include the soils, plants and animals we rely on for our wellness and well-being. Our volunteers are a critical component of our community and essential for our shared mission to be successful. Fostering this sense of community serves to deepen our volunteers’ connection to the land and to each other as we work to translate our passion into action for the environment.

Our vision for the future means healthy water resources for the region; it means protecting important farmland and farming practices; it means safeguarding our quality of life and community character here in Northern Michigan; it means businesses and industry are able to thrive in conjunction with, and because of our natural resources; and it means protecting incredible habitats and ecosystems for wildlife, wildflowers and people. No matter who you are, there’s something in our mission for you.

Photos of volunteers across the service area by Marissa Duque, Rick Kane and Jon Throop.

Expectations

Recognizing that our volunteers are often leaders in the effort to protect and steward the important places that make this area unique, the Conservancy invests in our volunteers’ capacity through training, resources, supervision and communication. As a volunteer of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, you can expect to be treated as a trusted colleague as we work together toward our shared vision.

What we expect from you:

• To be respectful of staff, constituents and other volunteers.

• Understand the responsibilities of your role. Specific volunteer program requirements for each position are listed within each position description in the appendix.

• Communicate openly and honestly with us. Just as we strive to provide timely feedback and communication, we rely on your honesty and candid communication to continually improve the program.

• Operate in accordance with GTRLC’s established values.

What you can expect from the Conservancy:

• Meaningful volunteer work! We value your time serving with us and will provide meaningful tasks necessary for advancing our mission.

• To be treated with respect. We strive for a friendly, collegial and safe workplace environment with staff and volunteers.

• Adequate training and resources to perform duties essential to your volunteer role.

• Timely communication and feedback.

PHOTO BY RICK KANE

Values

Volunteers and staff are committed to holding themselves to these shared values:

EXCELLENCE:

We are committed to excellence in everything we do. We employ best practices, strive to enhance our skills and knowledge, and measure our performance against exacting standards. We work hard and carefully manage our resources in order to deliver outstanding results timely and efficiently.

LEADERSHIP:

For those to whom much is given, much is required. As the recipient of incredibly generous support, we feel a deep responsibility to aggressively pursue our mission, not only by protecting and stewarding outstanding properties, but by engaging and educating political representatives, partners, donors, volunteers and others regarding the critical environmental issues affecting the region. We intend to reinforce and expand our leadership role by operating the proposed Conservation Center as a hub of such activity.

INCLUSIVENESS:

We welcome everyone to experience the natural wonder of the Grand Traverse region by visiting our protected properties free of charge. Our universally accessible trails are an especially inviting manifestation of our commitment to serve all residents and visitors, regardless of age or physical ability.

GENEROSITY:

Reflecting the generosity of our own supporters, we freely provide our time, expertise and other resources to communities, like-minded organizations and individuals throughout our service area in pursuit of their needs and our mission.

TEAMWORK:

We are a team. We work together—inside and outside the organization—in the spirit of cooperation, collaboration and creativity. The result is deep, trusting, long-term relationships that contribute to the successful development and management of protected properties.

RESPECT:

Our internal and external relationships are founded on mutual respect. We welcome open dialogue and debate, confident that it will enable us to sharpen our best thinking, avoid pitfalls, and seize opportunities that may not be immediately apparent.

COMMUNICATION:

We listen carefully and communicate clearly and openly in order to avoid misunderstandings and generate goodwill among everyone with whom we interact.

INTEGRITY:

We conduct our work with integrity in words and actions. We follow through on our commitments. Our mission is timeless, and to meet that challenge in perpetuity we must earn the trust of others by being trustworthy.

PROACTIVITY:

In addition to responding to today’s obvious threats, we anticipate and address tomorrow’s emerging problems. We plan for change.

Reporting

Regardless of specific role, all volunteers are required to log their volunteer activity and hours. Understanding how many hours our volunteers are committing helps us track the success of our initiatives, share compelling stories with our donors and unlocks additional funding for our mission through volunteerwork match.

Other than group workdays where sign in sheets are used, the “GTRLC Volunteer Preserve Steward Tasks & Hours” form should be utilized to collect all volunteer activity and hours. The form is labeled, “Submit a Report/Hours” and is listed on the GTRLC Volunteer web page HERE.

Contact

You may always contact Erica DesJardins, our Volunteer Coordinator with any questions, comments or feedback you have. If you have questions or concerns for a specific department, you may always contact your staff program leader, or our Executive Assistant, Katie Lowran will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Erica DesJardins, Volunteer Coordinator

p: 231.929.7911 ext.316

e: edesjardins@gtrlc.org

Katie Lowran, Executive Assistant

p: 231.922.1249

e: klowran@gtrlc.org

Photos by Rick Kane

Volunteer Acknowledgement and Agreement

In order to voluneer with the conservancy we require volunteers to acknowledge certain terms and conditions. Please read through and sign them by clicking the button below:

PHOTO BY NATE RICHARDSON

Volunteer Program Descriptions

There are many ways you can become involved as a volunteer. Click into the list below for full program descriptions on GTRLC's website:

• PRESERVE STEWARD

• TRAIL BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE

• HIKE LEADER/ASSISTANT

• EVENT VOLUNTEER

• OFFICE ADMINISTRATION VOLUNTEER

• INVASIVE SPECIES VOLUNTEER

• CITIZEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES