Volunteer Stewardship
Being a good land steward doesn’t require a master’s degree in forestry or scientific expertise. In fact, all you need is a respect for open spaces and a desire to care for them. This form of land stewardship not only benefits the environment but also contributes to your mental and physical health.
National Trails Day (June 1st 2024) is a nationwide volunteer event that aligns the grassroots movement for parks and trail upkeep with the community. Thousands of people from around the country assemble, and local groups like the Santa Cruz Mountain Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) provide a massive workforce for one day to maintain trails for multiple users for the entire year.
It’s not a free-for-all with hoes and shovels, but it is made easy for folks. Ecosystem and Environmental management professionals work with
organizers of local events, weeks or months ahead, to target areas needing vegetation management or drainage issues and build a list of objectives for the day.
Skills Not Required-
Organizations like SCMTS have meticulously trained crew leaders to provide instruction and make every event safe and more fun than work. Trail veteran volunteer Chris Walters has been leading small workgroups for years and says it’s only fun for him if others are also having fun.
If you have ever swept a floor, picked up a leaf, or shoveled anything, you have more than enough skills to come out and giggle. If you’re looking for a higher level of engagement, they have that available, too.
Mental Health-
Volunteering combined with physical work provides an incredible source of dopamine to the body. That release will give the volunteer a sense of purpose, place, and accomplishment. It reduces anxiety and depression and provides an individual with a sense of purpose. Just the action of coming out and volunteering will add value to that open space for the individual, encouraging them to return and provide upkeep for that land. Although it may not seem directly connected, this is similar to how indigenous groups feel. They belong to the land and are stewards of the land.
Oh, is it science you’re after? Well, the Cleveland clinic researched volunteerism and mental health benefits, and they found that “Volunteering can be great for a person’s mental health; when you help other people, it activates the reward center in your brain and releases serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, which is why many people often feel better after volunteering.”
Volunteering Can Provide a Boost to Your Mental Health
Community Connections-
The people you meet during volunteer projects can become some of the most interesting connections in your life. These projects bring together a diverse group of individuals with a shared curiosity and a drive to make a difference.
Volunteering at community events is a positive way to bond over a shared interest without even trying. It is inherently community-building.
In a study titled “Exploring the Effects of Volunteering on the Social, Mental, and Physical Health and Well-being of Volunteers,” researchers found that volunteering will actually extend your life. Yes. A fountain of youth in your fountain of generosity. The study found overwhelmingly that the umbrella effect of volunteering has a unique combination of mental and physical well-being benefits. This includes reduced social anxiety, increased physical health, and a sense of purpose for the volunteer, in addition to the economic benefits to the organization they are volunteering for.
Lastly, most volunteer events include some kind of social hour where participants can gather and discuss the day’s achievements over a cold beverage.
The Social, Mental, and Physical Health and Well-being of Volunteers:
Tying it all Together-
Land stewardship takes many forms. Professionals do their work, and users can do a little, too. The important element is that everybody is doing it for a common goal: to make the world a better place for future generations.
