Impeccably dressed and her hair pinned neatly in a bun, Jane Stewart walked into The Nature Conservancy’s office one day offering her assistance as a "professional volunteer." More than two years later, we can’t imagine getting along without her.

Jane shares her lilting voice and gracious manner as the coordinator of our Speakers Bureau. Jane is a pleasure to work with and an invaluable asset to our organization. With her help, we have shared the mission of The Nature Conservancy with hundreds of people. We are grateful for her generosity!

Jane Stewart,
Speakers Bureau Coordinator

Paul Snyder

Paul Snyder has been contributing his time to The Nature Conservancy's Northeastern Pennsylvania program since the early 1990s. He knows our Pocono preserves better than most staff! After acting as a legal monitor for several years, he agreed to coordinate the volunteer legal monitoring program.

Volunteer monitors visit preserves to make sure the habitat is in good condition, and to detect problems like invasive weeds, dumping, and illegal off-road vehicle use. As our "early warning system," they enable us to respond quickly to problems and help us maintain positive relationships with our neighbors.

Paul shares his commitment to TNC eloquently, saying "we who enjoy the beauty and wonders of nature have an open heart for The Nature Conservancy."

Paul Snyder, Coordinator
Legal Monitoring Program

Workday Warriors

There is a group of volunteers that we can never thank enough. These individuals brave scorching sun, freezing rain, greenbrier, ticks, and even poison sumac to enable us to manage habitat for species of concern. They are our workday warriors, and they are the bravest people around.

Volunteering on a workday is as exhausting as it is rewarding; after their first experience, many folks don't return. We'd like to tip our hats to the volunteers who just can't seem to get enough of the "grunt work."  You are our heroes. We would be hopelessly lost without you!

Jack, Paul K., Paul R., Ted, Tom, and Patricia
taking a break at Mt. Bethel Fens in August

John and Helen Vinck: Generosity knows no bounds

The Northeastern Pennsylvania office depends on volunteers more now than ever before.  With a steady stream of school groups, outdoor clubs, and visitors stopping by the Hauser Nature Center, volunteers are essential to our presence in the community.  These talented individuals keep the office running smoothly at the same time!

John and Helen Vinck are two of our most dedicated volunteers.  They moved to the Poconos a number of years ago, and have volunteered with The Nature Conservancy since the office was in a tiny one-room schoolhouse.  They perform nearly every volunteer task we have, including clerical work, handyman repairs, organizing the library, selling merchandise, and representing The Conservancy at community events.  When they're not working in our office, you can find them traveling the country and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.  They are terrific people, and we are forever in their debt.

Volunteers and staff celebrate the contributions of John, Helen, and Lori
Standing: John Vinck, Patty O'Keefe, Helen Vinck, Jenny Case, Michael Pressman
Seated: Lynn Carroll, Lori Colgan, Rebecca Moll, Bud Cook

John Hermann: Our 1,000+ hour volunteer

John Hermann has volunteered with us since 1996. During those seven years, he has contributed more than 1,280 hours!  He is the only PA volunteer to pass the thousand hour mark.  His actuarial background makes him indispensible to our fundraising and finance programs.  He tackles every project willingly, whether it's a mathematically complex trend analysis of our chapter's annual expenses, or a crucial--but sometimes mind-numbing--data entry job.

In his spare time, John also volunteers for the Red Cross.  John, we admire your commitment to The Nature Conservancy, and we salute you for your dedication to community service.

John is an essential part of our office team