Message from the President...

Hello everyone!
It is with much honor that I take over the role of President of our Association, and I'm excited about our Association's future!

Over the last few years as VP, I've seen our membership grow dramatically and that comes down to this; the commitment and dedication of the people that volunteer diligently behind the scenes to make all of it work! From every single person on our Board, the Committee Chairs, and those of you that volunteer for our many programs, I thank you! None of this would happen without you!

I am excited because as we grow as an organization, our ability to make a difference grows with us as we expand our volunteer and outreach programs. Over the coming months you'll see that we are making inroads to not only add more volunteer opportunities, but also attend events at which we can fulfill our role of promoting awareness and citizen stewardship regarding South Carolina's natural resources. Something that is more important now than ever before.

In early February of this year along with Kristina Wheeler, I attended the Hammock Coast Bird Festival as a guest speaker and tour leader. Several of our members, and members of other chapters, attended, too, and for the second year the keynote speaker for the festival was naturalist Dr. Patrick McMillan, who many of you may know from his PBS TV show. During his talk, he not only spoke of the amazing life of birds and the complexities of nature, but also of our ability to help protect it and make a difference.

As Master Naturalists, that is part of what we are here to do. Make a difference. And that's why I encourage each of you to get involved in some way this year and use your MN education for good.

Big talk, you might think...but over the last few months, I've experienced this personally. As an Eagle Ambassador at Caw Caw a few weeks ago a young lady approached me with her 7 year old daughter and thanked me for taking the time last year to show her daughter the eagle nest through the scope. Next, she said, yes, I had to buy her a scope for Christmas as she wouldn't stop talking about how she wanted to watch eagles and birds for herself!

I apologized profusely...scopes aren't cheap!! :)

After giving a talk to a neighborhood HOA on alligator safety, an elderly lady from the audience approached and promised me that she would never feed alligators in the pond again! Apparently, it's something she'd been doing for quite some time, not knowing that it was illegal...and dangerous! Seriously, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that the hour I spent there might have saved a life. Perhaps two!

Finally, I recently had a message from a lady who follows my photography on Facebook. Over the years this lady had always commented on my photos, although I had never met her and was nothing more than a Facebook Friend. The message hit me though: She told me that she had been housebound for years and my photos of birds and nature were her link to the outside world she could no longer experience!
Yeah...

I used to think that volunteering was a giving thing, but the more I do it, the more I realize it's also a receiving thing. I have been repaid many times over for the time I've volunteered, which is why I encourage all of you to find a way to get involved, if you're not already, with that thing you're passionate about, and if it's not our Association, then find something. You never know when that one thing you do, or conversation you have, makes a difference you might never know about.
I'll look forward to seeing you out there...making a difference!