Spring Breakers Take On Florida Restoration Challenge! Next Stop: Louisiana. Are You In?!

For many, the words SPRING BREAK conjure up images of beach parties, road trips, and extended sleeping hours. While warm weather and suntans were certainly part of this group’s spring break – it was definitely not your typical trip.

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On April 20th, 2010, as many American’s watched their TV sets in utter disbelief as oil poured into the Gulf of Mexico, a group of college students were planning their trip to come help!  As we reach the one year anniversary of the oil spill, the University of California at Berkley students joined National Wildlife Federation and dedicated their spring break time away from examinations and study sessions to engage in restoration events in Florida.

On March 25th, a dozen students traveled more than 2,000 miles to volunteer at local state parks in Florida. Their high energy, hard work, and determination was certainly felt by all at National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Restoration Event at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.  The importance of restoration and maintaining Florida’s Gulf coast also resonated with locals who call the Gulf home.  South Walton Community members joined us and together, we were able to accomplish properly marking 6 trails, installing signs and effectively roping off over 3 miles of beach to protect the dunes and wildlife, and removing invasive exotic plant species to allow for native pitcher plant growth.

The volunteer events in Florida (Bald Point State Park, Perdido Key State Park, and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park) have all been a true testament that hard work, dedication, team work, and some suntan lotion and bug spray, can lead to tremendous improvements for wildlife who call these parks home. 

As our restoration events are now moving west we need your help now more than ever!  Tasked with planting 23,000 grasses over two, two day events, our National Wildlife Federation team is partnering with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation to make this goal a reality.  Our next event will take place at Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, just outside New Orleans.  Planting marsh grasses will restore lost habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife species and we need your help!

Join us April 15th and 16th and or May 27th and 28th – Together we can meet our goal to plant 23,000 plant species!

Sign up today!  See you in Louisiana!