Overview

As a new organization, we wish to develop a fair and efficient process for organizing, training and placing individuals and groups that wish to volunteer. The following plan is a first step. It contains a list of some ideas. Others may need to be added. This list is the product of informal discussion. Once further developed informally, we will seek formal input from our Executive Committee, then more input from our many partners, and finally approval from our Board of Directors. We seek constructive input at all stages in this process. Please give it to us.

Presently interested volunteers identify themselves by contacting Jody, Keith or Pick via phone or email. They are then instructed to explore our website and register under "Get Involved." Any, emails are forwarded to Heather where they are posted under "Who's Involved" and "Volunteers." As it stands, Jody will write individuals and thank them, but has no where to place interested parties.

The kick off date for the ATBI pilot field season is March 1, 1999 where a sorting center and lodging for researchers at Cosby will be announced. This seems a logical place to start training volunteers and linking researchers. As the resource list below implies, volunteers will come in many forms with highly variable time commitments. The key will be to have long term employees (a volunteer coordinator, hopefully) training incoming volunteers. One great model is the Student Conservation Association (SCA) already present in the Park. These individuals might be able to help train incoming volunteers for collecting or sorting materials. The key will be mentorship. We must overlap trained volunteers with incoming volunteers to be successful.

Ultimately, we propose a system similar to a jobs bulletin where researchers or Park employees in need of volunteers email the Discover Life Web Master for posting. Individuals that would like to volunteer can do the same. We will ultimately need a volunteer coordinator, which has be requested on the 1999 proposed budget, but is not a reality yet. Below is an outline of our suggested needs and resources. Please, refine this list.

Jody Flemming & Elizabeth Skillen -- 11 February, 1999

Volunteers Offering to Help

• Boy Scouts
• College Classes
• Educators
• Students
• General

Potential Resources

• Student Conservation Association
• Hiking Clubs
• Elderhostels
• Organized Eco-Vacations (NPCA, Sierra Club, Friends etc...)
• Park Visitors
• Cherokee Tribal Council
• Job Corps or other at-risk youth programs
• www.wildernessvolunteers.org

Events

• March 1, 1999 -- ATBI Pilot Field Season Start Date
• May 27-31, 1999 -- Nature Quest with dipterists, mycologists, myrmecolgist or fun with flies, fungi, and ants-- This will be a great opportunity for volunteers and should be a top priority. We will need to work with the Nature Quest coordinators to find out their needs. Karen Ballentine has expressed interest in heading up educational efforts and can hopefully help us here.

• Summer, 1999 -- Sevier County Secondary Education Summer Program, Rob Younger
• Spring, 2000 -- NPCA one week collecting adventure, Dan Gifford
• Biota Training Workshop
• A volunteer orientation or training workshop to train a core of volunteers in collection and sorting techniques
• Set up a Master Naturalist program

Correspondence

• Keith Langdon - ATBI Volunteer Plan - 15 February, 1999
• Elizabeth Skillen - Volunteer & Community Involvement Plan - 11 February, 1999
• Frank Harris - Comments - Volunteer & Community Involvement Plan - 11 February, 1999
• John Pickering - ATBI Volunteers - 1 December, 1998