Massachusetts NRCS employee honored with national Earth Team award

Caron Jones, Natural Resource Specialist in the West Wareham, Massachusetts, field office has been awarded the NRCS Employee Award for the East Region in the 2005 national Earth Team Awards program. Caron was one of six NRCS employees and 24 volunteers from across the country selected to receive an award this year.

Caron serves as the West Wareham office’s Earth Team volunteer representative. In that role, she works with NRCS and conservation district staff to develop detailed volunteer position descriptions to identify activities with which the West Wareham Office needs assistance. All staff are encouraged to provide input for a needs assessment which is used to identify potential volunteer tasks.

Using the www.volunteer.gov/gov website, Caron posts specific position descriptions on the web. Potential volunteers can search for positions by location or area of interest. Once a volunteer finds a position that meets their qualifications, interest, and schedule, he or she can submit an online application.

The website automatically alerts Caron through an email that she has a potential volunteer. She then reviews the application and contacts the applicant to schedule an interview. This online application is an excellent tool to prescreen candidates.

Caron maintains a quality volunteer experience for all Earth Team volunteers by working with them on projects until they feel comfortable enough to work independently. Volunteers are assigned tasks that meet their learning objectives while fulfilling an office need.

Volunteers at the West Wareham office help with the development of individual conservation plans for cranberry growers, collecting soil samples to be used when developing nutrient management plans, using the Geographic Information System (GIS) software to create resource maps, surveying conservation practices, soil mapping, and working on administrative projects.

These volunteers work side by side with conservation professionals to provide technical assistance to the public.

Caron has improved staff acceptance of the Earth Team volunteer program by carefully screening volunteers before signing them up for the program. Because the volunteers are skilled, the staff is comfortable assigning them challenging tasks. The volunteers of the West Wareham office have great attitudes and lots of energy and the West Wareham staff certainly appreciate the quality volunteer work that is accomplished.

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