Volunteer

You can make a difference — and making a difference can be a lot of fun.

Service to one’s community and stewardship to the environment attract many people to the St. Johns River Water Management District’s Watershed Action Volunteer (WAV) Program, and the friendships that are developed through a common sense of purpose keep the program thriving.

Established by the District and operated with many partners, the WAV Program has given hundreds of individuals the opportunity to personally help their communities while protecting vital resources throughout the District's 18-county service area.

The WAV Program matches committed individuals with county-based coordinators. Volunteers are trained by a specialist to use field test kits for monitoring water quality. They also survey streams for sources of pollution, participate in revegetation projects and shoreline cleanups, and help out in the field, in laboratories and in offices.

WAVs are also trained to prepare and give educational presentations to school groups, civic associations, clubs and other community organizations. They can take part in any or all of these activities by themselves or with a group.

Volunteers are considered unpaid workers of the District, so they are covered by workers’ compensation. For this reason, they must be 13 years old or older, though younger people may take part in activities. Most activities are close to home since we all live in a watershed and interact with it every day.

A commitment to WAV can be for as little as a few hours each month, but the changes everyone makes together can be long lasting.

For information on volunteer opportunities available in any county, call the District’s WAV Program at (386) 329-4345, or visit the WAV Web page.