Volunteering at Manatee Springs State Park

Judy and I have just completed a two month stint as campground “host” at MSSP and thought it would be a good idea to share our thoughts of about the experience.

The park is six miles west of Chiefland, Florida and on the banks of the Suwannee River. Many springs are located in the area. During the colder months manatees congregate in the spring because of the constant 72 degrees of the water. Campers come to the park to enjoy these activities, kayaking/canoeing, swimming, hiking, scuba diving (in caves created by the springs), and just enjoying the tranquility of the park.

Volunteer experience
This was our first time volunteering and Judy and I both enjoyed our time as “host” here. Our duties included cleaning the comfort station in Magnolia loop 2, cleaning the fire rings as needed and making the campers experience at MSSP as enjoyable as possible. Officially we gave 20 hours a week in exchange for our site. In reality we gave whatever time was required to do the task. Seldom did it take four hours per day. We were never overworked and had plenty of time to enjoy the park and surrounding area. I walked around the camping loop daily and made it a point to make contact with the campers and welcome them to the park. All volunteers have two days off per week.  At MSSP the volunteer positions include; host, waterfront, and ranger station.

 

You can see lots of these

 

You may see these

 

You may want to take a look below the surface



NOTE: I pulled the above pics from the NET!

 



The park rangers and staff were ALWAYS helpful and friendly. They made sure we had all required supplies and made sure we knew our efforts were appreciated. So a big thank you to Cole, Joleen, Melissa, Mike, Shirley, and Wri for making our time at MSSP so enjoyable. Thanks to fellow host, Danny for just being an an all around nice guy!

If you would like a volunteer position at MSSP give Joleen, the volunteer coord. a call.

That’s all for now, thanks for stopping by.

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