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Welcome to the winter/spring edition of our newsletter, where we recognize the amazing work of our volunteers and the impact you have on Florida’s environment and communities. April is National Volunteer Month in the United States, and April 16-22 is National Volunteer Week. In this issue, we highlight some of the achievements of our volunteers, who dedicate their time and energy to conserving our fish and wildlife. We also provide resources to help you get involved or stay connected with our conservation projects. Whether it's planting trees, removing invasive species, monitoring wildlife or educating the public, our volunteers make a difference every day. As the vibrant month of May begins, we encourage you to keep exploring our amazing Florida, celebrate every day as if it were Earth Day and volunteer!
We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and feel proud of being part of our conservation family!
— the FWC's Volunteer Program Team
Highlands Lakes Volunteers – 10th Anniversary!
By James Reed
 Left to right (in TrophyCatch shirt unless otherwise mentioned): Ann Yon (dark blue jacket) recording data, Gary Ferry helping the angler, Joe Webb measuring the fish, Joe Fairfield waiting to receive the catch, Paul Yon (blue FWC shirt, partially hidden behind Fairfield), Mike Elter receiving the catch from the tournament director. Tournament anglers in background.
When I was doing creel surveys for the FWC, I was asked to start collecting fish-length data at bass tournament weigh-ins. This takes at least two people – one or more to handle the fish and a separate person to write down the data. Early on, I’d try to get a volunteer from the crowd watching a weigh-in, but that only worked until their spouse or friend weighed in. Then they’d leave to take pictures, leaving the work half-done.
At an early tournament, I spotted a young man of age 10-12 and asked him if he could help, explaining that he’d have to stay for the entire weigh-in. After each weigh-in, I’d take the fish from the angler, measure it in millimeters, call out the length to my helper and return the fish to the angler so it could be released properly.
“475 millimeters, 500 millimeters, 390, 570, 425, 500,” … until there was a pause as more anglers came to the weigh-in table. I turned to my helper and asked how he was doing.
“Excuse me, sir,” said the young man. “How do you write a five?”
Later that day, the boy’s mother thanked me for involving him and explained that he was dyslexic and sometimes reversed his numbers.
That date in 2012 started the FWC Highlands Lakes Volunteers. This year celebrates their 10th year of operation.
The FWC Highlands Lakes Volunteers work at bass tournaments in-season, usually from November to April. They work as a team, each with specific responsibilities.
As the FWC representative, I monitor the overall results, photograph any special items, such as a TrophyCatch-eligible fish or one with a reportable condition, and retrieve any unreleasable fish at the weigh-ins, taking them to a local homeless shelter. All of this is done with an important consideration – collect the data without interfering with the tournament director’s weigh-in.
The team keeps its own equipment, including a holding bin, worktable and measuring board. Volunteer Mike Elter bought the worktable and devised the holding bin, which has a diamond-shaped cutout in the top. The cutout was Mike’s idea, and its shape has been successful in preventing escapes from the holding bin while the fish are held temporarily for weighing.
This year, the FWC was able to arrange for TrophyCatch shirts for most of the team. Wearing the TrophyCatch shirts on their workdays provides additional publicity for the program to the tournament participants and onlookers. In addition, because of their work, any tournament fish which is over 8 pounds in weight can be certified for TrophyCatch by the team and I provide one of the photographs of the angler and his catch for TrophyCatch use.
Since the group’s creation, we’ve recorded biometric data on over 7,500 bass brought to the tournament weigh-in table. Mostly, it’s length information, but for the past couple of years the team has been able to provide both weight and length data for some of the larger fish that are weighed independently.
Earlier, the team received the FWC Volunteer Team of the Year award. Then, in 2022, the Highlands County Tourism Development Council presented a Winner’s Circle Tourism Award to the Highlands County Lakes Volunteer Program coordinator and the FWC bass tournament team as it provides “outreach and education to bass tournaments and assists with the TrophyCatch program along with management activities on Lake Istokpoga.”
 The Highlands Lakes Volunteers at work. Note the diamond-shaped cutout in their holding bin, which has been effective in preventing escapes during weigh-ins.
By Jamie Henry
 The Lake Placid Garden Club has been conducting monthly workdays to help out at the greenhouse at the Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area Royce Unit.
The Ridge Ranger Volunteers have been busy working throughout the Lake Wales Ridge area. There seems to be no project too big or too small for these volunteers. From using chainsaws and various other power tools to cut down hardwoods, to hand pulling invasive plants, or planting native plants, the Ridge Rangers come to each workday ready and eager to work.
 Ridge Ranger volunteers removing Caesarweed at the Lake Wales Ridge WEA Royce Unit.
 Ridge Ranger volunteer Lenn Manning cutting down a slash pine with a brush cutter at Avon Park Air Force Range.
 Ridge Ranger Jerry Burns with native grasses ready to be planted at Bok Tower Gardens.
 Ridge Ranger Liane Plumhoff helping to remove vegetation around a red-cockaded woodpecker cavity tree to prep for a future burn at The Nature Conservancy’s Disney Wilderness Preserve.
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