By Gloria Stravelli
MIDDLETOWN – Whether hiking trails, walking paths, skiing, sledding, bird watching or communing with nature, pandemic-weary residents are visiting county parks in record numbers, a parks official said this week.
“People are getting out, they’re enjoying the trails, getting to walk. They are coming to our dog parks. They’re just getting out and enjoying the outdoors,” said Karen Livingstone, public information officer and supervisor of the volunteer program for the Monmouth County Park System.
“We feel the public needs a place to access the outdoors and enjoy themselves and parks are the ideal place to go.”
With 30-plus park properties, the county park system, however, depends heavily on a dedicated corps of volunteers who help keep facilities in top condition, work on projects ranging from gardening to trail maintenance, and support public events such as music and craft festivals, sometimes requiring the help of more than 100 volunteers.
When county buildings closed in March 2020 due to concerns related to COVID-19, the shutdown paused park programs and all volunteering for more than three months. During that time, park system officials took the opportunity to revisit procedures and practices, training and goals and embraced the changes that resulted, including social distancing requirements for volunteers.
“We started coming back to work in May,” Livingstone said. “And we thought, ‘We can do this, they’re outdoors, everybody is wearing masks and practicing social distancing and we’ll look for projects.’ We started bringing volunteers back in June.”
While large-scale events that drew crowds like Thompson Park Day were canceled, Livingstone said the park system looked for ways to restart programs and volunteer activities in compliance with all current COVID-19 protocols.
The transition for the gardening teams, she said, was very successful.
“The garden teams are smaller now,” Livingstone said, but that gives the members the chance to get to know each other. “They become friends. There is a sense of belonging. It’s a great way to meet new friends,” she added.
“People loved it and we did the same thing with the trails. We revamped our trails program, made smaller crews and brought the trails teams out in smaller numbers so we found a way for people to come out and enjoy the parks through volunteering.”
In another change, volunteer training now takes place on-site on trails and in gardens rather than indoors, according to the county website, making it possible to train volunteers with tools in hand and provide one-on-one instruction.
During the break, the park system developed Volunteer Console, a new way to track volunteer hours and post volunteer opportunities, Livingston said. The new database on the park system website also helps recruit volunteers.
“We post volunteer opportunities and people can look at where they want to sign up to volunteer. It is an online application,” Livingstone explained.
Projects that currently need volunteers include park gardens, bird monitoring, trail stewardships and program assistants. Volunteers must be 18 years or older; junior volunteers, ages 14-17, must be supervised by a parent, legal guardian or an authorized park employee.
With these and other activities restarted, plans are in the works to resume some events and volunteer activities at the county parks that were paused in 2020 due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
Soon, as the weather permits, the garden teams will start up again.
“We are recruiting now and looking to start the Thompson Park garden volunteers in April,” she said. “There might be 12 members but we can divide up into small groups and work in different areas, prune shrubs, remove invasive plants. They are mostly the same volunteers but we also have been recruiting and bringing in new volunteers.”
What’s ahead in other park system volunteer opportunities?
“We’re moving forward with camps this summer,” Livingstone said. “We will have camps and we will need camp assistants. I’m not saying we will have a lot of volunteers in each one, but we will have some. Right now, for the big events, we don’t know what we’re doing about the Monmouth County Fair, we’re not sure about that. The plant swap, arts and music fest, are outdoors and they are planning for the Spring Craft Show that is in April. We are moving forward.”
In addition, she said, the Creative Arts Center at Thompson Park has reopened.
“There are volunteers at the gallery on weekends and visitors can see artwork by local artists. Indoor classes are much smaller with attendees spaced apart. All protocols are being followed.”
“Fortunately for us we can be flexible and offer opportunities to our volunteers,” Livingstone said. “We need volunteers and we’ve built a relationship with our volunteers.
“We’re a great place for retirees to come, make new friends, stay active. They have a lot of talent. On the other end, we have a lot of students. They need volunteer service hours. And, with people working at home, we have more of the 30- and 40-year-olds.”
“There are many more things we’re going to be doing,” Livingstone said. “These are the things we’re starting to do right now. We’re revising a lot of what we have done in the past.”
Livingstone came on board in 2007 as coordinator of volunteers after many years of volunteering. As a master gardener she volunteered at Deep Cut Gardens and developed a volunteer corps there, becoming coordinator of volunteers in 2007.
Upcoming events include the return of the Plant Swap at Deep Cut Gardens Saturday, May 1. The popular Creative Arts and Music Festival will return to Thompson Park and planning is underway for the Spring Craft Show in April. Also during April, Earth Day events will take place throughout the park system.
Underlining the importance of moving forward and drawing strength from nature, Livingstone said, “Last year I saw a group of friends come to the park with lawn chairs and make a big circle, sitting outside under the trees.“Is there anything better than getting outside in nature? Getting a sense of outdoors, a sense of freedom. To be outdoors, that connection to nature is always important to people.”
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 25 – March 3, 2021, print edition of The Two River Times.
