Ridge Rangers
Volunteer Team of Three+ of the Year Award for Natural Resource Management
The Ridge Rangers, sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, is an organization of volunteers involved with habitat restoration on the Lake Wales Ridge and other Central Florida conservation areas. Their activities benefit the Florida scrub-jay and other rare and endangered plant and wildlife species.
Park managers worked closely with Ridge Ranger coordinator Bill Parken from 2013 to 2018 implementing projects focused on reducing sand pine density at Highlands Hammock State Park and Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve State Park.
The Ridge Rangers, most of whom are retired, understand the value of preserves and the importance of volunteer work. They used chainsaws, brush cutters and loppers to reduce sand pine density in three management zones totaling 125 acres and transform the acreage to optimal oak scrub suitable for Florida scrub-jays.
Park managers worked with coordinator Tessie Offner to address areas heavily infested with coral ardisia. The Ridge Rangers worked two days per month from November 2020 to May 2021, and the park’s exotic team treated 6.5 acres of coral ardisia.
Two Ridge Rangers, Marilyn Blair and Rose Plemons, worked from September 2019 to June 2021 to remove Caesar weed and coral ardisia from park nature trails. In January 2020, 10 Ridge Rangers contributed 40 hours to clear vegetation from a waterway with historic weir dams impacted by Hurricane Irma.
Congratulations to the Ridge Rangers on this award. Your dedication to the natural resources at Highlands Hammock and Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve state parks is appreciated.
2021 Florida State Parks Volunteer Recognition Winner
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