UPG E-Update 3/4/10

Dear Friends of Urban Paradise-

As always, please forward widely. Our schedule is at the end.

Matheson is the 1st Saturday of every month. That means this Saturday. Will you be there? RSVP now...

The photo was taken New Years Day during our Consciousness Getaway at Oleta.
_________________________________________________________

Spotlight on: Volunteer Staff

Team Leaders, Managers, Directors and Administrators are the heart, brains and muscles of UPG. UPG has no paid employees. Every invasive removed, every mangrove and tree planted happens because of the efforts of Volunteer Staff. Some of their work is highly visible, others labor behind the scenes.

Team Leaders are the cutting edge of UPG in the field. During small-scale activities, they perfect their techniques at invasive eradication, planting, nursery and other essential tasks. Working with larger groups of Volunteers, they have an even larger impact. They can start out with a group of untrained Volunteers, and in 15 minutes have them working safely and productively. This makes for a positive experience, because each Volunteer will know that she or he made an impact in a direct way, and that the time spent was well invested in building a better world. Most are trained in Organic Stewardship, and know how to protect Mother Earth from invasive plants and trees without poisoning her. Some specialize at one Location, such as Oleta and Matheson, or in Coastal Organic Stewardship.

Gather Team Leaders coordinate Gather Team as part of the Seeds of Change Initiative. They maintain contact with the team and UPG.... Regional Coordinators manage the work of Gather Teams and Seed Processors, who clean and dry seeds for storage or shipment. Seekers are naturalists who identify sources of seeds for the Gatherers.

Location Managers and Assistant Location Managers have taken responsibility for a specific Location, or an important part of it. They know the problems of the Location, the people, the details. They plan an Activity, bring in the people and resources, and make it happen. Some are committed to making 1 workday per month a success.

Nursery Managers keep the plants growing and our supply of them flowing. They learn propagation, watering, and germinating. Most are amateur, student or professional botanists. Each is committed to a single Nursery, and coordinates with UPG for support.

Directors and Administrators work long hours to keep the organization up and running, coordinating with other organizations, recruiting, gathering resources, building partnerships, writing grants, doing data entry, maintaining the website, and a thousand other invisible tasks.

Service-Learning Interns fill many of these roles. These students are serving their community while growing professionally.

Would you like to make an impact? A commitment of just one day per month is all it takes to get started. Each role has different requirements.

Training is provided. You'll have the satisfaction of protecting your community from Sea-Level Rise, creating Habitat for wildlife, and helping the people of Haiti reforest their country and feed themselves... in your spare time!

_________________________________________________________

News
Here's some of what's been going on in Urban Paradise...

2/13: Oleta 2nd Sat. The morning was cold, but we made good progress while also doing Intern Training.

2/13: The music at the CAC Fundraiser was absolutely amazing in quality and variety, and the Gibson showroom had instruments that some musicians simply took off the wall and played.

2/24: MAST Panel Discussion with students was outstanding. These young adults are already working to fix problems caused by past generations.

2/28: Oleta 4th Sun. Nanci ran the show, supported by our Team Leaders and Interns. MDC came out in force again, including Earth Ethics Institute. We have now removed all known Burma clusters from South Point areas (the new Bike Path and south of Parking Lot 9).
_________________________________________________________

Announcements

Volunteer Staff
Nanci Fioravanti is relocating back to New Jersey. She has been among the most active Volunteers and Team Leaders since she started with us almost a year ago, leading work on projects at Oleta, Bear Cut, Virginia Key, and this weekend at Matheson. A landscaping professional who worked 6 days a week in the field, she came out with UPG to learn about native plants. Nanci says: "I'm already missing the beach, the coconut water, and UPG..." We are already missing you, Nanci. Friends can tell her Aloha in person at Matheson on 3/6. Good Luck!

Interns
Field Training (Team Leadership, Organic Stewardship, Planting, Nursery, and other core skills) have begun. I will be doing a survey soon to get times when Interns are available, so stay tuned if you're in the program.
We are still accepting applications for Internships.

Seeds
Gather Teams have begun to form at MDC Hialeah and MDC Wolfson, staffed by UPG Service-Learning Interns, HBC, and other friends of the Guild. A Regional Coordinator and administrative Interns are stepping up.

Oleta
Work is ongoing. We're planning a major offensive against invasives in coordination with the DEP (Park Staff).
We are still looking for more regulars to be trained as Team Leaders, and there is a vacancy for Nursery Manager.

Matheson
We submitted a major grant proposal last Friday for UPG operations at Matheson. Our Partners at NAM (M-D Parks Natural Areas Management) contributed massive resources to the matching funds in the form of employee and equipment, which improves our chances. With the Grant we'll be able to have a far greater impact at Matheson and beyond! Cross your fingers!
________________________________________________________

Best Wishes,

Sam Van Leer
Executive Director
Urban Paradise Guild
sam@urban-paradise.org

"Creating Sustainable Paradise in South Florida and Haiti, one Habitat at a time."
http://www.facebook.com/urbanparadiseguild (this is where you can see our pictures)
www.urban-paradise.org

If you prefer to be off our e-mail list, please forward this e-mail to sam@urban-paradise.org, Subject: No Thanks.
_____________________________________________________________________________

SCHEDULE

3/06: Matheson 1st Saturday - work 9am - Noon
3/13: Oleta 2nd Saturday - work 9am - Noon, then BBQ & Recreation
3/20: Taste of Booker T. Washington - BTW Academy Fund Raiser - All Day
3/21: Virginia Key Nature Walking Tour - Walk on the Wild Side (Dade Heritage Trust Days Event) - starts at 9am, see our website.
3/28: Oleta 4th Sunday - work 9am - Noon, then BBQ & Recreation
4/03: Matheson 1st Saturday - work 9am - Noon
4/10: Oleta 2nd Saturday - work 9am - Noon, then BBQ & Recreation.
4/17: Baynanza! We're going Amphibious! Save the Date!
4/25: Oleta 4th Sunday - work 9am - Noon, then BBQ & Recreation.