AmeriCorps Florida State Parks
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AmeriCorps Florida State Parks is an AmeriCorps program hosted by Florida State Parks that began operating in 1997. Members earn a college scholarship by performing a certain number of volunteer hours within the program.
The program averages about 60-70 members who are divided into five teams each of which is primarily responsible for working in one of the five regions into which the state park system is divided. The teams are headquartered in parks in Panama City, Gainesville, Apopka, Sarasota, and Miami, respectively.
The work done by each team differs in accordance with the particular needs of the region that it covers. However, all of the teams engage in some amount of the following activities:
- habitat restoration, usually through planting of native vegetation combined with invasive exotic species removal directed at imported trees and vines which displace the local ecosystem
- building park access facilities such as nature trails, bridges, boardwalks, and fences
- bringing park facilities into ADA compliance by building wheelchair ramps and widening building entranceways
- prescribed burns designed to simulate small forest fires that would occur naturally
- cultural and historical restoration of state historic sites
- environmental education of the local community, through programs conducted within the parks, and through visits to local schools
- cultural and historical education through programs conducted at state historic sites
The various teams also engage in frequent exchanges with other AmeriCorps programs. For example, members may work in an AmeriCorps literacy program, helping teach children how to read for a day, which would be followed up by the AmeriCorps members of the literacy program coming to work in the parks for a day. Member exchanges also occur between the teams from time to time - for example, a member of the Miami-based team may arrange to trade places with a member of the Panama City-based team for a week, giving each the opportunity to experience working in different parks and environs.
