NOAA employees volunteer to promote a healthy planet

• Promiting a Healthy Planet

  Spirit of Volunteerism

  Editor's Note: This is the second installment of a two-part series inspired by Earth Day. Don't miss Part I.

  NOAA's mission is to "understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs." This commitment to foster a healthy planet resides within NOAA's people, and thus in the offices, ships, fields, wetlands, and waterways where for 41 years they've conducted their wide range of work.

  But we wondered what sorts of volunteer activities our colleagues pursue in their free time and of their own accord. We were inspired by their far-reaching efforts to make a difference. We think you will be inspired, too.

• Celebrating 20 Years as Adopt-A-Highway Guardians

  NOAA's Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research

  Volunteers from NOAA's Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research in Charleston, South Carolina, just celebrated their 20th anniversary as participants in the South Carolina Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program.

  "The Center first volunteered with Adopt-A-Highway as an Earth Day activity in 1991," says Pete Key, a lead toxicologist who has coordinated the group since 1993.

  Four times a year, about eight employees spend Saturday morning bagging trash along Central Park Road on James Island, located just south of Charleston about three miles from the NOAA lab.

  "Over the years, more than 55 volunteers have produced 931 30-gallon trash bags weighing in at a grand total of seven tons," Pete says. "Adopt-A-Highway enables us to have a positive effect on our local environment not just on Earth Day, but throughout the year."

  The NOAA group has received several local and state service awards, including Charleston County's Outstanding Adopt-A-Highway Group of the Year.

• Bringing Hope to Haiti

  Hélène Scalliet

  Hélène Scalliet has worked for six years as a management plan specialist in NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. When she heard about the earthquake that shattered Haiti in January, 2010, she immediately donated to the relief effort. But Hélène and her husband wanted to help the Haitian people more directly, so that April, they flew to Port-au-Prince as part of a week-long, church-sponsored humanitarian mission.

  "One of our first projects was to reinforce an eroded creek bed that was threatening to 
take down a rural village school," Hélène recalls. She said that erosion is a big problem in Haiti due to nearly complete deforestation.

  "We also hiked into a small village to deliver simple bucket water filter systems, since the lack of access to clean water is one of the biggest health threats in Haiti. We spent a few hours teaching the women how to properly use and maintain the filters. They know that bad water makes their children sick, so they were very appreciative."

  Hélène still marvels at the experience. "It's amazing that a small thing like a bucket with a filter can literally save someone's life!"

  One of her team members asked the village pastor how they as Americans could help upon returning home. "'Let the world know, and don't forget us,' he said."

  "I learned from this trip that anything you can do for someone in need brings them hope," says Hélène.

• Contributing to Society in a Meaningful Way

  Richard Snay

  Richard Snay began his career as a scientist with NOAA's National Geodetic Survey in 1974. In 1977, his supervisor asked him to investigate how people in the growing "geospatial community" might deal with changes to the positional coordinates used for locating points on the Earth's surface, especially coordinate changes associated with earthquakes, plate tectonics, and other types of crustal motion.

  "I spent the better part of my NOAA career developing numerical models for describing these motions and incorporating these models into software to help land surveyors and others cope with such motions when reconciling positional coordinates measured at widely different times," Richard explains.

  To Richard, it seemed only natural to continue to pursue this work following his retirement in May 2010. As a NOAA volunteer, he has also expanded his research into new areas. "During my tenure as a NOAA employee I focused solely on horizontal motion. Now I also study vertical motion, which is critical in areas prone to flooding," he says.

  Richard feels fortunate to have worked with many talented people over the years and to continue his collaborations with a few of them. "Some of my current co-workers are NOAA employees, and some are outside the agency. I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer at NOAA because it keeps me mentally active while contributing to society in a meaningful way."

• Rediscovering NOAA's Historic Treasures

  Preserving NOAA Heritage

  Two of NOAA's most ambitious outreach efforts – NOAA Heritage Week and the Gateway to NOAA exhibit – were created in response to the Preserve America Initiative, which calls on federal agencies to preserve and showcase federally managed historic and cultural, or "heritage," resources, and foster tourism in partnership with local communities.

  For seven years, a dedicated team of NOAA employees has volunteered time and expertise to these efforts, starting with the first annual NOAA Heritage Week in February 2005. The week celebrates NOAA's role in the nation's history and its scientific and economic contributions to society. For the inaugural exhibit, titled the "Treasures of NOAA's Ark," volunteers spent months unearthing agency artifacts – many of which had been stored in forgotten boxes in dusty warehouses – from 19th-century maps and charts to early scientific instruments.

  To mark the program's seventh year, the permanent "Gateway to NOAA" exhibit opened on the NOAA campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, in February 2011.

  Over the years, the volunteers have spent countless hours tracking down historic artifacts and memorabilia, interviewing veteran staff members, producing artwork, erecting and tearing down exhibits, and providing technical assistance. Volunteers also welcome the public as exhibit docents on evenings and weekends, coordinate a speaker series, and organize tours for school groups and other educational activities.

  "NOAA Heritage Week and the Gateway to NOAA encourage public awareness of the agency and its science and service to the nation," says Cheryl Oliver, senior program advisor for NOAA's Preserve America Initiative. "Much of these activities' great success can be attributed to the passion and energy of the volunteers."

  Get more information on NOAA Heritage Week and the Gateway to NOAA exhibit.

Visit Part I of our 'Spirit of Volunteerism' series.