Noah Schlager

HOMETOWN: Richardson Bay, CA

What volunteer group do you contribute to?
 
I volunteer at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary. 

What type of volunteer activities have you done with this group, and for how long? 

I starting volunteering at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary early fall 2008. I started out doing office work. Soon I become more acquainted with others around the center and more opportunities unfolded. I have now assisted in projects as diverse and exciting as bird banding, oyster research, and feeding walking sticks. I have also been helping edit video of lectures into short movies, something which I really enjoy.

Why did you get involved? What motivates you to volunteer with this group?

While my school required me to volunteer at an organization to fulfill my community service credits, my decision to work at Audubon was much more than that. I have always loved our environment. I loved learning about nature, loved talking about nature, loved being out in nature. I grew up seeing how connected we are to the earth and all its inhabitants. I also worried a lot about how we are impacting our planet. I saw how disconnected so many people are from our planet, and how many no longer are living sustainably with the earth. I used to just hope the problems would solve themselves, that we could all just change our incandescent lights to florescent, and all would be ok. I then realized as passionate as I felt about all these issues, I too was disconnected. I still just had my face against the glass. I decided I was going to stop staring the issues and break that glass to get into the action. The Audubon center has allowed me to take action and make a positive impact. Granted, I’m not singlehandedly preserving acres of wilderness, educating millions of people, or ensuring the survival of an endangered species. What was important to me was that I take the first step towards change.

Why does volunteering excite you? What do you get out of volunteering? 
 
Volunteering at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary has been an invaluable life experience. I have written data on bird banding research projects, identified aquatic invertebrates, and become more aware of the natural world and our interconnectedness. I also see how interconnected an organization is. I am only a very small part of a group of people, but thanks to the combined efforts of all, action is being taken. Some actions are direct, such as preserving the land on the sanctuary; other actions are indirect but still quite connected, such as education and research. It is through all these efforts that action and real change occurs. This feeling of contribution and action on issues I deeply care about is why I love to volunteer at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary. I no longer feel helpless, but empowered. I know that I can help my community, and if I can do this at age 17, then who knows what I can accomplish in my life. I have met incredible people at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary, who continue in their adult lives to be passionate and involved in such important research and issues. They are another reason why I love to work at the center. I have grown to greatly admire their contributions and commitment, and their example has greatly influenced me. I have committed myself to protecting the natural world I have grown to love, and volunteering has given me the opportunity to start on that path. I now want to contribute in even more ways, and am becoming more involved in other environmental issues and projects. However I will always be committed to projects and people at The Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary.

What would you say to other people who are thinking about volunteering with this group?  Volunteering in general?

Go for it! I believe people nowadays have gotten too disconnected from the world and quite passive about important issues. We are all part of the planet and are interconnected to all life on this earth, whether we realize it or not. If you care about something, if you want to make a difference, you should volunteer. We need to be active in our world and in our lives. All major change comes from a few passionate people, and that stretches out to others. Volunteering should not be seen as a pastime, punishment, or a one-time conscience cleaner. Volunteering should be seen as one’s commitment to being a positive contributor of our world, and become integrated into one’s lifestyle. If we want to see a world where all life can coexist, then we must face the problems head on. We cannot side step around it with good deeds and wishes. We must remove our face from the glass and smash that glass to jump into action. Volunteering isn’t the only way to do this, but it is an available and powerful way to go about it. Volunteering is incredibly rewarding, studies even say it makes one happier. Who would have thought doing something good for a cause you believe in would make one happier? So please, if you care about an issue, even if you feel overwhelmed by it’s enormity, make change a priority and take action!