Opportunities From: FiskServe Platform

Do you enjoy spending time in nature? What about serving public lands?  Join us for both at the same time! Miles upon miles of trails wind through Shelby Park and Bottoms, allowing park visitors to exercise and connect with nature. To maintain this invaluable shared asset, we will venture into the park to provide maintenance for the natural surface trails.
 
What will volunteers be doing at this event?
Volunteers will be transporting and spreading mulch on the primitive trail to smooth areas that fill with water and/or get muddy when it rains. Using shovels and rakes, we will lay mulch over these areas to make them passable for trail users. We'll also occasionally clean off interpretive signs of any debris and trim back plants to make the trailheads more visible.

What is the community impact of this event?
By keeping trails dry and visible, we increase access to the outdoors to visitors who are unfamiliar with the layout of the park and bottoms. Clearing off debris, evening out the walking path, and cleaning off signs allows visitors to autonomously enjoy the park without feeling uncertain of where they are or unsafe on the terrain.
 
Accessibility:
This event will include walking with tools in hand over a mixture of paved and unpaved surfaces. We will be pushing wheelbarrows of mulch down the trail to unload and spread on the trail using hard rakes. Porta-potties are typically located near the starting location of the event.
 
What to bring?
Volunteers should be sure to wear long pants and close-toed shoes. I recommend bringing your own water bottle and hat/sunscreen, but Friends of Shelby will provide extra water and sunscreen, as well as all of the necessary tools and gloves.
 
What’s next?
Once you sign up, you will receive a reminder email before the event with specific instructions regarding parking and any other necessary information.
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Founded in 2008, Friends of Shelby is a private, nonprofit organization working to preserve, enhance, and promote Shelby Park and Bottoms for everyone to appreciate and protect. We work to protect the natural and historical integrity of the area by supporting appropriate recreational activities, maintaining and enhancing its features, promoting programs that inspire appreciation and conservation of the Park and Bottoms, and advocating for a level playing field for the various user groups.

Help keep Shelby Park beautiful! Join Friends of Shelby and your friends and neighbors as we do a park wide sweep of trash to restore the natural beauty of this public space and keep litter off the ground and out of our streams and rivers. This is a great opportunity for everyone of all ages!

What will volunteers be doing at this event?

Volunteer will use trash grabbers and reusable trash bags to collect litter from the grounds of Shelby Park and Bottoms. Most volunteers will be asked to stray off the cement path to locate litter under leaves, wrapped into fences, and around picnic shelters. Volunteers will be split into smaller groups after the check-in and orientation portion, and will return to the starting point for their trash to be weighed.

What is the community impact of this event?

The Cumberland River traces along the eastern edge of Shelby Park and Bottoms, and it is Nashville's #1 drinking water source. When weather washes litter down into the river, this can place extra strain on the water processing plants. By removing this trash from Shelby Park and Bottoms, volunteers will actively improve the water quality for all of Nashville and reduce strain on our processing plants. Also, putting trash where it belongs keeps it out of the mouths of local animals and protects our forests!

What should volunteers bring to this event?

Volunteers should wear comfortable walking shoes and clothing, as they might be moving up to 2 miles throughout the event. Bringing a reusable water bottle is always recommended but not required. Friends of Shelby will provide all of the necessary grabbers, bags, gloves, safety vests, and directions for those that need them.

Accessibility/safety:

This event will require volunteers to hold and squeeze trash grabbers to pick-up litter, as well as carry bags of trash that could weigh up to 40 pounds `each. Volunteers may always return to the starting location to drop off heavy trash. Volunteers will be walking along some roadways; they will be provided orange safety vests to make them more visible, but awareness of your surroundings is important to staying safe at this event.

If you sign up for this opportunity, you will receive a pre-event email with more information on parking, weather, and clothing recommendations. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Community Outreach and Volunteer Leader, CD Paddock (cd@friendsofshelby.org)!

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Founded in 2008, Friends of Shelby is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, enhancement, and promotion of Shelby Park and Bottoms for everyone to appreciate and protect. Friends of Shelby works to protect the natural and historical integrity of the park by supporting recreational activities, maintaining and enhancing park features, promoting programs that inspire appreciation and conservation, and advocating for a level playing field for all user groups.