News Release
Texas NRCS Recognizes Earth Team Volunteers During National Volunteer Week
Contact:
Melissa Blair, Public Affairs Specialist
361-215-9799
Temple, April 9, 2019 – The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is recognizing Earth Team volunteer efforts throughout the nation during April 7-13, 2019 for National Volunteer Week. The theme, “Volunteers Improve Today for Tomorrow,” shows our gratitude to the Earth Team volunteers for their superb service to conservation.
Earth Team is the agency’s volunteer workforce. This past fiscal year, more than 40,725 people donated 388,234 hours of service. Volunteers worked alongside NRCS staff to provide resources to farmers and landowners to aid them with conservation assistance – a service value of more than $8 million.*
Last year in Texas, 2,497 volunteers donated 13,527 service hours helping NRCS and our partners with critical conservation work. Texas NRCS Earth Team Volunteers efforts helped save $326,542* of taxpayer’s money.
The Earth Team Volunteer Program was created in 1985 and offers many opportunities for individuals 14 years old and older who are interested in volunteering to improve the nation’s natural resources.
“Earth Team volunteers enable NRCS to stretch available resources and staff to help people conserve, improve and sustain our natural resources and environment,” said NRCS State Conservationist, Salvador Salinas. “NRCS’ mission of ‘Helping People Help the Land’ is strengthened by the passion Earth Team volunteers bring to the important conservation work they do every day.”
Learn more about the Earth Team Volunteer Program at your local USDA-NRCS office or online at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/earthteam.
*Independent Sector Value of Volunteer Time is $24.14/hour