Every year volunteers from the Sea Survey Naval Oceanographic Office at Stennis come to the Crosby Arboretum with the mission to keep the trails spotless, Pat Drakett, Crosby Arboretum Director said.
This year, the dozen NAVO volunteers cleaned 185 signs on the many trails within the Arboretum and helped spread soil around a few spots.
“We always enjoy getting off the boat and out in the community whenever we can. It’s part of the reason why we serve,” Brendan Meeker, AG1, NAVO petty officer first class said.
The volunteers broke out into groups to cover as much ground as possible, using the opportunity as a team-building exercise while helping with a task that would otherwise take Arboretum staff twice as long to accomplish.
“We are blessed and always thankful to have these guys come and help us out. When you give them a task, they work hard until it is complete,” Drackett said.
After the volunteers cleaned 200 signs that describe the plants, they painted the sign posts to rejuvenate them.
While they walked along the trails, the volunteers went out of their way to move heavy logs out of the paths and clip hanging limbs to clear the trails.
“It’s fun for us to get our hands dirty and benefit the local community at the same time,” Meeker said.
The NAVO officers volunteer every other month in various communities around Stennis, Meeker said, which saves time and money for some business that may be going through budget cuts.
“We are here for the people and will take on almost anything with a smile on our faces,” Meekers said.