Volunteer Spotlight, Patti & Don Garner
Patti and Don Garner
George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park
Patti and Don Garner’s connection to the outdoors began when they were children. Patti’s family moved to rural Clay County when she was 4, living on a lake and surrounded by woodlands with no neighbors nearby. Her entertainment came from playing along the edge of the lake and swimming or fishing. Don was 4 years old when his father started taking him to Little Talbot Island State Park where he would play in the surf. As he grew older, Don enjoyed fishing at the jetties and surfing the area beaches.
Patti and Don volunteer with the park system in order to help protect and preserve important resources for future generations. After they retired they wanted to give something back and also stay involved in the area that Don had grown up enjoying. Being park volunteers is important to them because they believe that working with others who have a shared interest in protecting and preserving the environment can make a difference.
Patti says that she has many favorite places in the local state parks, but probably anywhere she can hear the quiet with only the birds or sound of the ocean to punctuate it. Don’s favorite place is similarly on the beach at sunrise, when the light is beautiful and everything is just waking up. Patti particularly enjoys photographing the beauty of the parks. It doesn’t matter if it's wildlife, sunrise, forest hammock in the morning light or the ocean. Capturing the allure and sharing it with others gives her a lot of satisfaction. Don’s preferred activities include biking or hiking the trails and beaches.
Both Patti and Don are happy to have been involved in many park projects but are especially proud of a time when they were able to assist a mother loggerhead that had become stranded on the beach. With lots of help from the park staff, she was finally directed back out to the ocean. That was the moment when the Garners knew they had found home.