Volunteer Spotlight, John Widdowson
John Widdowson
Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve State Park
John Widdowson has always had an interest in nature. As a young man, he spent many hours tracking deer during hunting season in the mountains of western Pennsylvania. He enjoys observing wildlife and states, “The only shooting I do now is with a camera.”
Living close to Lake June provides numerous opportunities to pursue this interest, both in the park and near his Lake Placid home. His wildlife watching includes the bobcat that wanders through his yard, deer that look in through his sliding glass doors, and many species of year-round and migratory birds. Having encountered a Florida black bear early one morning while retrieving the newspaper, he is hoping to see it again.
John grew up in Pittsburgh and spent his career in health-care financial management, which involved a great deal of travel. A resident of Florida since 1979, he moved from South Florida to Lake Placid in 2012. Upon semi-retiring two years later, he found the time to volunteer and “loves the much slower pace of living in Highlands County.”
John is a member of a group of volunteers known as the Lake June Four. This highly dedicated team opens and closes the park, maintains the facility, provides trail maintenance and interacts with visitors. The savings in time, fuel cost, and wear and tear on park vehicles has been invaluable.
For their efforts and many hours of volunteering, the team received the 2018 Florida State Parks Foundation Volunteer Recognition Award for park protection.
John, who enjoys Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve State Park because of the tranquility, the wildlife and hiking the fire lanes, is also frequently found on the trails at Highlands Hammock. When not working or volunteering, he keeps busy with two grandsons and following baseball, Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR racing.