Volunteer Spotlight, Anne Booth
Anne Booth
Fort George Island Cultural State Park
Anne Booth first visited Fort George Island in 2005. She was assisting in a fundraising kayaking event held on the grounds of the Ribault Club, sponsored by the Jacksonville Folio Weekly and the Sierra Club, of which she is a member. Having been a camper most of her life and with a lifelong love of nature, volunteering at the park was just a natural fit!
Interacting with park rangers has taught Anne a lot about the park and the wide range of activities that occur. She says that she has been lucky enough to be supervised by park rangers who have assigned tasks that, while they may have seemed almost impossible at the time, were not. The first was to identify and create a file index and storing system for hundreds of historical photos taken in the pre-digital era. Following that she did the same with hundreds of paper files, separating, indexing and storing them in file cabinets. Her current projects include scanning these files to maintain digital copies, and writing a history of the seven parks that make up the Talbot Islands.
There is a peaceful and tranquil area at the south end of Little Talbot Island known as the Fort George Inlet. This is Anne’s favorite spot, where she comes to watch birds and enjoy the beauty of the marsh, sand dunes and river.
Following her retirement, Anne wanted to make a meaningful contribution to society. As a volunteer at Fort George Island Cultural State Park, she has been assigned projects that are challenging, informative and enjoyable. A bonus has been making new friends and exploring new areas, which are just a few of the benefits of volunteering with Florida State Parks.