The Palmetto Trail’s volunteers

Forget all the talk about what the minimum wage is and what it should be—let’s talk about no-wage jobs. Let’s talk volunteers. The Palmetto Trail couldn’t remain the free, always-open resource that it is without a huge commitment from volunteers. Our volunteers build things. They clean things. They repair things. They mow things.

Boy do they mow things! Do you know how much grass—and by “grass” I mean grass, weeds, small saplings and a mess of other stuff—we have to mow to keep the trail walkable? Yeah…me neither, until I started adding it up. In Newberry County alone there are 42 miles of trail, 37 of which need mowing. Considering that most of that takes two passes, plus an 11-mile section taking four passes, that totals 96 miles of mowing! And without volunteers, all that mowing is done by yours truly! So volunteers are definitely valuable to me.

The average value of volunteer time in this country, as calculated by Independent Sector, which tracks these things, is $28.54. That’s up 4% since the pandemic hit us. Weird, but did you know wages for those still able to work during the pandemic actually went up? Me neither. Anyway, here in South Carolina, that number is $25.47—lower, but still impressive.

Independent Sector says that, “volunteers in the United States hold up the foundation of civil society.” I don’t know about that, but they sure do hold up the foundation of the Palmetto Trail.

I actually got my start with the trail as a volunteer way back in 2004, while I was still employed in the private sector. Charles Weber and I laid out the Peak to Prosperity Passage and worked to get it completed. We were intrigued by the possibilities the trail presented, and the incredible story of the railroads entwined with the environmental, historical and cultural aspects of the area. We had a lot of fun, and I know other long-time volunteers who are still having fun.

While I have moved on to coordinate trail activities across the state, Charles still meets with a Peak to Prosperity volunteer team every Tuesday, unless snow, sleet, pouring rain or the wives prevent it. Over the years, the group ranging from five to ten guys has established quite a camaraderie, and enjoy their time together. (Might want to be a fly on the wall for some of their conversations!) One of the volunteers, Rob Sanders, has made it his personal mission to spread a sand-based mixture on the trail to smooth out the less friendly gravel railbed.

Charles sends out a reminder message letting people know where to meet. In that message, he reports on activities from the previous week—like “removed trees from the trail west of Pomaria”—and tracks volunteer hours. In one recent post, he logged 32 volunteer hours for the seven who participated the previous week, with a running tally for the year of 1298 hours. Using my trusty calculator and the figures from Independent Sector, that means they have given the people of Newberry County (and South Carolina) $33,060 in services so far this year. That’s pretty impressive for a small band of volunteers. They do a terrific job keeping this Newberry-area trail in good working order as anyone who uses the Peak to Prosperity Passage can see!

Since the Palmetto Trail is in Newberry’s backyard, it is easy to hike, and easy to volunteer. We can use help with everything from picking up litter to constructing and repairing structures. If you are more interested in hiking and working with people, we are also looking for trail guides to lead walks for groups like churches and scouts. We also need people who will simply walk the trails and let us know if they see something amiss. And if you’re a young professional and want to help us raise awareness and much needed funds, consider joining the TrailBlazers. If you’re interested in any of these possibilities, send me a note at fmiller@palmettoconservation.org. We’d love to have you.