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RV Volunteer Friends rebuild Osprey Boardwalk at Kiptopeke State Park
Have you been to the Eastern Shore to experience Kiptopeke State Park? It truly is worth the visit as the park features many scenic views, hands-on activities, educational programs and overnight accommodations so you can stay longer and enjoy all the park offers.
Keeping the park looking amazing and ready for guests surely takes time, people power and funds to get things done. Luckily for the park, this year they worked with the RV Volunteer Friends on a project that consisted of rebuilding the Osprey Boardwalk.
What is the RV Volunteer Friends group?
The RV Volunteer Friends (RVVF) was founded on December 30, 2022, by Jeff and Susan Spencer, but they have been volunteering with other RV groups since 2020. The RVVF group consists of people they met and worked with during previous projects. Most of the RV volunteer groups tend to travel across the state and even the country with each project. Some groups have a primary mission to complete a volunteer project in all 50 states and so this means they might not work at the same location in a given year or even ever. When Jeff and Susan created their group, they knew that they wanted to volunteer and travel, but wanted to be able to return to locations, especially Virginia State Parks when possible.
When asked about the group, Jeff said, “We value the relationships we establish and friendships we make with each other, as well as the non-profits and parks we serve. Therefore, we prioritize working with each other again and with those entities we have already served.”
Jeff and Susan enjoy volunteering at Virginia State Parks. In fact, Kiptopeke is not the first park where they completed a project.
RV volunteers at Chippokes State Park to repair the barn at Walnut Valley House in April of 2023
“We participated in another volunteer group’s project at Chippokes State Park last April where we replaced the siding on the Walnut Valley House along with many other projects,” Jeff explained. “There we met Dorie Stolley, then the Virginia State Parks Volunteer Coordinator. Dorie and I communicated for several months about doing a RVVF project at another Virginia State Park. We chose Kiptopeke over the other park proposals because its main project, the boardwalk rebuild, most closely matched our group’s skills and abilities.”
The RVVF are not the type of volunteers that most state parks typically see as they have a variety of skill sets that they provide to each project.
“Our volunteers are made up of men and women that have much expertise and are very handy,” said Jeff. “We thrive on tackling projects others wouldn’t touch, and we really enjoy giving back to society and lending our skill sets where they are needed the most.”
Volunteering at Kiptopeke
The RVVF group arrived at Kiptopeke on February 24 and worked until March 24 to build the Osprey Boardwalk. The group brought eight RVs with 15 volunteers for the project. While most of the group stayed at the park for the full four weeks, others were able to help for two or three weeks.
Once they arrived at Kiptopeke State Park, they were in awe of the beauty of the Eastern Shore.
“The park itself is exquisite,” said Jeff. “Being able to work on the boardwalk overlooking an amazing white sand beach at the edge of the Chesapeake is pretty spectacular. We’ve done boardwalks before near a lake, along a river and in alligator swamps, but this was definitely our favorite.”
The Osprey Boardwalk is a 500-foot-long elevated path that connects the park camping area with the beach. It is the most heavily traveled boardwalk in the park and was built more than 30 years ago, so the badly weathered boards needed an upgrade. Park staff were so grateful to have the RVVF group to help with this project.
“They are removing the old deck boards, replacing joists, adding supports, and replacing stairs and railings,” said Kiptopeke State Park Manager Sean Dixon. “The work they are doing for us saves us a tremendous amount of time and labor for park staff. It is a huge benefit to public safety as the condition of the boardwalk has been deteriorating, but we haven't had the budget or staff to be able to do anything more than quick repairs. When this crew finishes, it will be almost like having a completely new boardwalk.”
There was some inclement weather that the group had to contend with, but that has never stopped them from reaching their goal. When the group does lose time to rain, they work longer on good weather days or even during the weekend if needed.
“We always complete every project we start,” said Jeff. “It is important to work smart to stay ahead or on time with these types of projects. We take pride in doing our part to add more good things to the world plus this staff is so amazing and has been supportive and very welcoming. This project has been a wonderful experience for me and the group.”
This RVVF group’s primary purpose is to facilitate communication, planning and coordination of RV volunteering opportunities. Kiptopeke was their 8th project, and the group has completed other non-profit projects in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Texas. They have completed projects at state parks in Indiana, Tennessee and now Virginia.
When asked about plans to return to the park, Jeff said, “We have already made arrangements with Kiptopeke’s park manager to return in March 2025. As for other parks, we are currently working on the schedule for 2025 and five other Virginia State Parks are candidates.
Virginia is a beautiful state with a lot of history and we look forward to doing more volunteer projects there in the future.”
How to volunteer at a Virginia State Park
There are many opportunities for you to volunteer at Kiptopeke State Park. One of the best ways to keep up with what types of things the park has planned is by joining the volunteer support group, the Friends of Kiptopeke State Park, or by following Kiptopeke State Park on Facebook. People may also contact the park directly at 757-331-2267 to find out more about volunteering in the park.
National Clean the Bay Day and National Trails Day both are observed on June 1 and Kiptopeke will offer two programs where you can help keep the park clean while enjoying the scenery.
There are many volunteer opportunities available at all Virginia State Parks. Be sure to visit our volunteer page for more details on how you can get involved.
If you have read the article and have a question, please email nancy.heltman@dcr.virginia.gov.
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