Volunteering in nature can fight loneliness, isolation

By Rebecca K. O’Connor

Creating and participating in volunteer opportunities addresses one of the greatest health challenges of our time.

At Rivers & Lands Conservancy, we felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in ways we could not have imagined. So much of our work to beautify and restore our natural, wild and open spaces depends on volunteers. So many of the relationships we treasure are built on the land with our volunteer community. Yet, for the span of nearly two years, these efforts were halted until it was safe to get together again.

We all felt a little adrift and isolated while we were relegated to Zoom meetings and our land stewards were forced to work alone. Other local nonprofit groups whose work depended even more on volunteerism faced scaling back programs and even shutting down. Volunteers reluctantly stayed home and many never came back.

While we seem to be getting back to business as usual with new and familiar faces joining us to collect acorns, water oaks, and plant gardens, it is not enough. According to the Office of the Surgeon General, we are facing an epidemic of loneliness and isolation that “represent profound effects to our health and well-being.”

In his 2023 advisory, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States said, “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death.

“Our hope is that people begin to understand how important it is to give people opportunities to volunteer together,” Fryday said. “People need to feel connected and that they have something to contribute. That’s how we create a California where everyone feels like they belong and are part of the community.”

In addition to addressing the Surgeon General’s call to action, Fryday believes that a robust network of community volunteerism is, at its heart, the creation of a thriving democracy. There will be improved mental and physical health, but there will also be a community of people empowered to create change. Perhaps, there will even be more respectful political dialogue.

On Saturday, Sept. 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Martha McLean-Anza Narrows Park in Riverside, California Volunteers will be hosting a Put the River Back in Riverside Community Climate Action Day in collaboration with city of Riverside, Tree People, and a coalition of community organizations, including Rivers & Lands Conservancy. Volunteers can assist in a variety of service projects, including tree planting, invasive species removal, and clean ups. Following the service projects there will be resource and vendor booths, children’s activities, food and music.

This event is a great way for people who are feeling isolated and lonely to dip their toe in the volunteer pool. Interested individuals can sign up on the California Volunteers website. There are also many other ways to volunteer in the region and to make a positive difference for the needs and challenges of our communities. Rivers & Lands Conservancy posts smaller volunteer events on our website. Volunteers can also seek out other nonprofit organizations in the region that are addressing an issue they are passionate about solving.

“We really need everyone to think about how to create opportunities for people to contribute and feel like they are part of shaping the Inland Empire,” Fryday said. “We need to find opportunities to connect and connect over common values.”

So, get out and volunteer! It is good for your health, and it is good for our communities. Even better, grab a neighbor or a family member who you would like to have a stronger connection with and let’s make our world a better place together.

Rivers & Lands Conservancy connects our community to natural, wild, and open spaces of Southern California through land conservation, stewardship, and education.

Rebecca K. O’Connor is the co-executive director of Rivers & Lands Conservancy, is a California Arts Council individual artist fellow and is the author of several books on the natural world.