On Monday, we recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a man who dedicated his life to providing a helping-hand to others. The people of northern Nevada honored Dr. King's legacy by taking part in a day full of service.
It was certainly one of the more unconventional ways of giving back, but the volunteers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park flipped rocks and dug through dirt, to collect insects for educators looking to better understand our environment.
"We want to kind of be able to track the presence, absence of these species,” said Rachel George, a naturalist educator.
The Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation provided guide books, aspirators and even microscopes to help each member of the public to identify the wildlife around them. The findings are then catalogued as part of an annual project that help researchers determine how insect populations are changing.
The volunteers also took part in a cleanup at the park. Bags and tools were provided to the more than 30 volunteers to pick up large and small pieces of debris.
For some of the volunteers, this clean-up was the first time giving back on Martin Luther King Jr Day. For others, the day of service has become an annual tradition.
"I've painted murals in schools, I’ve done Habitat for Humanity, park cleanup is one of our favorites, I really enjoy doing park clean-up, I’ve done a few of those, just anyway to get out and help and meet people,” said volunteer Liz Mancuso.
