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Friends of Oscar Scherer Park, Inc Selected as Best in State!
The Friends of Oscar Scherer, the Citizens Support Organization was selected by the Friends of Florida State Parks Inc. as the best of the more than 100 CSOs in the state for 2007. The CSO consists of over 150 members of the local community who work and volunteer together to support the goals of Oscar Scherer State Park. During 2007 the volunteers contributed over 17,000 hours and provided a dazzling array of talent and effort to provide programs and construct or improve facilities for visitors. Weekly coffees and pancake breakfasts for campers, aerobics programs, old tyme music, ice cream socials, bird walks and scrub walks only name a few of their efforts.
 Over a six month effort they completely revitalized the Nature Center area to include painting, landscaping, and creating a screened classroom. Additionally, they staffed the Nature Center seven days a week from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM to provide information and educational materials for visitors. Winning this award comes as no surprise to John
Roche, Park Manager who said, “We don’t know how we’d survive without our CSO. For several years they have been finalists for this award and I am delighted they are being formally recognized for all their efforts. For the past two years they have won the Best CSO Project in the State award and last year also had the Youth Volunteer of the Year. This year they also won the Work Group of the Year, “The Old Curmudgeons”, which is a group who come together every Monday and Wednesday, year round, to take on construction projects, trail maintenance, and exotic removal. Their ages range from youngsters in their sixties to more seasoned veterans in their 80s. The Friends as a whole consist of a wide variety of men and women who simply love Oscar Scherer State Park and want it to be the very best in the park system.”
Work Group of the Year, “The Old Curmudgeons”.
The Friends of Florida State Parks Inc. has named the “old curmudgeons” of Oscar Scherer as the 2007 Florida State Park Team of the Year. Any Monday or Wednesday scattered throughout the park you can find members of the Friends of Oscar Scherer Park, Inc who come together to work on major projects to improve the park. partnering with Sarasota County and removing Australian pine and converting it to firewood for the campers is an ongoing effort. Trail maintenance and removal of exotics in the park are other worthwhile endeavors. Construction projects usually funded by the friends themselves have resulted in major improvements in the park. There is no age requirement for this group. Youngsters of sixty can be found working side by side with their elders some well into their eighties. Additionally, every event in the park will find them volunteering in some capacity from running the event to parking cars or preparing displays and they are regularly involved with operating the Nature Center.
Jon Thaxton and Gerry DeRoper Earn the Irene DeLaby Award.
 Jon Thaxton and Gerry DeRoper, two well know and long time volunteers at Oscar Scherer State Park have been awarded the Irene DeLaby Award by the Friends of Florida State Parks Inc.as a result of contributing over 10,000 volunteer hours to the florida Park System. Their names will be permanently inscribed at DEP headquarters in Tallahassee. Jon Thaxton contributed all of his hours at Oscar Scherer State Park dedicating many years to researching and documenting the Florida Scrub Jay. He is recognized as one of the leading authorities on this threatened bird and its habitat requirements. Thaxton is shown accepting the award from District 4 Manager, Valinda Subic. Even though his volunteer time is now severely limited due to his duties as a County Commissioner, he is still regularly sought to make presentations to groups as an advocate for the Florida Scrub Jay.
Gerry DeRoper is a seasonal volunteer at Oscar Scherer as well as other Florida State Parks. A resident of Canada, his handiwork can be found in the parks in District 4. He is a master woodworker and over the years has crafted many projects of lasting use to the park and its visitors. Most recently he constructed all of the oak cabinets that contain many of the display items in the Nature Center. All of his projects contain his trademark of quality through meticulous planning and detailed construction.
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