Volunteer awarded for 35,000 hours of service

LONGWOOD, FL, UNITED STATES, March 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Don Philpott, President of the Wekiva Wilderness Trust (WWT), the volunteer, nonprofit organization that supports the Wekiva River Basin State Parks, was awarded a certificate for completing 35,000 hours of volunteer service at a ceremony at Wekiwa Springs State Park, Longwood, Florida, last Friday (13th). He received his award from Park Manager Rene Acuna and Park Service Specialist Emily Campbell.

Don has been volunteering at the park for 30 years and has been on the WWT board for 20 years. He also serves on the board of the Florida State Parks Foundation and was co-founder and co-chair of the National Association of State Parks Federations. He is a Florida Master Naturalist, Florida Master Gardener, and a Certified Interpretive Guide.

For the last 15 years he has been researching the history of Wekiva Springs State Park and neighboring Rock Springs Run State Reserve. This led to the discovery of two long forgotten ghost towns – Clay Springs at what is now Wekiwa Springs, and Ethel at Rock Springs – now the subjects of two free eBooks published by the WWT and available for download from their website at www.wwt-cso.com.
The history of Ethel will be celebrated at a free two-day Heritage Festival this weekend (March 21& 22, 10-4pm) at Rock Springs Run State Reserve. with guided tours, reenactors, arts and crafts and fun for all the family.

Donald Richard Philpott
Wekiva Wilderness Trust
+1 3212778442
email us here

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