Our Families: The Unsung Heros

by Tim Burris, Mariton Preserve Manager

It has long been said that being a preserve manager is not a job, or a career – it is a lifestyle.  There are lots of things that come up that can’t be captured by a job description.  Because it is a lifestyle, our families (particularly spouses) have to buy into the dream too.  Maureen does a lot of behind the scenes work at Mariton.  She is there to help set up, clean up, and shop for programs like this weekend’s Meal and a Movie.  She greets preserve visitors on the weekends.  She is the detail person when I am the broad stroke.

After snow storms, she also jumps in to help with snow removal. She runs the snow blower, shovels, plows, and helps pulls out equipment when it gets stuck.  This past weekend, she volunteered to shovel off the flat roofs while I plowed with the tractor.  It is a nasty job after a big snowfall.

This post is in recognition of our families who work behind the scenes to make the preserves special. I spent three days this week on the tractor moving snow.  So I had a lot of time to think about all the things our families contribute for us, and to the preserves we love.