Nomination Statement for Jacqueline Rolly, recipient of the Florida Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s 2017 Citizen Conservation Award

Jacqueline (Jackie) Rolly is by far the most active Board Member at Oakland Nature Preserve, having contributed more than 6,000 volunteer hours spanning 10 years.

More than 11 acres of beautiful sandhill habitat have been restored at Oakland Nature Preserve, thanks to her tireless efforts. In addition to her extensive restoration work at the Preserve, Jackie supports the organization’s mission by participating in everything from native plant sales at fundraising events, to giving educational seminars and supervising volunteers. She is also the lead instructor for both the Uplands and Freshwater Systems Master Naturalist Program through UF, IFAS, at the Preserve.

I have worked closely with Jackie for almost 2 years, and I very much admire her enthusiastic personality. She has a great rapport with everyone she meets, and exudes relentless dedication. She has (and continues) to play a key role in the restoration and preservation of one of Central Florida’s most unique (and rapidly vanishing) habitats, all the while educating and inspiring others.

Jackie is also an active member of the Tarflower Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and has been since 1997, having served many years as an elected officer at both the State and local level. She retired from Navy Civil Service as a Program Manager after 30 years of service. Although she holds degrees in Business Administration and Contracting, her many years of native plant landscaping, salvaging native plants from construction sites and restoring degraded habitats provided her with a working knowledge of Florida’s unique ecosystems. She eagerly uses her free time to pursue her passion of conserving and preserving native plants of the Florida she knows so well.

In addition to volunteering at Oakland Nature Preserve, Jackie also volunteers several days a month at the Orlando Wetlands Park and Bill Frederick's Park.

She also belongs to Sierra Club, Audubon Society, Florida Wildflower Association, and Friends of the Orlando Wetlands Group.

As mentioned previously, I recommend her for this award as I have never met anyone so dedicated and enthusiastic with sharing her passion for Florida’s native ecosystems.