Category: Community Kindness

In September, two olive ridley sea turtles came ashore on Orange County beaches to nest, marking the first recorded sea turtle nests on the U.S. West Coast. The discovery drew wildlife experts, aquarium caretakers, city teams and community partners into a shared effort to care for the eggs and prepare for what comes next.

A rare visit to two beaches

NOAA Fisheries reported that one turtle nested near Seal Beach on Sept. 16, and another nested about eight miles away near the Huntington Beach Pier three days later. The turtles were identified as two different olive ridleys, a species that usually nests farther south in Mexico.

The discovery brought together people who know these beaches from many angles. NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California wildlife officials, local marine-safety teams, the Aquarium of the Pacific and community organizations coordinated monitoring and public information. Crews marked and protected the nesting areas while beachgoers learned how to give the turtles room.

Care for more than 200 eggs

With Hurricane Polo approaching and high surf forecast, the interagency team moved quickly. On Sept. 25, biologists collected 100 eggs from Huntington Beach and 104 from Seal Beach, then transferred them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Aquarium staff placed the eggs in sand-filled containers and are monitoring them in a temperature-controlled environment during incubation.

The aquarium’s care team is giving the eggs a steady setting through an incubation period that typically lasts 45 to 60 days. If the eggs are viable and hatch, partners plan to return the young turtles to the beaches where they were laid, so they can make their first journey from sand to sea.

Neighbors can help the shoreline stay welcoming

The nesting was a first for the West Coast, and the people caring for the eggs are continuing to monitor the beaches. NOAA encourages visitors to respect posted nesting areas and protective fencing, keep a safe distance from wildlife and report sea turtle sightings to local lifeguards or the West Coast Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at 562-506-4315.

For the Orange County partners, the work links careful science with everyday stewardship: protect the shoreline, share clear guidance and give these unexpected visitors a chance to thrive.

Dale Hollow’s Wilderness Day Camp turned a September Saturday into a lively sampler of outdoor skills. At the 17th annual gathering, children ages 7 to 14 tried fishing, learned about bats, practiced water safety and met the trout raised at the local hatchery.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that the camp ran from morning through mid-afternoon at Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery in Celina, Tennessee. Staff, volunteers and partner organizations built the day around activities children could try with their own hands.

Desmaray Brown of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led water and boating safety lessons, including a life-jacket relay. Children raced to put on their jackets, reach a marker and hand off to a teammate. A local bat enthusiast named Jason introduced the group to bat habitats and showed them how to make a bat house and choose a place for it.

The campers also handled wildlife-identification materials, learned fishing and fly-fishing basics, and practiced archery and target-sport safety with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Friends of Dale Hollow Lake provided lunch, and the Friends of Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery helped make the day possible alongside hatchery staff and other community partners.

Fishing brought a memorable surprise: while the children tried their new skills in the stream, hatchery staff added 386 rainbow trout to the water. Tanner Harvey of Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery made the release, and the young anglers caught and released fish of their own.

Melissa Briggs, who works at the hatchery, led the closing tour. The children learned how trout grow from tiny sack fry to fish ready for release, then received feed to help nourish the hatchery fish.

Paul Boyce, a local fly-fishing enthusiast and one of the camp’s founders, told the Service that the program began in 2009 as a tribute to Celina United Methodist Church minister Russell Cain, who founded the Hatchery Friends group in 2007. Today, the camp connects a new generation of young neighbors with fishing, wildlife and the people who care for Dale Hollow’s public waters.

Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “Wilderness Day Camp Delivered Nonstop Excitement,” Sept. 30, 2026.

At Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Friday’s volunteer shift has a simple goal with a long reach: put milkweed into the ground and give monarch butterflies and other native pollinators more places to feed and breed.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is inviting volunteers to a planting workday on Friday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will plant milkweed in several mulched zones in the refuge’s public-use area, with refuge staff providing guidance, tools and training. The activity is designed for volunteers of all experience levels.

A morning of hands-on habitat care

Milkweed gives monarchs a place to lay eggs and provides nectar for adult butterflies. The agency says the planting will also create breeding and nectar resources for other native pollinators. Small planting areas can contribute to that larger network of habitat.

Volunteers will meet at the visitor center, 1 Wildlife Circle in Austwell, Texas. The refuge asks participants to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and dress for the weather. Bringing water, sunscreen and bug spray is recommended. Tools, personal protective equipment, snacks and cool drinks will be supplied with support from the Friends of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Neighbors helping pollinators thrive

The planting pairs practical work with a chance to learn how native plants support wildlife. Refuge staff will guide the group through the activity, so a first-time gardener can take part alongside experienced volunteers.

People under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and anyone bringing a minor is asked to contact the refuge in advance. All participants will sign a volunteer service agreement. The event listing names Viv Atkinson as the contact for questions at 361-349-1299.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is known as the wintering home of the last wild flock of endangered whooping cranes. Friday’s workday focuses on pollinator habitat in the refuge’s public-use area, adding another way for visitors to contribute to the place they come to enjoy.

For the schedule, meeting location and participation details, see the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge volunteer opportunities.

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — A drive to bring more Utah students into wildlife art began with a series of school visits. By the time the state’s 2026 Junior Duck Stamp contest closed, 524 students in kindergarten through 12th grade had submitted artwork—up from 78 the year before.

Gabrielle Johnson, a visitor services specialist intern at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, was among the interns who carried the invitation from Brigham City to classrooms and community partners around the state. The students explored waterfowl and wetlands, then turned what they learned into original art.

A classroom invitation that traveled statewide

Johnson and fellow refuge interns began contacting educators in September 2025, sharing contest resources and arranging school visits. They brought art supplies so students could take part, and teachers’ interest opened doors to new classrooms and partner organizations.

The outreach widened between September and March, when the interns joined events at nature centers and other community sites. Partnerships with Utah State University and Southern Utah University also gave contest winners’ artwork places to be seen, connecting more visitors with the young artists behind it.

For Johnson, the work reached beyond the contest. In June, she discussed the Junior Duck Stamp Program on Utah Public Radio’s “Wild About Utah,” extending the invitation to students and educators listening across the state.

Art opens a path into conservation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Junior Duck Stamp program pairs art with learning about waterfowl, wetlands, biology and wildlife management. Students explore the natural world, then share their understanding through an annual design contest.

At Bear River, the rise from 78 entries to 524 gives the interns a clear measure of how far their classroom visits and new partnerships traveled. It also gives hundreds of young artists a place in a growing community of people who notice, learn about and care for wildlife.

Read more about the Bear River refuge interns and Utah’s 2026 contest, or explore the Junior Duck Stamp art-and-science curriculum.

Every September, retired Soldiers, their families and the people who support them return to Fort Sill for a few days of practical help and easy fellowship. For retired Army Lt. Col. Allen Shell, one detail has become part of the welcome: he brings doughnuts for early arrivals.

Shell has volunteered with the Fort Sill Retiree Council for 18 years. The annual Retiree Appreciation Days gathering gives longtime retirees a chance to reconnect and share what they have learned with people beginning their own transition. Shell’s tradition of arriving with doughnuts is one small way he makes the morning feel neighborly.

Fort Sill held its 48th annual Retiree Appreciation Days on Sept. 17 and 18, 2026, under the theme “Soldier for Life: A Lifetime Commitment to Service.” The two-day program brought together retirees, future retirees, surviving spouses and family members for information, services and recognition. Fort Sill Public Affairs reports the event typically welcomes 400 to 600 people from Oklahoma, Arkansas and other states.

The Sept. 17 open house gathered about 75 to 80 organizations and service providers at Rinehart Fitness Center. Attendees could speak directly with government agencies, health-care teams and community partners about benefits, identification cards, legal questions and other retirement resources. Medical personnel administered 80 flu shots, while dental staff provided 75 screenings and educational encounters.

Those conversations help turn a large event into a useful point of connection. Retirees can meet the people who answer their questions, find services in one place and compare notes with others who have navigated similar transitions. Shell described the gathering as a chance for people from several states to link up and share information.

For Shell, the doughnuts are part of a longer practice of showing up. He says the people and organizations at Fort Sill have helped him, and volunteering is his way of giving back. Each year, familiar faces return alongside new attendees, making space for both renewed friendships and fresh introductions.

The schedule also makes room for celebration. Retirees and family members gathered for a luncheon on Sept. 18, followed by Fort Sill’s monthly retirement ceremony. Together, the open house, lunch and ceremony connect people at different stages of military retirement and keep the community in touch.

Fort Sill’s annual gathering reflects the Army’s broader Retirement Services Program, which supports retirees and their families with information about benefits and continuing ties to the Army community. The official Army benefits guide describes Retiree Appreciation Days as a way to keep retired Soldiers and families informed while fostering goodwill between retired and currently serving communities.

At Fort Sill, that welcome can begin with a useful conversation, a familiar face or a doughnut set out early. Shell’s 18-year volunteer tradition is a reminder that community care often grows through small gestures repeated year after year.

Sources: Fort Sill Public Affairs via DVIDS; U.S. Army Retirement Services Program.

At Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, a month of small donations became a generous delivery for families across Hawaiʻi.

Sailors and civilian staff at commands around Pearl Harbor collected more than 400 pounds of canned goods and pantry staples during September. On September 30, Navy Region Hawaii volunteers loaded the boxes and carried them to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank warehouse on Oʻahu.

The collection included canned proteins, rice, vegetables, soups, and other shelf-stable foods. Staff filled dozens of boxes between September 1 and September 29, giving people across several commands a practical way to help neighbors through everyday grocery items.

A shared effort, one box at a time

Navy Region Hawaii coordinated the local drive as part of the Department of the Navy’s wider Summer Food Drive campaign. The effort brought active-duty personnel and civilian employees into the same community project, with contributions gathered where they already worked.

That simple setup helped individual cans and bags of rice add up. The completed collection weighed more than 400 pounds, and volunteers handled the final step by moving the donations to the food bank for distribution.

Rear Adm. Rich Jarrett, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, described community service as a natural companion to service in uniform. In the Navy Region Hawaii account, he praised the team’s generosity and its commitment to giving back to the local ʻohana.

From the waterfront to Hawaiʻi families

Hawaiʻi Foodbank works with community organizations throughout Oʻahu and Kauaʻi and connects with food banks on neighboring islands. Its food-assistance network helps local residents find groceries through pantries and distribution programs across the islands.

The final delivery turned a workplace campaign into pantry support ready to move through that community network. Each contribution had a clear path: from a collection box at Pearl Harbor, onto a volunteer’s cart, and into the Hawaiʻi Foodbank system.

The food drive offers a cheerful reminder of what coordinated kindness can look like. A can of soup, a bag of rice, and a box carried by a volunteer may each feel modest on their own. Together, they became hundreds of pounds of food headed toward neighbors across Hawaiʻi.

Sources and photo records

• DVIDS: Navy Region Hawaii Collects Over 400 Pounds of Food for DON Summer Food Drive
• DVIDS photo record: sailors holding donated pantry items
• DVIDS photo record: food-drive collection boxes
• DVIDS photo record: delivery to the food bank
• Hawaiʻi Foodbank: Food Assistance

Families and communities across Vermont have a little more time together this fall. Airmen assigned to the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing returned to South Burlington on Sept. 6 after an overseas deployment, according to a report from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.

The return brought the unit back to the people who had carried on at home: family members, employers, neighbors, chaplains and readiness teams. The wing’s airmen serve in communities throughout Vermont and the surrounding region, the report says, so a homecoming reaches well beyond one base.

A welcome shaped by the people at home

Maj. Gen. Henry Harder Jr., Vermont’s adjutant general, described the day as a chance to welcome airmen home and recognize the commitment of their families. Unit leadership, chaplain services and Military and Family Readiness programs supported deployed members and their families throughout the deployment, according to the report, and those resources will continue as airmen reconnect with civilian work, family life and their communities.

That ongoing support is part of what gives a return home its own kind of meaning. The 158th Fighter Wing’s members bring the experiences of federal service back to the places where they work, volunteer, raise children and see familiar faces. The official report notes that some members live and work across Vermont while others commute from communities around the country.

Making room to reconnect

Col. Michael Blair, the wing’s commander, said the focus after the return is giving airmen and their families time and space to reconnect and reintegrate. The homecoming marks the close of months away from loved ones and civilian routines. It also opens a new stretch of ordinary, meaningful moments: a shared meal, a school pickup, a familiar walk downtown or a hello from a neighbor.

Smile.news sends warm wishes to the airmen of the 158th Fighter Wing and the families and communities welcoming them back. Their return is a reminder that homecomings are made meaningful by the people who keep the lights on, stay connected and make room at the table.

Sources

• Defense Visual Information Distribution Service: “Green Mountain Boys Return Home,” Sept. 7, 2026
• Defense Visual Information Distribution Service image record: “Green Mountain Boys Return Home,” Sept. 7, 2026

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge will turn a September Sunday into a welcoming day of birding, learning and family time. The refuge’s ninth annual Raptorama is set for Sunday, September 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the visitor center in Queens. The free National Park Service program brings together park rangers and local conservation partners for guided walks, live raptor education and activities designed for young birders.

A Sunday for looking up

Jamaica Bay sits along an important Atlantic flyway, and Raptorama invites visitors to notice the birds of prey moving through the season. The National Park Service says the day will include a Birding for Beginners walk with NYC Bird Alliance at 10 a.m., followed by a Hawk Walk with the park at 11:45 a.m.

The program also includes three raptor education demonstrations led by the Wildlife Center of Long Island. These sessions give families a chance to learn about birds of prey alongside the people who care for and study them.

Space for new birders

For children who are ready to make a first field observation, the schedule includes Junior Birder Ranger programs at noon and 1:30 p.m. Partner organizations will host family-friendly activities outside the visitor center throughout the event.

That mix gives the gathering an easy rhythm: take a walk, learn about a raptor, compare notes with a ranger or neighbor, then spend a little more time watching the marsh. The listed activities are free, and the event is open to the public.

Plan the visit

Raptorama takes place at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center on Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors can find the complete schedule and park information through the National Park Service. A pair of binoculars can be useful, though the most important thing to bring is a little time to look closely.

Sources

• National Park Service: 9th Annual Raptorama at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

On Saturday, September 26, neighbors can spend a few restorative hours outdoors at Pipestone National Monument, where park rangers are welcoming volunteers to care for the tallgrass prairie.

The morning runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers can collect native plant seeds for next year’s planting or remove invasive plants that crowd the prairie. The park says it will provide tools, gloves and training, making the work accessible to first-time helpers as well as returning volunteers. Sturdy shoes and layers are recommended.

A complimentary lunch is planned for 11:30 a.m. The park asks volunteers to RSVP so staff can prepare enough food: call 507-825-5464 or email [email protected]. The event is part of National Public Lands Day, the annual volunteer effort that brings people together to care for public lands.

Pipestone National Monument is a place of deep cultural significance. The National Park Service says 23 tribal nations are affiliated with the monument and Indigenous people continue long-standing quarrying traditions there. This weekend’s prairie work offers one practical way for local helpers to support the landscape around that living cultural heritage.

Details and updates are available from the Pipestone National Monument event announcement. Volunteers can also explore the monument’s history and cultural connections before their visit.