Jim Crawford - Volunteer of the Year for the Municipality of Pictou County

Jim Crawford holds up a bottle of maple syrup bottled on site at Lansdowne Outdoor Recreational Park. Crawford is the park's curator and a long-time volunteer of LORDA who was selected at the Municipality of Pictou County's Volunteer of the Year. 

Jim Crawford has been selected as the Municipality of Pictou County’s Volunteer of the Year.

Crawford, 69, will represent the Municipality of Pictou County during the provincial reception in April and also be a guest at its own volunteer banquet on April 6^th at the Plymouth Fire Hall.

Crawford started volunteering with LORDA during the evenings and weekends 30 years ago. He is an outdoors person at heart and was looking for a way to give back to this community while still enjoying the fresh air.   

He heard about LORDA’s need for volunteers through a friend and started helping clearing brush and doing maintenance around the park when needed.  When he retired from the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure in 2015, he spent more time at the park and became its curator in 2017. 

“When I retired four years ago, I spent most of my time out there.”

When former park curator David Leese retired two years ago, Crawford took over the role.  

 “I help out with the summer students and make bird houses and maple syrup that can be sold as fundraisers,” he said. “I like to be outdoors.”

In addition to volunteering with LORDA, Crawford was also a volunteer with St. John Ambulance.

During the spring and summer months, Crawford spends six days a week, usually nine hours a day, at the park.   He also oversees the production of maple syrup from trees tapped on site and sold as a fundraiser.   

“Our maple syrup is going all over the world,” he said.

Crawford said he believes the park is a unique experience for visitors because it offers people over the age of 55 or anyone with disabilities of any kind at any age, to fish for free from its stocked ponds. It also has about 20 dry camping sites that allow people to experience nature to its fullest in a safe and accessible environment.

“I like to volunteer and get out there and help,” he said.