Matthew Beckerle on Blogger: Volunteer Opportunities at Quogue Wildlife Refuge

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Volunteer Opportunities at Quogue Wildlife Refuge

Matthew Beckerle has worked in the lumber field for more than four decades, and currently assists with sales and stock operations at Speonk Lumber in Speonk, New York. Outside of his work in the lumber industry, Matthew Beckerle supports local parks and nature preserves such as Quogue Wildlife Refuge, where he has helped with conservation efforts.

Founded in 1934, the 300-acre Quogue Wildlife Refuge is a nonprofit nature preserve that offers miles of beautiful walking trails through forests, ponds, and other native habitats. The refuge also offers educational programs and wildlife exhibits at its Charles Banks Belt Nature Center, and cares for injured wildlife at its Outdoor Wildlife Complex.

Quogue Wildlife Refuge relies heavily on volunteers to maintain its grounds and operate its many programs. Trail maintenance volunteers spend their time trimming trees and clearing the seven miles of walking trails in the refuge, while volunteer educators guide school and Scout groups on tours. The Nature Center also relies on volunteers to meet and greet visitors, answer phones, and provide general information about the refuge’s public programs.

To learn more about volunteering at Quogue Wildlife Refuge, please visit quoguewildliferefuge.org/get-involved/become-a-volunteer.

About Matthew Beckerle

With a background in the lumber business extending four decades, Matthew Beckerle presently serves as stock counter sales professional with Speonk Lumber in Speonk, New York. Matthew Beckerle’s responsibilities include store organization and counter support activities, and he also assists with special orders as necessary.

For many years, Mr. Beckerle served as yard foreman and showroom manager with Beckerle Lumber in Spring Valley and he coordinated sales efforts in areas such as millwork, mouldings, and doors. Tasked with oversight of personnel, he organized deliveries and undertook general maintenance at a facility that has been in operation since 1859.

Mr. Beckerle has a longstanding interest in the natural world and served as assistant biologist with Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Ocala, Florida, in the early 1990s. His activities included general bird surveys and bald eagle nesting population monitoring, and he also helped ensure successful prescribed burns. His work extended to invasive botany surveys and plant control, and he led hikes of the Rockland Audubon Society. Mr. Beckerle’s free time interests extend to scuba diving and playing guitar.