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Michael Penziner loves plants. But what he loves even more is sharing his immense knowledge of plants with others.
Michael can’t identify exactly how he developed this vast knowledge; it almost seems he absorbed it through osmosis, like his favorite plant, the fern. However, he can pinpoint the source of his love for plants. Growing up in Brooklyn, Michael didn’t interact with nature much, but he was hooked after visiting his aunt’s house and seeing her garden.
Many years later, after a multi-faceted career that included law, sales, advertising, and entrepreneurship, and a move to Westchester, Michael began his long tenure as a volunteer at multiple nature organizations. Almost thirty years ago, he began conducting tours of Wildflower Island, part of Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining. He spent hours with each tour group, introducing them to the flora on the two-acre island. He later led tours at the New York Botanical Garden, again educating and entertaining the group for as long as they wanted to stay. When tour participants expressed a sense of haste, Michael would ask them, “Do you think I can teach you the world of flowers in twenty minutes?”
He began volunteering with his wife, Judy, at the Friends of Rye Nature Center in 1997. He founded the center’s phenology group, which contributes data about the seasonal changes of the property’s trees to the National Phenology Network to help analyze patterns in the changing climate. Michael created a herbarium and single-handedly cataloged over 250 plant samples. He wrote articles and educational booklets to help visitors identify the trees and plants on the center’s 47-acre grounds. He answered visitor questions, led citizen science groups, and planted fern gardens to help bolster healthy ecosystems for wildlife and insects. In those 25+ years, Michael contributed over 15,000 hours of service! Even after moving to Rhode Island, Michael continues to serve the Friends of Rye Nature Center, writing for the newsletter, creating informational guides, and helping to curate a Tree Identification trail.
Michael remains dedicated to volunteering - and educating - in his new senior residence in Rhode Island, leading classes in poetry and storytelling.
He says, “I’m not doing it to help other people. I’m doing it to be me.” The thousands of people he has educated and enlightened are lucky that Michael is who he is!
The Volunteer Spirit Awards is the premier volunteer recognition event in our region, with an expected attendance of nearly 600 community leaders, business leaders, and elected officials.
Please join us for a celebration of volunteerism and community on Friday, April 12th, at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, NY.
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