Volun-Tours for Volunteers
Florida Keys
Volunteer Excursions -
Volunteer Excursions -
Help Restore Our Marine Environment
Experience the satisfaction of voluntourism in the United States
Price: $129/person (10% goes to Conch Republic Marine Army) includes lunch, transportation, guided tour, kayak rental.
Volun-Tour Details
Depart the island of Key West in our comfortable, air-conditioned 15-passenger van & enjoy a narrated tour of the Lower Florida Keys. Launch your kayak and prepare to get dirty! Your guide will lead you to today's clean-up location and will work alongside you to help restore and preserve the beauty of the Florida Keys. Take a break and chow down on a delicious picnic lunch to fuel up for more work. Before departing your newly cleaned area, your guide will present fresh mangrove seedlings for you to plant, thereby restoring our islands to their former glory. It's so satisfying that you'll want to volunteer with us every time you visit Key West & the Florida Keys!
Questions? Email us!
We do not share your information.
History of our Volun-Tours
From the owner, Kim Stamps:
"It began September 10, 2017, when Hurricane Irma devastated the Florida Keys. My favorite island to share with Keys visitors, Big Pine Key, was the hardest-hit island and was unrecognizable. I couldn't find Key Deer, there was no wildlife at the Blue Hole, trees were lying on top of roofs and across roads, vegetation was brown and dead-looking, debris from destroyed homes was strewn all over the island, the stench of decaying seagrass was unbearable. Our tour stops on the neighboring islands were damaged as well: Dolphin Research Center was closed until December, Bahia Honda State Park was closed until November (much of the park is still closed as of November 2019), Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters was closed until December, Theater of the Sea was closed until December. Tourists were asked not to come to Key West until the end of October.
My dream, Up The Keys Tours, was essentially closed for business.
BUT I quickly realized that the quicker we can get the Keys cleaned up, the quicker we can get back to business. I gratefully accepted gas money from former customers, family members, friends, and even friends of friends. I connected with Keys Vineyard Community Church on Big Pine Key to help residents clean up their yards. At my direction, Up The Keys did not charge Key West locals to come with us to help. We still don't. Our first visitors to come help us was a family from Pennsylvania who filled up our gas tank. By this time, we were out of gas and out of money. I'll never forget the generosity of this beautiful family and each of the persons who not only kept our wheels rolling, but also worked tirelessly alongside me, us, to help our neighbors and our environment recover.
We continue to offer volunteer excursions because our sensitive marine habitats are still recovering and need your help. The mangroves and our near-shore waters are still full of debris and marine trash and they have been choked out by saltwater intrusion and seagrass.
Please join us and in doing so, you're also joining the Conch Republic Marine Army. Every little bit helps."
"It began September 10, 2017, when Hurricane Irma devastated the Florida Keys. My favorite island to share with Keys visitors, Big Pine Key, was the hardest-hit island and was unrecognizable. I couldn't find Key Deer, there was no wildlife at the Blue Hole, trees were lying on top of roofs and across roads, vegetation was brown and dead-looking, debris from destroyed homes was strewn all over the island, the stench of decaying seagrass was unbearable. Our tour stops on the neighboring islands were damaged as well: Dolphin Research Center was closed until December, Bahia Honda State Park was closed until November (much of the park is still closed as of November 2019), Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters was closed until December, Theater of the Sea was closed until December. Tourists were asked not to come to Key West until the end of October.
My dream, Up The Keys Tours, was essentially closed for business.
BUT I quickly realized that the quicker we can get the Keys cleaned up, the quicker we can get back to business. I gratefully accepted gas money from former customers, family members, friends, and even friends of friends. I connected with Keys Vineyard Community Church on Big Pine Key to help residents clean up their yards. At my direction, Up The Keys did not charge Key West locals to come with us to help. We still don't. Our first visitors to come help us was a family from Pennsylvania who filled up our gas tank. By this time, we were out of gas and out of money. I'll never forget the generosity of this beautiful family and each of the persons who not only kept our wheels rolling, but also worked tirelessly alongside me, us, to help our neighbors and our environment recover.
We continue to offer volunteer excursions because our sensitive marine habitats are still recovering and need your help. The mangroves and our near-shore waters are still full of debris and marine trash and they have been choked out by saltwater intrusion and seagrass.
Please join us and in doing so, you're also joining the Conch Republic Marine Army. Every little bit helps."
Volunteer in support of our non-profit partner:
Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers!
