Whoever said yard work was for boys never met 12-year-old Natalia Edmonson.

Edmonson was looking for a topic for a school civics project when she saw the Oakcrest Pet Cemetery at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center was in desperate need of a makeover.

  • Natalia Edmonson, 12, decided to clean up local pet cemetery
  • She rallied her friends and teammates to get the job done
  • Project started as a school assignment for civics class

“It was kind of rough,” Edmonson said. “It was pretty messed up. There were leaves everywhere, a couple signs were missing from the grave sites of some animals and it needed to be raked.”

Edmonson said she couldn’t help but think of her own dog and how it would feel if her grave wasn’t taken care of

“I would be upset,” Edmonson said. “I would want her to be buried in a place that stays nice and didn’t go down.”

She rallied her friends from her gymnastics team, and her mom called Pasco County Parks and Recreation to set up a volunteer day.

Saturday, the girls and other volunteers cleaned up the cemetery. They raked leaves, scrubbed headstones and cleaned benches.

The 80 acres of the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center is home to more than a dozen athletic fields and a pool. Pasco County Parks and Recreation Manager Brian Taylor said it’s hard for the county to give the cemetery, which is located in the back corner of the park, the care it needs.

Only five employees are assigned to take care of the massive property.

“In 2008 we lost 33 percent of our staff, so that compounded the situation," said Taylor. "When we can have the community come together and help us with a project like this it helps."

Edmonson said she hopes the work the volunteers did will be a pleasant surprise for residents whose pets are buried there.

“I think they will be excited that someone actually took a step forward and did something for their animals,” Edmonson said.

Taylor said if any Pasco County residents see spots in their community that are in need of care, they can call the Parks and Recreation Department to set up a volunteer day.