Lend a hand!
Do you love the Preserve and want to help out? We're always looking for volunteers to assist with office work, trail work, and other positions! Or maybe you have special talents in graphic design, IT, or marketing and advertising and would like to give an independent nonprofit nature preserve a hand. Whatever your skills, we'd love your help in keeping the Preserve running, and protecting the beauty of the Lake Myosotis watershed. We have a lot of volunteer opportunities!
Fill out the form below to be added to the volunteer email list, and when opportunities arise you'll be contacted! For specific inquiries about the positions below, email [email protected].
Fill out the form below to be added to the volunteer email list, and when opportunities arise you'll be contacted! For specific inquiries about the positions below, email [email protected].
Volunteering Opportunities
Citizen Science
Phenology Trail Monitor
Help is needed to record the timing of biological events (e.g. leafing out, flowering, fruiting, leaf drop) in our plants, shrubs and trees along the short falls loop near our Visitors' Center. These data are part of a larger, multi-site effort to understand the potential implications of climate change. Volunteers are needed throughout the year. Come on your own schedule. Let us know if you are interested, and we'll arrange a training! Contact [email protected].
Help is needed to record the timing of biological events (e.g. leafing out, flowering, fruiting, leaf drop) in our plants, shrubs and trees along the short falls loop near our Visitors' Center. These data are part of a larger, multi-site effort to understand the potential implications of climate change. Volunteers are needed throughout the year. Come on your own schedule. Let us know if you are interested, and we'll arrange a training! Contact [email protected].
Stewardship
Trail Assessments
Heading out on the trails and want to help us out? Or did you notice a trail issue while out hiking? Please fill out our trail assessment form and email it to [email protected] or [email protected] to help us keep our trails in excellent shape!
Heading out on the trails and want to help us out? Or did you notice a trail issue while out hiking? Please fill out our trail assessment form and email it to [email protected] or [email protected] to help us keep our trails in excellent shape!
Trail Stewards
Hike the trails and complete trail assessments while using small hand tools to do minor trimming of branches and weeds that may impede trail walkways. This role is almost exclusively outdoors and available only in the spring, summer, and fall. Volunteers can perform trail assessments by using the assessment form (available online) at any time, or can pick a section of trail they regularly hike and become that section’s guardian – regularly clipping small branches and reporting larger problems to buildings and grounds and stewardship staff. Contact [email protected].
Hike the trails and complete trail assessments while using small hand tools to do minor trimming of branches and weeds that may impede trail walkways. This role is almost exclusively outdoors and available only in the spring, summer, and fall. Volunteers can perform trail assessments by using the assessment form (available online) at any time, or can pick a section of trail they regularly hike and become that section’s guardian – regularly clipping small branches and reporting larger problems to buildings and grounds and stewardship staff. Contact [email protected].
Invasive Species Crew
In 2020 we adopted our first invasive species management and monitoring plan. It's a big project, and we need a dedicated crew of volunteers to work alongside our Stewardship Coordinator, Garrett Chisholm, and his seasonal staff. You'll learn how to identify invasive species and become an invaluable piece of our plan to effectively protect our beautiful lands and waters from the invasive species that threaten them. We'll make work days even more rewarding by incorporating fun activities. Join us!
In 2020 we adopted our first invasive species management and monitoring plan. It's a big project, and we need a dedicated crew of volunteers to work alongside our Stewardship Coordinator, Garrett Chisholm, and his seasonal staff. You'll learn how to identify invasive species and become an invaluable piece of our plan to effectively protect our beautiful lands and waters from the invasive species that threaten them. We'll make work days even more rewarding by incorporating fun activities. Join us!
Office and Administrative Roles
Office work
Be part of the office when it's time for a big mailing or event.
Be part of the office when it's time for a big mailing or event.
Photography
Do you like to take photographs while hiking our trails? Please send them to us! We love to have pictures to share! We also occasionally need volunteer photographers at our events, which frees up staff for other roles while making sure we have photographs for social media, exhibits, and displays.
Graphic design
Have graphic design experience? Please consider helping to redesign flyers, posters, and brochures from time to time! Occasional project-based work available on your schedule.
Advertising & Marketing
If you’ve got experience with advertising and marketing and a few hours to spare, we’d love your help with reviewing our fliers, brochures, and other materials. We’re also looking for someone with experience with Google Ads campaigns to improve the usage of our Google Ad Grant. Please contact us for details!
Do you like to take photographs while hiking our trails? Please send them to us! We love to have pictures to share! We also occasionally need volunteer photographers at our events, which frees up staff for other roles while making sure we have photographs for social media, exhibits, and displays.
Graphic design
Have graphic design experience? Please consider helping to redesign flyers, posters, and brochures from time to time! Occasional project-based work available on your schedule.
Advertising & Marketing
If you’ve got experience with advertising and marketing and a few hours to spare, we’d love your help with reviewing our fliers, brochures, and other materials. We’re also looking for someone with experience with Google Ads campaigns to improve the usage of our Google Ad Grant. Please contact us for details!
Education Roles
Education program and outreach positions
We are also seeking people to act as support and teaching assistants for school field trips in the spring and fall, for summer education programs, and helping with guided hikes throughout the year. Field-trip support volunteers will receive basic training from Huyck Preserve staff. No special background is required; your main role will be to serve as an extra set of eyes on student groups and to answer basic questions about the activities.
Throughout the year the Preserve has tables at festivals and events around the region. Volunteers staffing these tables hand out brochures and other items and encourage people to join our email news list. Volunteers may answer basic questions about the Preserve – where we are, what the trails are like, and what programs we offer – and chat with event visitors about the Preserve. These volunteers are asked to work our event table for a few hours (2-4) typically on weekends during the event, and may set-up or break-down the table and display board.
Help Preserve staff with festivals at the Preserve by acting as greeters, welcoming guests and handing out programs and brochures, directing traffic, staffing children’s craft tables, or other roles depending on the event. Special events are held a few times a year, and include the Winter Festival and Annual Benefit, in addition to other one-time events.
We are also seeking people to act as support and teaching assistants for school field trips in the spring and fall, for summer education programs, and helping with guided hikes throughout the year. Field-trip support volunteers will receive basic training from Huyck Preserve staff. No special background is required; your main role will be to serve as an extra set of eyes on student groups and to answer basic questions about the activities.
Throughout the year the Preserve has tables at festivals and events around the region. Volunteers staffing these tables hand out brochures and other items and encourage people to join our email news list. Volunteers may answer basic questions about the Preserve – where we are, what the trails are like, and what programs we offer – and chat with event visitors about the Preserve. These volunteers are asked to work our event table for a few hours (2-4) typically on weekends during the event, and may set-up or break-down the table and display board.
Help Preserve staff with festivals at the Preserve by acting as greeters, welcoming guests and handing out programs and brochures, directing traffic, staffing children’s craft tables, or other roles depending on the event. Special events are held a few times a year, and include the Winter Festival and Annual Benefit, in addition to other one-time events.
Guided Hike Leaders
Do you have significant background in natural science or a related field? We can always use volunteers to lead guided hikes for special public events. Past hikes have included mushrooms, tracking, wildflowers, birds, geology, and trees. Come volunteer with us and share your knowledge with others! If interested please email [email protected] for more details.
Do you have significant background in natural science or a related field? We can always use volunteers to lead guided hikes for special public events. Past hikes have included mushrooms, tracking, wildflowers, birds, geology, and trees. Come volunteer with us and share your knowledge with others! If interested please email [email protected] for more details.
