Volunteer Opportunities Organization: Irvine Nature Center
Location: Stevenson, MD
Duties: Irvine's on-site and outreach field trip programs depend on volunteers to bring hands-on nature activities to students in and around Baltimore. Share your enthusiasm and appreciation of the environment with these children, increase your own knowledge of the natural world, spend time outside, and meet people with similar interests.
Contact: Carin Smith, volunteer coordinator: 410-484-2413, ext. 32.
Organization: National Wildlife Visitor Center
Location: Laurel, MD
Duties: Volunteers help run the visitor center, maintain the refuge, and support wildlife management. Assignments include: greeting visitors and providing information; leading tours for the visiting public and groups; taking part in special projects and events; performing clerical and administrative duties; working with computers, exhibits, and other technical equipment; maintaining trails; operating the bookstore; developing environmental education materials, assisting with teacher workshops and leading lessons; and assisting with volunteer recruitment efforts, orientation training, and job matching.
A commitment averaging eight hours a month for at least six months is required, but volunteers determine their own schedules. No special skills are needed, and on-the-job training is provided if needed.
Contact: Phil LePelch, volunteer coordinator: phil_lepelch@fws.gov or 301-497-5565
Organization: Audubon Maryland-DC and Friends of Patterson Park
Location: Patterson Park in Baltimore, MD
Duties: Needed volunteers include: environmental educators, bird watchers, naturalists, events coordinators and planners, fundraisers, graphic artists, food vendors, stage crew, ticket takers, ushers, painters, gardeners, maintenance workers, writers, graphic artists, photographers, database helpers, filers, researchers, accountants, historians, school liaisons, public relations volunteers, athletes, craftspeople, artists, dancers, tutors, carpenters, computer aides, and musicians.
Contact: Tekla Ayres, center director: tayres@audubon.org or 410-558-2473
Organization: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Location: Various sites
Duties: The CBF needs volunteers to plant trees each spring and fall in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia; to organize the tree nursery at the foundation’s farm in Upper Marlboro, MD; to help restore living shoreline using bay-friendly erosion-control techniques; to plant wetlands vegetation; to help restore oysters and underwater grasses; to help collect trash from the bay in Virginia; to represent CBF at various outreach events; to give presentations to interested groups about the health of the bay, its streams, and rivers; to help run the education field programs at the foundation’s headquarters in Annapolis; and to help with office tasks.
Contact: Heather Tuckfield, volunteer manager: htuckfield@cbf.org or 410-268-8816
Organization: Gunpowder Valley Conservancy
Location: Baltimore, MD
Contact: Karen Stupski, program director: Karen@heathcote.org, karens@ecoisp.com, or 410-667-1731
Organization: Cromwell Valley Habitat Restoration Team
Location: Baltimore County, MD
Duties: The restoration team's mission is to maintain the wild areas of the park to be as healthy and friendly to wildlife as possible. Volunteers are needed in this historic Baltimore County park to remove unwanted invasive plants and replant certain areas with native plants suitable for this particular environment.
Contact: Leo Rebetsky, park manager: cvpark@bcpl.net or 410-887-2503
Organization: Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN)
Location: Baltimore, Annapolis, or Takoma Park, MD; Washington, DC
Duties: CCAN's mission is to educate and mobilize citizens of the Chesapeake region in a way that fosters a rapid societal switch to clean energy and energy-efficient products, thus joining similar efforts worldwide to slow and perhaps halt the dangerous trend of global warming. Volunteers can choose to host a "House Party," organize an event, contribute photography or graphic design services, or work on data entry, phone banking, and mailings.
Contact: Irene Bruce, office manager: irene@chesapeakeclimate.org or 240-396-2154
Organization: Parks and People
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Duties: Parks and People works to build healthy communities in Baltimore by creating and maintaining green space in the city. Community Greening Volunteers assist with tree planting, gardening, litter and invasive plant removal, and administrative duties such as tool inventory, sit management and volunteer coordination. KidsGrow Kids' Companions provide direct service to Baltimore City children through tutoring, chaperoning field trips, conducting workshops and classroom management in this environmental education program.
Contact: info@parksandpeople.org or 410-448-5663
Organization: Baltimore Inner City Outings
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Duties: Baltimore Inner City Outings provides educational, enjoyable, safe and free outdoor experiences in Baltimore City youth. Dedicate volunteers are needed -- the organization has no paid staff -- to plan, participate in, and assess outings. To become a certified ICO Leader, the volunteer must be a member of the Sierra Club.
Contact: Bob Iacovazzi, Chair: bicobob@copper.net
Organization: Eden Mill Nature Center
Location: Pylesville, Maryland
Duties: Eden Mill provides opportunities for awareness and appreciation of nature at this historic site. The nonprofit organization is looking for volunteers to serve as Nature Center hosts, historians, tour guides, hiking leaders, construction workers, canoe/kayak program leaders, grant writers, animal care takers, elementary and adult nature educators, and office workers.
Contact: millinfo@edenmill.org or 410-836-3050 |
