Current Volunteer Opportunities
Join the friendly volunteers who help The Nature Conservancy restore remnants of our rare and beautiful prairie landscape and learn about our natural heritage in the process. New faces are always welcome! Work parties are scheduled year-round every Tuesday and every second Saturday of each month. For more information or to sign up, please email Peder Engelstad at pengelstad@tnc.org.
Upcoming Work Parties:
Prairie Restoration - Thurston County
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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SCATTER CREEK WILDLIFE AREA VOLUNTEER PULL PARTY
Saturday, May 17th, 9am -2pm
Hello Conservation Northwest Supporters in Thurston County!
We are hosting another fun prairie restoration project in the Scatter Creek Wildlife Area from 9am to 2pm on Saturday, May 17th. If you'd like to attend please RSVP with Jen Watkins: jen@conservationnw.org or 206.675.9747 ext.203.
Find out more about the restoration project here:
http://www.conservationnw.org/calendar/scatter-creek-prairie-restoration-project/
Thanks for your support!
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Ongoing Prairie Restoration
Every Tuesday volunteers meet with staff from The Nature Conservancy to conduct restoration work on one of the prairies in the south sound. Volunteers also meet on the second Saturday of each month at Glacial Heritage Preserve. The work varies from pulling to Scotch Broom to planting native species. Each week on the prairies brings a new restoration activity. Learn to wild collect seeds or monitor prairie species. Fill out a volunteer application and join us!
Restoration work is also a great team building activity! Bring your school or civic group out to the prairies and enjoy the outdoors together while you improve the environment.
Annual Events - Saturday, May 3rd
Prairie Appreciation Day at Glacial Heritage Preserve and Mima Mounds happens only once a year. Please visit their website to find out how you can participate in Spring '08.
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A network of citizens, landowners, conservation groups and public agencies is working together to safeguard and restore the South Sound prairies. As a volunteer, you can:
- help remove invasive species
- establish native plants
- provide nesting sites for prairie birds
- ensure compatible use of prairie lands
- support continued protection of prairies
The Nature Conservancy of Washington has some great opportunities for you. Read below to learn about our current volunteer opportunities or e-mail your postal mailing address to WAvolunteer@tnc.org and we'll send you more information.
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VOLUNTEER NEWS
Successful Volunteer Day at Scatter Creek
Volunteers made some great progress in pulling scotch broom at Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, Saturday, March 22nd. The efforts were especially important because broom was removed from an area where many sensitive plants were growing. Another party pull is planned for Saturday, May 17th.
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Restoration at
Wolf Haven
March 15, 2008
Volunteers enjoyed a sunny Saturday on March 15th for The Nature Conservancy’s first volunteer work party held at Wolf Haven International. The volunteers wielded weed wrenches to wrest the invasive scotch broom from Wolf Haven’s beautiful prairie. One hardy soul eschewed the weed wrench and pulled out the scotch broom with his hands!
The volunteers’ efforts cleared an area bordering Garry oaks, which will in turn help to create an area for butterflies. The wolves made themselves heard in the background throughout the day, and the volunteers finished up the work day by taking a tour to see the wolves up close.
----Colleen O'Shea, Tenalquot Prairie Restoration Specialist
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On Saturday, November 20th, four hardy souls braved the wind and rain to join The Nature Conservancy for the very first Tenalquot Prairie Volunteer Work Day. Doug Whitlock, Cliff Snyder, Barry Bidwell, and Bill Funk have volunteered to restore the prairies of South Puget Sound for over a decade. Between the four of them, they have contributed significantly to the restoration of our prairie landscape and to the expansion of the volunteer program. Each volunteer brought their own energies and talents to this event: Doug, a world-class sawyer; Barry, our resident lepidopterist; Cliff, giant blue gopher specialist; and Bill who monitors western bluebird boxes each helped make the day a success. Since January 2007, volunteers have given over 3,500 hours of service towards prairie restoration; their efforts are key to continued prairie conservation and we are grateful to each of them.
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VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Plant Propagation Specialist: Spend half of a 30 hour week propagating and caring for rare and fragile native prairie plant seedlings (training provided) at Shotwell’s Landing Native Plant Nursery. Spend the other half researching native flora and designing plant profiles for outreach and education purposes.
Riparian Vegetation Monitor: Spend a minimum of 10 hours a week surveying and identifying plants at several sites on the Black River in Thurston County. You'll need your own transportation, and some experience identifying plants of the Puget Sound.
For information on any of these opportunities, contact Carri Marschner, the Mima Land Steward at:
(360) 570-0083,
or e-mail her at cmarschner@tnc.org.
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The Nature Conservancy's South Sound program has initiated an exciting partnership with the Tacoma Urban League's Youth Leadership Corps, which provides a foundation for under-served inner city youth by offering them opportunities to volunteer and learn new skills while guiding them to complete their high school education or continue with higher education.
The first few days in the field were a new experience for the volunteers as they learned to identify invasive weeds while facing snakes and assorted insects for the first time. But they quickly adapted to a routine that currently includes controlling reed canarygrass along one of the tributaries of the Nisqually River.
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