Volunteer Opportunities

The following volunteer opportunities provide chances to help with important plant surveys, salvage operations, and contribute to the restoration of degraded habitat. These opportunities help link ANPS members with land managers and allied conservation organizations.

DON'T MISS THESE UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!

Volunteer Work Day on Earth Day April 22

The Restoration Crew at Saguaro National Park (Tucson) is requesting assistance to help salvage cacti and plants along the Cactus Forest Loop Road at the Rincon Mountain District (RMD). This work is in preparation for road improvement to take place this summer. The volunteer work day will take place Saturday April 22 (rain date Sunday April 23) from 7:00am to 12:00pm . Please RSVP to Dana Backer (733-5179 or dana_backer@nps.gov) by April 19th.  Limited to 40 volunteers. Bring water, hat, sunscreen and a snack. Meet at the Visitor's Center parking lot at 7am and we will carpool from there. Dana Backer, Restoration Crew Leader, Saguaro National Park.

Monitoring Workshop April 21 and Field Work funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant, The Arboretum at Flagstaff

The Arboretum at Flagstaff will host a training workshop for plant inventory and monitoring volunteers. The focus this year is monitoring seven threatened and sensitive plants in northern Arizona that may be incurring effects from long-term drought. Workshop topics include: how plant conservation is different from animal conservation; rarity in plants; species concepts; threats; population evaluation; demography, population viability; seed collecting and storage techniques. The first workshop will be held April 21th at The Arboretum and in the field. Additional field days will be scheduled in coordination with local land management agencies. The workshop is free; however, trainees should anticipate assisting in some field monitoring during the summer and fall. Contact Sheila Murray (sheila.murray@nau.edu) for more information on the workshop.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NORTHERN REGION

Grand Canyon Impact Study

Do you want to be part of an interdisciplinary team to help measure human impacts to vegetation, wildlife and cultural resources in Grand Canyon's backcountry? This spring there are several volunteer opportunities to join Grand Canyon National Park staff on 3-8 day backpacking trips to gather data on human impacts to natural resources.

While several studies have examined ecological changes and recreation along the Colorado River, little information exists on the impacts of visitor use on vegetation and small mammal communities in backcountry areas. In preparation for the revision of the Backcountry Management Plan, we will be conducting integrated recreational impact, soil, vegetation, and small mammal surveys in the inner canyon over the winter and spring of 2004-2005. We will compare human impact indicators and the distribution and abundance of plant and small mammal species in areas that receive high visitation with those that receive little visitor use.

To learn more, please contact Kate Watters, Backcountry Vegetation Specialist at the Grand Canyon National Park Science Center: 928.226.0158 or Katherine_Watters"at"nps"dot"gov.

Monitoring Workshop April 25 and Field Work funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant, The Arboretum at Flagstaff

The Arboretum at Flagstaff will host training workshops for plant inventory and monitoring volunteers. The focus this year is monitoring seven threatened and sensitive plants in northern Arizona that may be incurring effects from long-term drought. Workshop topics include: how plant conservation is different from animal conservation; rarity in plants; species concepts; threats; population evaluation; demography, population viability; seed collecting and storage techniques. The first workshop will be held April 25th at The Arboretum and in the field. Additional field days will be scheduled in coordination with local land management agencies. The workshop is free; however, trainees should anticipate assisting in some field monitoring during the summer and fall. Contact Sheila Murray (sheila.murray@nau.edu) for more information on the workshop.

VOLUNTEERS FOR OUTDOOR ARIZONA

Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona (VOA or VOAz) is a program created within the Dorothy Garske Center of Phoenix, Arizona. VOA organizes outdoor volunteer work projects in cooperation with public and private agencies to preserve, protect, and maintain our state's valuable natural resources. Most events are one or two days on weekends. VOA events are carefully planned to provide fun, safe, and productive opportunities to participate in trail work and habitat protection and improvement projects.

The mission of the Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona (VOA) project of Dorothy Garske Center is to promote stewardship of Arizona’s outdoor places through volunteerism. The combination of population growth in, poor land stewardship in the past, and reductions in the budgets of land management agencies threatens our ability to accommodate the growing interest in outdoor recreation, while preserving natural and historic places.

If you want to know more, their website is www.voaz.org/

Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona
4250 E Camelback Rd, #185K
Phoenix, AZ 85018
602.522.9127

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CENTRAL REGION (PHOENIX AREA)

Plant & Butterfly I.D. Work Days
Agua Fria National Monument

The Sonoran Audubon Society has volunteered to generate a plant list and a butterfly list for the newly formed Agua Fria National Monument. The Central Region Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society has agreed to work with SAS on this effort. The Agua Fria National Monument is about 40 miles north of Phoenix, accessed via the Badger Springs Exit (#256) off of I-17 N.

If you would like to be contacted for future work days, contact regina.rodgers@cox.net or 623.974.1105.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTHERN REGION (TUCSON AREA)

Volunteer Work Day on Earth Day April 22

The Restoration Crew at Saguaro National Park (Tucson) is requesting assistance to help salvage cacti and plants along the Cactus Forest Loop Road at the Rincon Mountain District (RMD). This work is in preparation for road improvement to take place this summer. The volunteer work day will take place Saturday April 22 (rain date Sunday April 23) from 7:00am to 12:00pm . Please RSVP to Dana Backer (733-5179 or dana_backer@nps.gov) by April 19th.  Limited to 40 volunteers. Bring water, hat, sunscreen and a snack. Meet at the Visitor's Center parking lot at 7am and we will carpool from there. Questions? Contact: Dana Backer, Restoration Crew Leader, Saguaro National Park, Phone: 520.733.5179

The Sonoran Desert Weedwackers

The Southern Chapter of ANPS is now the sponsor of this project. The Weedwackers eradicate exotic buffel grass and fountain grass from the Tucson Mountain Park. Weedwackers meet on the third Saturday of each month at the Caretaker's House across the road from Arizona Sonora Desert Museum on Kinney Road. Tools and camaraderie are provided.

Meeting Times for Sonoran Desert Weedwackers in the Tucson Mountains
8:00a.m. January-March, November-December
7:00a.m. April-May, September-October
6:00a.m. June-August

If you would like more information or would like to receive regular announcements about this volunteer opportunity, contact Marilyn Hanson at mfhanson@comcast.net

Sabino Canyon Exotic Grass Removal
Weed Wackers East: Anyone interested in volunteering to help remove exotic weeds from Sabino Canyon please contact Matt Johnson at 520.749.2547 or <mjohnson@ag.arizona.edu> for more information.