Volunteer

The Friends are always looking for more volunteers interested in helping with programs. Last year, Friends members volunteered the equivalent number of hours as one full-time refuge employee!

Volunteer day - April 2010 Volunteering adds to a sense of personal ownership in the Refuge System. And while that sense of ownership benefits the refuges and all the plants and animals that reside or migrate there, a personal connection with a refuge benefits volunteers too. Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity to spread the word about the mission and importance of the Refuge.

Summer/Fall 2011 Volunteer Activities

Come one, come all! Schedule now to participate in various Refuge support activities that need your helping hands (and for some projects, your strong backs). While we can’t guarantee perfect weather for these work dates, we can certainly promise a fun time!

Please email the Volunteer Coordinator with questions regarding the 2011 list of volunteer activities. In advance of each activity, we’ll post a general invitation to everyone on our Friends email list and Facebook page (with meeting locations and time schedules), but we encourage everyone now to check their calendars and plan to join us!

Ongoing Volunteer Activities

Volunteer opportunities continue through the year, if you have the desire and the time to help. Contact the Visitor Services Manager at the Refuge Headquarters office at 360-484-3482. Some regular activities needing volunteers include the following.

Trail Maintenance on Long Island

Many trails are difficult to traverse due to down trees and overgrown vegetation.

Creating Digital Photographs

The Refuge is looking for volunteers to inventory and archive photos. Tasks include sorting through photos and slides, typing up information on a laptop computer, scanning with a portable scanner and laptop, and, in the future, organizing materials for long term storage. Tasks can be separate or combined, depending upon a volunteer's interest. Training and oversight provided. This will be an ongoing project.

4th grade environmental education program

Each year, from January through May, Willapa Refuge staff and volunteers from the Friends organization enter the 4th grade classrooms in Pacific County to teach four in-class lessons on the Refuge system, bird identification, habitat, and amphibians. If you are interested in volunteering to teach or assist, contact the Visitor Services Manager at the Refuge Headquarters office at 360-484-3482.