Volunteer Opportunities
To volunteer with the New Canaan Nature Center, please call Aura Stutzman at (203) 966-9577 x 64.
General Volunteer Opportunities
Grounds Maintenance
Volunteers are needed to help our staff maintain our unique 40 acre
property. Seasonally, there is a need for help with transplanting
flowers and shrubs, pruning of trees and bushes, planting bulbs, weeding, spreading wood chips
on our many trails and removing brush and invasive plants.
Visitor Center Host
As the first point of contact for visitors, the Visitor Center host creates a welcoming and dynamic environment for guests.
We are actively seeking volunteers with a cheerful, friendly attitude,
great communication skills, experience in customer service and working with children.
Handyman Projects
Our many buildings are always in need of improvements and general
maintenance work including carpentry, painting, electrical and plumbing
work. Volunteers with such skills can assist our staff in keeping
our buildings in good repair.
Marketing & Communications
We are currently in need of volunteers who are willing
to assist the Marketing Department with a variety of tasks that will
help publicize upcoming events. If you have experience in marketing,
communications or public relations we need your talents! >
Click here to learn more.
Administrative Work
The Nature Center periodically calls on volunteers to perform many administrative
duties including mailings (stuffing, labeling, sorting etc.), data
entry, filing and the delivery of our promotional literature to various
locales in the community.
PITCH IN Days
One day volunteer opportunities to come out and support NCNC on a variety of projects.
Animal Care Volunteers
Our dedicated Animal Care Volunteers, many of them high school students,
assist with daily feeding and exercising of the Nature Center's critters
and help us keep our Animal Care facility clean. All permanently injured
or otherwise human-dependent, our captive animals form a vital part
of our educational program.
General Volunteer Opportunities
Morning Rounds
Volunteers needed for misting, watering and checking on welfare of animals from 9:00 - 9:30a.m. Monday thru Saturday.
Saturday Animal Care Team
We are seeking volunteers ages 15 years and older who are interested in a career dealing with animals. Volunteers will assist with organizing and cleaning animal areas while learning grooming and exam techniques. Commitment needed for every Saturday morning for three to four hours.
Chicken Care
Help out with daily feeding, watering and letting our chickens in and out of the coop. Learn about sustainable backyard farming and get free eggs for your efforts! Shifts are daily, Monday - Sunday, either morning (7:00-7:30 am in summer / 8:00-8:30 am in winter) or evening (as close to dark as possible) and can be one day per week or multiple days. Individuals or small groups/families are encouraged to apply.
Adult Volunteer Opportunities
Birds of Prey
Adult volunteers are needed Mondays and Wednesdays for approximately one to two hours anytime between 9:00a.m. and 4:00p.m.
Special Mammals
Adults vaccinated for rabies may work with out skunk, opossum and bat for one hour Monday thru Saturday.
Greenhouse & Gardens
Greenhouse
Volunteers of all ages are needed for the New Canaan Nature Center greenhouse and garden to help water, prune and keep bugs away. There is also an opportunity to help create a plant care manual to help educate our volunteers and the public about the plants in our collection. Hours are flexible. Typical shifts are 2 - 3 hours during our standard business hours (Monday thru Saturday from 9:00a.m. - 4:30p.m.).
Herb Garden
From spring through the fall, volunteer opportunities
include gardening and propagation, crafts and culinary projects using
herbs, as well as, research and record keeping.
Children's Play Garden
Help us care for our newly revitalized play garden. Volunteers are needed to help weed, water and tend this precious space.
Special Events Volunteers
Fall Fair
This annual event is held in mid-October with games for children,
music, crafts and great food. Volunteers can help with setup and breakdown, as well as manning craft tables, the food tent, and many other fun-filled activities.
Winter Wonderland Festival
Volunteers with all types of talents are always needed for this exciting
community tradition. Help is needed in the days prior to the Festival to help set-up Santa's workshop, the model train display, and other activities. Day-of volunteer opportunities include help with holiday crafts, concessions, and various other activities.
Secret Gardens Tour
This annual event in early June allows participants to tour a number
of beautiful private gardens in New Canaan. Volunteers serve as garden
hostesses, help with the invitation mailing and the luncheon.
Other Opportunities
Summer Teacher Naturalists in Training (TNTs)
Attention teens age 14 and older: Looking for a way to spend some
of summer vacation? Consider spending it with energetic children while
they explore nature up close and personal! The New Canaan Nature Center
has an opportunity for you to become a Summer Teacher/Naturalists
in Training. Our Summer Nature Program TNTs spend their time assisting
our Summer Teacher/Naturalists (college-age & older) with everyday
camp responsibilities and learning appropriate ways to work with children
ages 3 - 10. We'll provide training!
Anne H. Harper Fellowship award for a TNT
The Anne H. Harper Fellowship award was created in 2000 as a tribute
to Anne H. Harper, the New Canaan Nature Center's Executive Director
from 1992-2000. The creators of the fellowship award sought to find
a way to help others follow Anne's example of leadership and commitment
in the service of environmental education.
The Harper Fellowship is designed to help a young man or woman, age
14 to 17, volunteer as a Teacher/ Naturalist in Training for the Summer
Nature Program. Many young TNT applicants who show great promise as
educators and role models for other youth cannot afford to volunteer
without financial help. The Harper Fellowship funds a summer volunteer
experience for one deserving applicant with a stipend, which will
be $500 in Summer 2007.
Our highest aim in supporting these young people is to help them
develop as future leaders in our community and in the environmental
field in general. We are pleased to invite you to submit an application
for this award to a Summer Nature Program volunteer who shares Anne
Harper's qualities of caring, effort and dedication.
Contact Keith Marshall at (203) 966-9577 x 15.
|
