Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Greenwich Audubon Center! To become a volunteer, please reach out to Christian Alexander and please fill out this application!

Helping Audubon's Mission

Volunteers are an essential part of our community. Help us achieve our mission to create environmental awareness and maintain a thriving and healthy habitat for birds and other wildlife! By becoming a volunteer, you also become a part of the solution to create a better, more sustainable world. Opportunities are available for volunteers 14 years of age or older. If you are under 14 years old, you can still volunteer as long as an adult accompanies and works with you. To review volunteer opportunity themes, please see our list of descriptions below.

At the Greenwich Audubon Center, we have youth leadership and teen volunteer opportunities through our Teen Board and events organized by the Teen Board. Members of the Teen Board volunteer gain experience in areas such as organizing and hosting events, conducting community science and research, conducting community engagement, helping to restore and enhance habitat at the Greenwich Audubon Center, and developing leadership skills. To volunteer on our teen board, please reach out to Christian Alexander and fill out this application form!

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us. We will be in touch with you when we have opportunities aligned with your interests and schedule. If you require training, we will reach out to you the next time we host a volunteer training session in your areas of interest. Volunteer opportunities vary based on time of year and the availability of our staff.

Volunteer Opportunities

Land Stewardship

• Trail Crew (Adult)

The Greenwich Audubon Center’s volunteer-led Trail Crew drives the upkeep and maintenance of the Center’s 15+ mile hiking trail network. Weekly stewardship opportunities are available, with one larger project scheduled on a monthly basis. As a member of the trail crew, your specific responsibilities may include:

• Installing new trail elements (e.g. water bars) or sections of trail
• Repairing physical infrastructure such as bridges and boardwalks
• Identifying and replacing aging, damaged, or missing signage
• Clearing fallen trees and debris, and removing plants that encroach on designated trails
• Invasive plant monitoring and removal
• Identifying opportunities for general trail improvement, with a specific eye towards visitor safety and the overall hiking experience

Audubon staff will work directly with trail crew volunteers to identify and accomplish specific tasks for each workday. All necessary tools and protective equipment (including gloves, safety glasses, and chainsaw equipment) will be provided by Audubon, as will water and snacks. Other volunteer perks include hands-on learning opportunities with Audubon staff and partners, Audubon swag, social media and newsletter spotlights, and an end-of-year volunteer appreciation party. Prior experience in trail maintenance is not required, but volunteers should come prepared to do physical work and may be required to lift up to 50lbs. 

Trail Crew workdays are scheduled weekly on Wednesday mornings from 9am-12pm. In general workdays are rain or shine, but exceptions will be made for severe weather (thunder/lightning, heavy rain, snow). Staff will communicate with volunteers prior to each workday to confirm final scheduling and outline work to be completed.

If you are interested in learning more or applying for a spot on the 2024 Trail Crew, please reach out to Christian Alexander, Senior Coordinator of Community Programs, at christian.alexander@audubon.org and fill out this application!

• Service Days (Youth)

The Greenwich Audubon Center’s volunteer service days occur on alternating weekends, and include a presentation on conservation topics of importance and/or upcoming volunteer opportunities, 2 hours of invasive species removal and habitat management, and planning for upcoming events. 

Audubon staff will work directly with trail crew volunteers to identify and accomplish specific tasks for each workday. All necessary tools and protective equipment (including gloves and clippers) will be provided by Audubon. Prior experience in trail maintenance/land stewardship is not required, but volunteers should come prepared to do physical work outside.

If you are interested in learning more or signing up to volunteer, please reach out to Christian Alexander, Senior Coordinator of Community Programs, at christian.alexander@audubon.org and fill out this application!

Center Operations

• Front Desk Volunteer (Adult)

Sitting at the Greenwich Audubon Center’s front desk makes you the first face visitors see! Our center desk volunteers help guide guests through our center and provide helpful recommendations for outdoor adventures on our property. Tasks expected of center volunteers include:

• Acting as a friendly and welcoming face to visitors entering the center
• Providing recommendations of trails and hikes visitors can use and recently seen wildlife
• Checking out purchases in our store
• Advertising upcoming events/programs to visitors.
• Communicating any questions or concerns visitors may have to staff
• Answering phone calls at the front desk and transferring them to appropriate staff

Audubon staff will work directly with center volunteers to identify and accomplish specific tasks for each workday. Hours for volunteering at the front desk follow when our center building is open, which is from 10 AM – 4 PM, Thursday – Sunday. Staff will communicate with volunteers prior to each workday to confirm final scheduling and outline work to be completed.

If you are interested in learning more or applying, please reach out to Christian Alexander, Senior Coordinator of Community Programs, at christian.alexander@audubon.org and fill out this application!

• Animal Care Volunteer (Youth)
  • As of 2/15/24, all weekday animal care spots are filled. If you are interested in becoming an animal care volunteer, please reach out to Christian!

The Greenwich Audubon Center’s animal care volunteers feed, clean, and maintain the animal enclosures in our learning center. The animals at our center include two axolotls, two tree frogs, a corn snake, a box turtle, a leopard gecko, and three tanks of insect species. Weekly opportunities to volunteer are available, and volunteers are expected to consistently attend on their designated day before 4:00 pm. The tasks to take care of our animals are expected to take about 30-45 minutes, and include:

• Feeding our animals
  • Requires being comfortable with potentially picking up mice and insects with tweezers, including cockroaches, worms, and beetle larvae
• Cleaning their enclosures and waste
• Performing water changes for the axolotl tank (if able, requires lifting heavy buckets)
• If interested, opportunities are available to help at events with animal interaction stations, showing kids how to safely engage with our animal ambassadors

Audubon staff will work directly with animal care volunteers to train them in all tasks needed to take care of our animals, and will be available to assist if necessary. Volunteers are expected to read through our animal care guide and to follow all procedures. Teens under 14 must be accompanied by an adult in order to volunteer. If you are interested in learning more or applying for a spot as a 2024 animal care volunteer, please reach out to Christian Alexander, Senior Coordinator of Community Programs, at christian.alexander@audubon.org and fill out this application!

Education

• Teacher Naturalist (Adult)
  • Visit this page if you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Teacher Naturalist!

The Greenwich Audubon Teacher Naturalist volunteers help our education staff in delivering outdoor education programs, both with schools and during education events. We provide comprehensive training for beginner and experienced volunteer teachers to help inspire children to learn about their natural environment. Training workshops are held twice a year on weekdays in March and September, but volunteers can get started anytime in the year. Our training includes:

• Fall field course in nature studies and teaching techniques
• Observation of programs by experienced naturalists
• Spring refresher courses

Upon completion of the initial training course, participants will be invited to assist and eventually lead organized outdoor nature programs for student groups. Initial training requires two mornings a week for four weeks. Trained teachers are asked to volunteer at least one morning or afternoon a week during the spring and fall. Our experienced leaders have taught at our center from two to more than 25 years!​

Our volunteer teachers are important to the success of the Audubon mission and a highly valued part of the Audubon team. In addition to providing training, we offer:

• Field trips to other nature centers
• Discounts at The Nature Store
• Congenial company of other nature enthusiasts

If you are interested in learning more or applying, please reach out to Ryan MacLean, Senior Coordinator of Public Programs, at Ryan.maclean@audubon.org.