The New England Wild Flower Society seeks volunteers for a variety of capacities at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA, and at other locations throughout New England. Join this fun community – no experience is necessary and no matter what your skill level or amount of time you can devote to volunteering. Volunteers are needed to conduct guided walking tours for adults and children, drive cart tours for people needing mobility assistance, put together mailings for membership and marketing, provide horticultural assistance at Garden in the Woods, conduct field studies of native plant species, and rid habitats of invasive plants. A general Volunteer Application form can be found at http://www.newenglandwild.org/volunteers/volunteer-application.html. Specific applications for conservation volunteers and garden tour guides are also available on the web pages describing these tasks.
Volunteers can expand their knowledge of native plants, meet interesting people, and spread the word about native plant conservation by becoming a volunteer guide at Garden in the Woods. Guides lead our informal guided walks, which are given every day the Garden is open from April 15 to October 31. These informal walks are held for the general public at 10:00 a.m. on weekdays and at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Guides also lead tours for pre-arranged groups such as garden clubs, senior citizens, horticultural organizations, etc. throughout the season. Guides should attend our Guide Training Program offered in the early spring, become familiar with the Guide Training Notebook, and “shadow” experienced guides several times before leading their first tour. The first Gathering for Guides will be Tuesday, February 23, 2010, from noon to 2 p.m. with a brown bag lunch and lecture on alternatives to invasive shrubs. All guides should commit to attending four training sessions in March and April. Afterwards, monthly talks and walks are offered as refreshers. Children’s Group Guides lead groups of no more than 10 children, accompanied by two other adult chaperones. For more information about volunteering as a guide, contact Bonnie Drexler via email bdrexler@newenglandwild.org.
If you enjoy hands-on field work, the Plant Conservation Volunteer Corps (PCVs) program trains amateur field botanists to perform much-needed conservation work. Trained volunteers are integral to monitoring and managing rare and endangered plant species in all parts of New England. Comprehensive free training is provided. Make a difference to the environment! Plant conservation volunteers are especially needed for projects in Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and central and western Massachusetts. Training is beginning the first part of February. For more information about the Plant Conservation Volunteer Corps, contact John Burns, PCV Corps Administrative Coordinator, jburns@newenglandwild.org.
For those with horticultural tendencies, the Society can offer weekly half-day slots for able and willing volunteers at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA. To volunteer in the Garden, contact Scott LaFleur, Botanic Garden Director, slafleur@newenglandwild.org.
The Society’s native plant nursery at Nasami Farm in Whately in central/western Massachusetts is seeking volunteers to help with all phases of plant propagation, including seed collection. To volunteer at Nasami Farm, contact Maureen Gray, mgray@newenglandwild.org.
If you are looking for a rewarding place to learn, enjoy the outdoors, and find the native plant conservation mission of the Society to reflect your sense of the world, please volunteer with New England Wild Flower Society. The projects are fascinating and very meaningful to the conservation of native plant species in New England.
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