So you want to volunteer? Join us for work days and restoration projects across central and western New York.  Meet other volunteers, get outside and make a difference!

2009 Work Days

Spring Clean Up: April 25
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Thousand Acre Swamp: Penfield NY
Join your fellow volunteers for a fun morning cleaning up after Old Man Winter. We’ll clear some brush and down trees and improve the trails so that others may come enjoy the beauty of Thousand Acre Swamp. Bring work gloves.

Contact Gregg Sargis: (585) 546-8030 x34 or gsargis@tnc.org.

Rob’s Trail (Trail Work): May 2
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Rob’s Trail; Canadice NY
Old Man Winter did a number on our new trail. Join your fellow volunteers for trail repair and vegetation management. Bring work gloves, hand saws, and loppers. The bird migration should be in full swing so we’ll have a symphony of songbirds to listen to while we work.

Contact Gregg Sargis: (585) 546-8030 x34 or gsargis@tnc.org.

Rome Sand Plains (Restoration Project): May 2
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Rome Sand Plains; Humaston Rd., Rome, NY
Wild blue lupine and pitch pine planting are part of the ongoing restoration effort at the Rome Sand Plains. Join your fellow volunteers to plant small wildflowers and trees and help us create a natural work of art! Snacks and water provided. Bring work gloves. 

Contact Chris Lajewski: (315) 387-3600 x22 or clajewski@tnc.org.

Eastern Lake Ontario (Invasive Plant Management): June 13
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands; exact location TBD
Invasive plants are destroying our world! Time to get rid of them before they find your yard. Join your fellow volunteers for an invasive species plant pull. Snacks and water provided. Bring work gloves.

Contact Chris Lajewski: (315) 387-3600 x22 or clajewski@tnc.org.

West Hill (Boardwalk/Trail Work): July 18
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
West Hill Preserve, Naples NY
Calling all volunteers! We need to improve our trail and construct a board walk so that others may come and enjoy the beauty of the Finger Lakes region. Bring hand tools and work gloves.

Contact Gregg Sargis: (585) 546-8030 x34 or gsargis@tnc.org.

El Dorado (Invasive Plant Management): July 18
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
El Dorado Beach Preserve; Ellisburg, NY
Invasive plants are destroying our world! Time to get rid of them before they find your yard. Join your fellow volunteers for an invasive species plant pull. Snacks and water provided. Bring work gloves.

Contact Chris Lajewski: (315) 387-3600 x22 or clajewski@tnc.org. 

Eldridge Wilderness (Sign and Trail Work): August 15
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Eldridge Wilderness, Ithaca NY
Over the course of the year our trails take a beating. Join your fellow volunteers to improve the trail so that others may enjoy the beauty of the Finger Lakes region. Bring work gloves and hand tools.

Contact Gregg Sargis: (585) 546-8030 x34 or gsargis@tnc.org.

Thousand Acre Swamp (Swallow-wort Pods): August 22
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Thousand Acre Swamp, Penfield NY
Invasive plant species management. Join us to pull swallow-wort pods before they burst open and spread their seed. Bring work gloves.

Contact Gregg Sargis: (585) 546-8030 x34 or gsargis@tnc.org.

Preserve Steward Needed for Bonaparte Swamp Preserve, Lewis County
Volunteer preserve stewards are greatly needed and appreciated preserve caretakers. Their assistance is essential to maintaining the integrity of the preserves in the Central & Western New York Chapter. Preserve stewards undertake site management duties and may supervise other volunteers as needed.

Responsibilities vary with sites. Stewards report observations and problems to the Northern New York land steward or the program stewardship ecologist. Preserve stewards should be able to work effectively with volunteers and the public; work with minimal supervision; enjoy spending time working out-of-doors; perform some strenuous tasks; have a commitment to the preserve they volunteer at, and to the goals and mission of The Nature Conservancy.

The preserve steward must visit Bonaparte Swamp regularly, use chapter supplies to maintain preserve trails, markers, maps, kiosks, etc., inspect boundaries and educate visitors and preserve neighbors about our work. If you are interested in learning more about being a Bonaparte Swamp preserve steward, please contact Chris Lajewski, Northern New York Land Steward at (315) 387-3600 x22 or clajewski@tnc.org.
 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Barry Truitt (Setting up a mist net); Photo © Cheryl Rose (Leopard frog).