Get Involved with Pennsylvania
Thank you for your interest in dedicating your time to conserving nature! Find volunteer work or sign up to become a volunteer by filling out the short interest form below.
Current Ongoing Volunteer Openings
There is more than one way to volunteer for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. In addition to participating in scheduled volunteer events and work days, we have several ongoing volunteer opportunities.
Trail Monitors
Trail monitor volunteers are needed to walk the trails on our Pennsylvania Preserves, tend to light trail clearing, and notify us of any large, downed trees or other issues that need attention.
Volunteers will use their smartphones or tablets to connect to the Preserve Monitoring App and track their visits.
More details are available on the Preserve Monitoring Information Sheet.
Please fill out our interest form and select “Outdoor Opportunities (Field Work, Monitoring, Research)” to sign up or receive more information.
Please contact Molly Anderson with any questions.
Hike Leaders
If you enjoy being in nature and have a knack for sharing information about Pennsylvania's wildlife and ecosystems with others, consider becoming a volunteer hike leader!
Volunteer hike leaders are needed to assist with leading occasional hikes at our preserves during events.
Please fill out our interest form and select “Outreach Opportunities (Indoor & Outdoor)” to sign up or receive more information.
Please contact Molly Anderson with any questions.
Photographers/ Videographers
We are always seeking volunteer photographers and videographers to help us capture the beauty of Pennsylvania, the biodiversity of our preserves, and our work across the state.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to have their work showcased on our social media channels, webpages, and publications with content credit.
If you’re interested in volunteering your time and skills, please fill out our interest form below and indicate “photography and/or videography” in the “Interests/Skills” section.
Youth Groups/ Scout Troops
Taking care of the land is a great fit for the values and missions of many youth organizations.
Volunteering to conserve Pennsylvania’s natural heritage is a great way to learn while giving back to the community.
If interested in scheduling a workday for your group/troop, please reach out to Molly Anderson.
Social Media Ambassadors
Social media ambassadors help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our work in Pennsylvania.
Ambassadors are needed to tag us in photos at our preserves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Ambassadors will have the opportunity to have their content showcased on our social media channels, webpages, and publications with content credit.
We are also seeking assistance with reposting and resharing our content on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact pavolunteer@tnc.org for more information about current opportunities or fill out the interest form below to receive regular updates.
Guide to iNaturalist
Join the growing group of community scientists using our iNaturalist fact sheet.
Become a Community Scientist
We are creating a community science database of all kinds of life—from lichens to ants, mushrooms to plants, birds to mammals and everything in between for our preserves in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
TNC's roots began with local community members and scientists concerned about special places and species. That legacy continues today. Across our lands, we are utilizing iNaturalist—a digital platform that gives users an opportunity to share and discuss their findings.
Of our 14 preserve projects in iNaturalist, nine have observations recorded; help us increase that number and our understanding of the species—good and bad, native as well as invasive—that can be found on TNC lands across the state. This information can also help guide and inform our conservation staff's management and monitoring decisions.
Get Started with iNaturalist
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- Woodbourne Forest & Wildlife Preserve
- Chrome Barrens Preserve
- Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain
- Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain
- Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve
- Thomas Darling Preserve
- Long Pond Preserve and Hauser Nature Center
- Bristol Marsh Preserve
- Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve
- Brush Mountain
- Edward H. McCabe Preserve
- Harry and Mary Goering Preserve
- Pemberton Forest Preserve and Ponders Tract Trails
- West Branch Forest
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In this video tutorial, learn how to make an observation on iNaturalist using the mobile app. Watch now.
2024 Pennsylvania Volunteer of the Year
Tim Grover
The Staff and Board of Trustees at The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and Delaware congratulates Tim Grover for being our 2024 Pennsylvania Volunteer of the Year. We are honored that Tim generously gives his time and energy helping to keep our natural lands thriving, particularly serving as our monitor for the stream restoration site at the Blakeslee Preserve and service at the Tannersville Cranberry Bog. Tim has been an active member of the Tannersville Cranberry Bog’s stewardship committee for 12 years now.
Whether a group is picking up trash, performing trail maintenance, performing restoration efforts or pulling invasive plants, Tim says it’s all about collaboration. “This has been a great project because it is a collaboration between several groups, including TNC, to protect this unique habitat,” says Tim. “This is how projects get done now.”
Like many fellow nature lovers, Tim first developed a love for nature when he was young, growing up in Massachusetts. He recalls fond memories of visiting the Blue Hills in Canton, Massachusetts, with a class led by his high school science teacher, Mr. Tosti.
Understandably, Tim is concerned about the state of our natural world and the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and natural habitat being lost to development. “New land is not being created, and there is ever increasing pressure on the land we do have, but we still need to conserve land for other beings to live,” he says. “We all must share the same planet.”
Tim’s volunteer experience with TNC didn’t start in Pennsylvania, it started many years ago when he lived in California. “Conservation has always been important to me,” Tim notes. “I liked TNC’s approach. There was always lots of hands-on work to be done. When I moved to California, I lived in Fresno and found a small TNC property near Visalia called Kaweah Oaks. I visited it and learned about the property. This was a new property, as I recall, and there was work to be done. So, I helped. That’s where I got my oak leaf TNC hat. I’ve stuck with TNC ever since.”
Back on the East Coast, Tim has also spent a lot of time on Block Island, Rhode Island—a place he cherishes that was named by TNC in 1991 as one of 12 “Last Great Places” in the Western Hemisphere. TNC has had a large presence on the island and manages over 2,000 acres of habitat of the 7,000-acre island. “I was part of the RI Natural History Survey botany team when we had a BioBlitz on the island in 2010,” Tim shares.
When asked about his favorite place in nature in Pennsylvania, Tim says it is the Tannersville Cranberry Bog. “Having grown up bordering a swamp that I loved to explore, the bog gives me a chance to explore and work to conserve this unique place in Pennsylvania,” he explains.
“What keeps me motivated is the time I get to spend outdoors working doing things I love, that benefit places I care about,” Tim adds. “I feel that I am doing what I can to leave the world a better place.”
Thank you, Tim!
For more information about volunteering in Pennsylvania, fill out the short form below and we’ll be in touch with opportunities!
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