Volunteer for Nature

Volunteer Positions

Program Overview

• Interested in becoming a volunteer? Here's the place to start.

  Check out the Volunteer Position descriptions below. Once you know what you're interested in, fill out the Volunteer Interest Form. Our volunteer coordinators will reach out to you about training and orientation. Thanks!
  

Conservation Rover

• Become the “go-to” volunteer for stewardship miscellanea.

  Do you want a taste of a little bit of everything? The conservation rover is someone who has a flexible schedule, a willingness to travel, and an excitement about learning, seeing and trying new things. They are the volunteer we call up when we need a hand installing a new preserve sign, want a second person to patrol boundaries with, or think would be perfect to investigate a suspected patch of invasive species. Conservation Rovers should have reliable transportation, be comfortable outside, and work well with others or alone.

  Commitment: Conservation rovers don’t have a set number of days they are expected to work, but they should try to be available within three weeks of notice and avoid cancellations.   

  Benefits: The chance to shape a volunteer position to your interests, and to learn about and participate in a wide range of conservation and land management practices. A connection to The Nature Conservancy, and the opportunity to work outside with others. Exploration of the state and the many unique and precious ecosystems within it.

  Why we need you: With more than 26,000 acres spread over 29 preserves, and more than 60 miles of trails, The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has a lot to manage. Our land stewards could often use another set of hands, but don’t always have volunteers in place to help, especially at our more remote preserves. We need conservation rovers to be a reliable, trustworthy network of support wherever we are, whatever we need to get done.  

  Supervisors:

  Northern NH: contact Mike Crawford.
  Southern NH: contact Joanne Glode.
  

Preserve Adopter

• Care for preserves with the flexibility of your own schedule.

  Our volunteer Preserve Adopters serve as our eyes, ears, and muscle on the ground, and as ambassadors to the public. They dedicate their time to a single preserve and work independently to meet the stewardship goals for the preserve. On their own time, they will help maintain trails, eradicate invasive species, and assist with workdays.

  Commitment: The Nature Conservancy requests a one-year, good-faith commitment and six annual visits to the preserve, with a focus on April-October.

  Benefits: Get hands-on learning and training in land management and stewardship practices. A connection to The Nature Conservancy and the opportunity to work outside with others. The chance to intimately know and care for a piece of land that is not only important to the community around it, but vital to the future of biodiversity.

  Why we need you: With more than 26,000 acres spread over 29 preserves, and more than 60 miles of trails, The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire has a lot to manage. Our stewardship teams perform tasks necessary to maintain ecosystem health, provide an outstanding visitor experience, and uphold the high standards we set for ourselves as owners and protectors of the land. In addition, stewards inform us of any urgent preserve needs, allowing us to address issues in a timely, efficient manner.

Trail Adopter

• Volunteer at your leisure to monitor and maintain a trail that’s important to you.

  Our trail adopters are just like you! Enthusiastic users of a Nature Conservancy trail that they want to help care for. Trail adopters agree to walk/hike/run/bike/ski their trail regularly and report on anything that is amiss, trim back encroaching vegetation, and remove any trash or debris. They also serve as ambassadors to the public and may assist with larger volunteer projects as necessary and able. Volunteers should have reliable transportation, be comfortable traveling the preserve trails, and be able to read a map.

  Commitment: The Nature Conservancy requests a one year, good-faith commitment and at least four annual visits to the trail, especially in early spring and after storm events.

  Benefits: Free training in trail maintenance, a connection to The Nature Conservancy, and the opportunity to work outside with others. The chance to serve your community by maintaining a valuable resource, and pride in a job well done.

  Why we need you: With more than 60 miles of trails across the state, The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire relies on the help of volunteers to ensure our trails are safe and user-friendly. Trail adopters perform necessary maintenance tasks and inform us of any urgent trail needs, allowing us to address issues in a timely, efficient manner.

  Supervisor: Contact Mike Crawford.
  

Volunteer Burn Crew Member

• Light a fire for conservation.

  Get trained as a Wildland Firefighter and participate in The Nature Conservancy’s fire management program at the Ossipee Pine Barrens and in Southern Maine. Volunteers help prepare units to be burned and join the burn crew day-of to put fire on the ground in a safe and effective manner. Tasks include ignition, running engines and pumps, holding line, and patrolling the fire at the end of the day to make sure that it is dead out.

  Commitment: Burn crew members must take a 30-hour online course through the National Wildfire Coordinating Group on their own time, pass a physical fitness pack test, and attend a field day in the spring. One day helping to prepare burn units is requested. Controlled burns occur, as weather allows, from August to October and typically last one day.

  Benefits: Free Wildland Firefighter Type II training. Experience on a controlled burn for anyone looking to advance a fire career, or curious about fire management. A connection to The Nature Conservancy, and the opportunity to work outside with others. Contribution to sound fire management practices and the protection of a globally rare ecosystem.

  Why we need you: The Ossipee Pine Barrens Preserve protects the largest intact pine barrens in New Hampshire, a fire-adapted forest found only on dry, sandy soils. Since 2007, The Nature Conservancy has been using controlled burns to restore and maintain the health of this globally rare forest type. Because we have a small staff, we rely on partners and volunteers to fill our burn crews to ensure a safe and successful burn.

  2021 Training: Due to Covid-19, we have not yet determined what (if any) training will be offered. We still welcome you expressing your interest! 

  Supervisor: contact Michael Crawford via email or at (603) 356-8833.

Oyster Conservation Volunteers

• Contribute to the preservation of Great Bay Estuary by helping with oyster restoration.

  Our Marine Team has fantastic opportunities for you to make a positive impact on the health of the Great Bay Estuary: The New Hampshire Oyster Conservationist Program and Spat Counting Volunteers.

  NH Oyster Conservationist Program: As an Oyster Conservationist (OC) you will receive a cage with young oysters (spat) in July and care for those oysters over an 8-week period (Sept). During this time, you are asked to check on the cage, clean it, and collect data twice. These oysters are then placed on top of an oyster restoration site in Great Bay in October.

  Requirements to be an OC include access to water around Great Bay Estuary in New Hampshire. New OC's will be given training during cage deliveries. By selecting this option on the form, you will be added to our database and contacted in April-early May for the next season. If you have any questions about participating in the OC program please contact our Oyster Conservation Coordinator Brianna Group.

  Spat Counting Volunteers: Once in July and once in September we have our spat counting week event. Volunteers meet at the UNH Jackson Estuarine Laboratory with the Oyster Conservation Coordinator to count and measure young oysters (spat) at the beginning and end of the season. By selecting this option on the form you will be notified of the dates for each event and directed to Nature Groupie to register for the event once posted. 

  Dive deeper into the Oyster Conservationist Program and learn why we care about oysters and volunteers!
  

Workdays

• Many hands make light work.

  And time flies when you’re having fun! Join other conservation-minded volunteers for a full or half day of hands-on outdoor work removing invasive species, clearing trail, or improving preserve infrastructure.

  All volunteer workdays are announced in Volunteer for Nature News, a monthly e-newsletter from your TNC volunteer coordinators. Sign up through the Volunteer Interest Form.