Volunteer PositionsPosition volunteers are our greatest need! Volunteers who fill positions work on a scheduled basis, at least four hours a week. Volunteers who apply and are accepted in a specific position will be considered staff, will have a supervisor, a work schedule and will be provided with specialized training and orientation specific to their position. Below is a list of our positions available at both Sandy Bottom Nature Park and Bluebird Gap Farm:
Nature Center VolunteerLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Nature Center hours are Monday-Thursday 9:00am-6:00pm; Friday-Sunday 9:00am-7:30pm. Volunteers will need to commit to at least four to eight hours a week. Part-time shifts are 9:00am-1:30pm or 1:30pm-6:00/7:30pm and full-time shifts are 9:00am-6:00pm/7:30pm. Description: Nature Center volunteers are an important part of our ability to serve the public at Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Those who are friendly, outgoing and customer-service oriented are especially suitable for helping us out at the Nature Center, the main point of contact between park staff and general public. Becoming familiar with the park facilities and services and being able to answer questions by phone and in person will form the bulk of your duties - monitoring of radio traffic and some limited register duties will also be required. The Nature Center offers many different opportunities for guests - gift shop, rentals, live animal exhibits, displays, etc. Duties include answering phones, answering questions/customer service, gift shop register, stocking and cleaning, feeding and caring for animals in the center, assisting staff with rentals and equipment. Training will be provided. Qualifications: Volunteers who fill this position will be provided with training covering four main areas: register, customer service, animal care and radio instruction. Good customer service skills are essential. Volunteers must be people-oriented, have basic math ability and be reliable and trustworthy. Basic office skills are preferred but not required, such as use of fax machine, computer, cash register and phone. Volunteers must be 18 years and older and complete the application process, reference and background check. Park Ranger Aide AssistantLocation: Bluebird Gap Farm. Shift: Wednesday - Sunday, 4 to 6 hours daily. Description: If you enjoy the satisfaction of putting your all into something and don't mind getting dirty, this position is for you... and you are greatly needed! This position will require cleaning the homes of the animals at the farm, feeding the animals and other duties as requested. You will be working along side the Site Manager, Park Rangers and Park Ranger Aides. Qualifications: Basic knowledge of animals, farm work and landscaping preferred but not necessary as training will be provided. Must be physically able to work outdoors in varying weather conditions. Special Attire: Old work boots should be worn. Animal CaretakerLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Monday - Sunday; 2 to 4 hour shift is needed between the hours of 8:00am-2:00pm daily. The job of keeping the animals happy and healthy is not for the faint of heart, but if you don't mind a bit of hard work, this is a very gratifying job. In this position you will be working alone after being trained by a Park Ranger Aide in general maintenance of the animal areas, Nature Center and/or Wildlife Educational Area. Duties will involve handling reptiles and amphibians (feeding them breakfast and cleaning their homes) as well as caring for and feeding the animals within the Wildlife Educational Area (mammals excluded). Qualifications: Special training will be given for this position but volunteer must be able to handle snakes, turtles, frogs and other creatures/insects. *If applicant is 16 yrs or younger, they will assist Ranger Aide in handling of animals. Flowerbed CaretakerLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Monday - Sunday; varying shifts as needed. Description: Enjoy playing in the dirt? Proud of your green thumb? Well, we need you! Care of the park's flowerbeds and plant areas will ensure the beauty and quality of the landscape, for which the public has come to cherish. This project may also include the planting of new flowers, bushes, and or trees; watering plants and trees; and removing plants. You or your group could adopt one of our many flowerbeds to maintain monthly throughout the year. Qualifications: Knowledge of plants, flowers and weeds preferred. Ability and willingness to work outdoors in varying weather conditions. Physical ability needed for weeding, watering, and planting of flowers and/or plants. Walkers/Trail GuardsLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Monday - Sunday as needed. Description: Are you a walker who loves the outdoors, who enjoys hiking the trails at the park? If so, you may be perfect for this position! With the many trails that Sandy Bottom Nature Park has to offer, the maintenance is an ongoing obligation. This position allows a group or an individual to rebuild, refurbish, and clean up broken pathways as you enjoy a hike/walk in the great outdoors. As you walk the trails, you could also check for trash and reline the trails with log barriers. Opportunities to lead nature hikes as a tour guide may even become available as this program develops. Qualifications: Physically able to walk varying distances as relining the trails with logs/landscape timbers as needed. Willingness to work outdoors and speak in front of people if needed for interpretive tours. If filled by an Adult Volunteer the duties of leading hikes as a guide may be needed as well. LandscapersLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Monday - Sunday as needed. Description: Yard care is an important part in the eyes of the public, be it their own lawns or the park's. Here at the park, the landscape is the first impression to being a great park. Landscapers will be responsible in maintaining the landscape of the park which includes tree trimming, bush trimming, and mulching. Qualifications: Knowledge of lawn care preferred. Basic skills regarding garden tools are needed, such as the use of rakes, hoes, etc. Must have the willingness and physical ability to work outside. Interpretive/Program LeaderLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Tuesday - Sunday; varying schedules. Description: Turtles, toads and snakes... oh my! From giving tours about wildlife to wildflowers, Interpretive/Program Leader Volunteers enjoy learning while teaching others about the natives at Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Join our team of knowledgeable interpreters and help teach our many visitors about what Sandy Bottom Nature Park has to offer. Those who fill this position will work closely with our Ranger in charge of programming... wonderful opportunity! Qualifications: Must be comfortable speaking in front of groups and demonstrate the willingness to learn. Also, must be able to walk varying distances in different weather conditions for certain programs. Kid's Fishing Program AnglerLocation: Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Saturdays from 10:00am- 11:30am beginning in April and ending in October. Description: Last year, our Kid's Fishing Program was held one Saturday a month with the help of our favorite volunteer, Mr. Slifer - Head Angler. Since Kid's Fishing has become a huge success, we want to be able to have this opportunity available for the children every Saturday. To be able to do this, we need two additional adult volunteers to train with Mr. Slifer and eventually cover Saturdays on their own. In this position, you will help children learn how to fish by showing them how to bait a hook, throw out a line, reel their fish in, and safely remove the fish from the hook. Qualifications: Basic fishing knowledge. Prior experience working with children preferred. Must be 18 years of age or older, dependable and reliable. A background check will be made on all applicants as well as reference checks. Bark Park Monitor (unofficially titled "Big Dog Patrol")Location: Bark Park located at Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Shift: Monday thru Sunday, whenever Bark Park members are visiting the Bark Park. Description: This is the newest position at Sandy Bottom Nature Park. We are in need of volunteers to assist in monitoring of the Bark Park area. Volunteers will be working with Park Rangers and Ranger Aides, reporting directly to the Volunteer Coordinator. Volunteers will ensure the safety of the Bark Park members and their dogs by addressing issues, concerns and breaching of posted rules. Volunteers will also assist in maintenance of the area by informing Rangers of any problems. Qualifications: Must be a current and active member of the Bark Park. Prior experience working with the public preferred. Must be 18 years of age or older, dependable and reliable. A background check will be made on all applicants as well as reference checks. Training will be provided. |
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