Volunteer

Volunteering at the Refuge is a rewarding and valuable experience. Through a variety of public programs, visitors understand and appreciate the natural and cultural history of the Refuge. In many cases, you would be a volunteer with both the US Fish & Wildlife Service and San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society.

You can assist Refuge employees and partners with interpretive programs, outreach events, Summer Camp, field trips, and special projects. You can volunteer to help run the Visitor Center. You can rove Refuge trails to talk to visitors, note maintenance needs, and pick up litter. You can even attend community science events to help the Refuge photograph and track native California species. No matter your experience or interests, there are many ways to get involved. Fill out this interest form to get started!

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Volunteer Positions

Below are a selection of many of our available volunteer positions at the Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge. However, if you have special skills to contribute, such as constructing displays, computer skills, content creation, art, photography, etc., please feel free to reach out!

Requirements to volunteer may include: attending a volunteer orientation, attending scheduled trainings, meeting the age requirements for the program, and signing volunteer waivers. In addition, background checks may be required depending on the task.

Interpretive Program and Outreach Volunteers

Come help out with interpretive or outreach programs, or present a program of your own. We offer a wide variety of public interpretive programs and are always looking for new ideas and faces to share our mission of wildlife conservation and pollution prevention.

• Training: Volunteer orientation, attend two public programs of your choice, and partake in additional interpretive and environmental education trainings.
• Additional Requirements: Providing or assisting at 3 public programs or outreach events for one year.
• Hours: 2+ Hours for each program (varies depending on event)
• Locations Available: Environmental Education Center (Alviso), Visitor Contact Station or Refuge Headquarters (Fremont), Bair Island (Redwood City), Ravenswood (Menlo Park)
• Contact: [email protected] or call (408) 515-1889

Field Trip Docents

The EEC offers environmental education programs for all student age groups. Docents will gain experience in environmental education and public speaking and will be responsible for assisting Interpretive staff with managing and leading groups of students through educational activities.

• Training: Attend a volunteer orientation and partake in additional interpretive and environmental education trainings. Volunteers with previous experience are highly desired. Background checks may be required.
• Hours: Programs are generally hosted on weekdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on an as-needed basis, but some school programs may fall on weekends to accommodate for ongoing construction.
• Locations Available: Environmental Education Center (Alviso), Refuge Headquarters (Fremont)

Summer Camp Volunteers

Volunteers can help with our annual Marsh-in Summer Camp to assist or co-lead groups and activities for kids entering 1st-6th grade. Other potential ways to volunteer include helping with check-in/check-out, set up and break down, helping supervise students taking the bus, and more.

• Training: Attend a volunteer orientation and meeting. Volunteers with previous experience working with children are highly desired. Background checks may be required.
• Hours: Camp is typically held during a week in July for 3-4 days. Volunteers may help with all or some days. Hours can be variable but typically require an all-day commitment from morning to mid-afternoon.
• Locations Available: Refuge Headquarters (Fremont)

Restoration Project Volunteers

Experienced volunteers can help with upland habitat restoration. In the Fall and Winter, volunteers may plant California native plants, and in the Spring and Summer, volunteers pull invasive species to ensure that the native plants have a chance to thrive! Volunteers will coordinate with the Watershed Watchers Program Coordinator or Refuge staff, but will follow instructions from current long-time restoration volunteers on needed work. Other options include volunteering on Sundays for monthly volunteer work days.

• Training: Volunteer orientation and on-the-job training with current volunteers
• Additional Requirements: Individuals and groups of all ages must be physically able to do the work. Work is primarily outdoors.
• Registration: Volunteer work days will be posted on our calendar and Eventbrite.
• Locations: Environmental Education Center (Alviso), or Refuge Headquarters (Fremont) as scheduled

Community Science Volunteers

Become a citizen scientist! Are you interested in plants or insects? Volunteer at or lead a BioBlitz event to learn about plant monitoring and habitat restoration, or visit the refuge and document on your own. Volunteers just need access to a smartphone with the iNaturalist app or a camera to take photos that can be uploaded later to the iNaturalist project via a computer.

• Training: If you’re new to iNaturalist, we can help direct you! Otherwise, no training is required. Please contact the Watershed Watchers Program Coordinator at [email protected] or call (408) 515-1889 with any questions.
• Registration: BioBlitz events will be posted on our calendar and Eventbrite.
• Locations: Environmental Education Center (Alviso), or other Refuge locations as scheduled

Nature Store Volunteer

The San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society is looking for a volunteers and a volunteer coordinator for the Nature Store at the Visitor Contact Station in Fremont. We are seeking people with an interest in nature and wildlife, and who enjoy talking with others to help them learn to appreciate and enjoy nature and learn about wildlife and habitat preservation.

Volunteers in this position may go on to help in other ways over time. Some have developed their own public programs, or come up with ideas for improvements that reach visitors in different ways. You will become part of a group of friendly, dedicated volunteers.

For more information contact [email protected] or see VolunteerMatch.org.

• Training: Volunteer orientation and on-the-job training. In addition to processing sales at the store and keeping things neat, we will train you to engage and respond to Refuge visitors, answer questions, and help orient the visitors to trails, programs, and other activities.
• Additional Requirements: Our expectation is that you will volunteer at least once a month on a regular basis (with some exceptions for your vacations and the like).
• Hours: Currently, we are striving to keep the store open from 10am to 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteers may sign up for 2-hour shifts or the full 4 hour shift, plus extra time for opening/closing. If we have no volunteers, we may cancel the Visitor Center/Nature Store opening on that day.
• Locations Available: Visitor Contact Station (Fremont)

Warm Springs Docent

Volunteers are needed to give public tours of the Warm Springs Unit of Don Edwards SF Bay NWR (Warm Springs). Warm Springs is a vernal pool grassland in South Fremont with beautiful vernal pool flower blooms in April. This area is otherwise closed to the public.

• Training: Docents will be trained by Warm Springs staff and will attend at least two tours prior to leading a tour.
• Questions: Contact Ivette Loredo, Wildlife Refuge Specialist at [email protected].
• Additional Requirements: We are looking for docents who can lead two to four tours on weekends. (Two tours can be done in one day) in mid-April and make at least a two-year commitment. Tours are two hours long and limited to 20 participants.
• Hours: Typically tours are offered at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm and last two hours.

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