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Current Seasonal Opportunities
For the safety of our staff, volunteers, and community, our conservation volunteers will be working independently, with someone that they live with, or safely social distanced with one of our conservation stewards. You may not be working with staff for this program, however staff will be on the premise if you need anything. It is vital that we still get work done, so we are calling on our volunteers to help get done what would normally get done in groups. Below are our current opportunities! Feel free to press the "Sign up!" button to sign up for the time slots available for that project. For more details see the information at the bottom of the page. 

Douglas-Hart Nature Center: Do on own time

Ash Stump Painting

Our Ash trees have been infected with Emerald Ash Borer, meaning we sadly we are in the process of cutting them all down. Help us make the best of the situation by painting one (or more) of our stumps nature or game themed ideas. The best part? You can do stump painting on your own time.  Just contact us and let us know the stump you want to paint, when you want to paint it, and the idea you have, and we'll provide the paint and brushes. 

Douglas-Hart Nature Center: Mon.-Fri. 1, 2, or 3 hour slots 
*  available for Home School Conservation as well

Land Stewardess Director Special

Sometimes we have conservation projects that are time-sensitive. Weather it is helping us use the wood chipper so we don't have down trees blocking the way, watering, cleaning trails, or even planting, this position is for those who are "up for whatever."

Critter Castle Creation ​*

Critter castles are a great way for us to get rid of excess tree debris and to help provide safe places for our local critters to live. Help build a mighty castle for our critters to dwell in. 

Sustainability ​*

As we all know, people don't always pick up after themselves. Help us keep on the trash fight by picking up trash that is located around the property. 

Native Plant Cultivation *

Taking care of our native plants is extremely important to us. Help us support our goals around the year by helping the native plant's life cycle. From seed collecting to seed planting in our greenhouse and from seed planting to planting in our prairie, help our natives thrive. 
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Current program: Seed Crunching- October 29- January 1
Help us crunch up collected seed that will be spread in our prairie. It is possible to take seed home and do this at home if you'd like, but we would recommend doing it in a garage or shed. 

Greenhouse Helpers

A lot of the plants that you see throughout the foundation are grown in our greenhouse. Keep your mind on spring by helping fill conetainers for our native plants to be planted in. This is a great family project!

Special Dates at Douglas-Hart Nature Center

Saturday Conservation 9-11 am

Work in social distanced groups to help accomplish conservation work at the Nature Center. Please RSVP so that we can plan accordingly.
9-11 on December 19​- Project TBA

Weekday Conservation

Tuesday and Thursdays we have a small group of people that come in and do social-distanced conservation together from 9 am-12 noon. Please RSVP so that we know you are coming and can plan accordingly.

The Whiteside Garden: Wed. 9-11 or 1-3

Whiteside Wednesdays

Interested in volunteering at The Whiteside Garden? Join us every Wednesday from 9-11 am or 1-3 pm and help with a variety of garden tasks and projects, Plus, it’s a great opportunity to learn about interesting horticultural plants at the same time!

Friendship Garden

Weekly Trash Collection

Families get a lot of use out of the gardens, which we are very happy about. That also means that there is trashcans and the occasional litter that we need to keep on. Help us keep the park looking nice by collecting the trash around the park.

On Hold Until Spring

Invasive Plant Removal ​*

Along with our goals to support native plants, we also are fighting the war against invasive plants. Help us in this fight by removing invasive plants. 

Pollinator Care ​* ​

Pollinators are a huge part of our ecosystem. Normally when we think of pollinators we think of bees, but it's not just bees! Birds, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other animals help with the pollination process as well. Help support the ecosystem by tending to native plants and providing a home (and food) for these important creatures.

Mulching *

If you look in almost any direction at the Nature Center you'll see mulch in some shape or form. Rather in garden beds, on trails, around trees, or in our specialty areas, mulch is a huge part of what we do around here. Help spread it and support our plants and community with this project. 

For safety purposes, each volunteer must be 18 or older or be accompanied by an adult they live with. All volunteers should also keep a cell phone on them at all times. Emergency numbers and a first aid kit will be provided by us as well as masks, gloves, sanitized tools, and cleaning products (to sanitize tools at the end of your project) for you to use. For those who are going to do multiple projects, a personal pair of gloves will be offered as well. Volunteers are encouraged to call us during their volunteering time if they have any questions, concerns, or information we should know.

Your project can be worked on between 8am-4pm Monday through Friday. Other times are available upon request, please email volunteer@dhnature.org if these times do not fit.

When you sign up for this opportunity, we will contact you (normally by email) and confirm the date and time you have signed up for. 

THE PROCESS:
​1. Sign up for a project you want to do by clicking HERE, or email the volunteer coordinator to help you get set up. 

2. The coordinator will email you to confirm your date and set a time.

3. The day of, staff will have a social-distanced meeting with you to will walk you through expectations, how to sanitize tools when you’re done, when you will follow up (if you aren't doing full time in one sitting), etc.

4. Work on your project and make an impact in your community and the environment. Again, feel free to contact staff at any point during your volunteering session if you have any questions, concerns, or information that we should know.

5. When you are done, please sanitize all tools.

6. Feel free to sign up for another project and repeat.

Thank you so much for your understanding and interest. Your help makes a world of difference. If you have any questions or would like to get involved please feel free to email volunteer@dhnature.org.