Become a Volunteer!

Who are our volunteers?
Our volunteers are friendly, dedicated individuals who come together as a result of their appreciation of nature. Volunteers work together to help with our mission of conservation, environmental education, and outdoor recreation. They help with our goal of preserving the landscape and protecting the flora and fauna which characterize the area. Our fantastic volunteers range from children to adults, from individuals to Scout troops, families, and pairs of friends.

What do our volunteers do?
Volunteers make the difference at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on support from our dedicated volunteers. Their combined efforts allow our small organization to make an even greater impact. Here, each individual has the capacity to make a significant positive difference and share in the success.

Conservation Efforts
Volunteers who participate in conservation related activities propel our mission of conserving ecological systems and natural settings. They collect and plant seeds, clean up trails, help mark paths, and remove invasive species.

Citizen Science Programs
There are occasional opportunities to assist with research projects whose goals are designed to increase the effectiveness or efficiency of the conservation work.  Past examples include Blanding’s turtle surveys, American Woodcock monitoring, FrogWatch and snowpack monitoring.

Support for Large Events
To insure the success of our public programs and fundraisers, we need as many helpful hands as we can get! Our largest attended and widely popular events that rely on the assistance of volunteers include:

• Wildlife Festival (May or June)

• Wild About Blue Fundraiser (October or November)

Trail Stewards
Trail Stewards are dedicated volunteers tasked with walking a specific trail or parcel. After their visits, stewards are expected to provide the Wilton Preserve office with brief updated note on the current trail conditions. Having extra eyes on the trails means we can be made aware of problems faster, such as fallen trees, illegal use etc. and let our land-owner partners know.

Check out our NEW BLOG POST on “What Do Our Volunteers Think About Wilton Wildlife?” by clicking HERE!

Assist with Environmental Education Programming
We can always use help for public programs such as Karner Blue Butterfly Walks, Nature on the Move Walks, Winter Discovery Walks, Owl Prowls, Moonlight Hikes, and more! Since we love to engage children at these events, we provide a hands-on craft activity for another way volunteers can work with the public.

Volunteers also assist by helping with field trips at the Wilton Preserve. They distribute class materials, demonstrate crafts, shadow activities, and maybe learn a little something too.

Join our Volunteer Email List!
Interested in receiving updates on volunteer opportunities? Want to attend a monthly volunteer meeting an enjoy a free guest speaker? We would be happy to match you with a volunteer position that fits your interests. Contact Bella Osborn at bella@wiltonpreserve.org with your name, phone number and email, and volunteer interests.

What do our volunteers think?

Volunteering at the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park has been even better than I thought it would be! Besides getting to help with hikes, such as Moonlight Hikes, Owl Prowls, Karner Blue & Monarch Butterfly Walks, and Spring Discovery Hikes, I have also gotten to assist with Fieldwork Friday projects. These are opportunities to do trail maintenance, such as hanging new markers, removing debris and fallen branches, monitoring invasive species, and planting flowers. The monthly volunteer meetings are super fun - there is always a guest speaker who has expertise in environmental science, so it is both a learning experience and a social time. There is also cool WWPP swag available! I love being a volunteer!! - Nina Russo