Volunteer Naturalists Needed For Seattle Parks

Volunteer Naturalist helping a young volunteer plant a tree.

The City is looking for volunteers to join the Seattle Volunteer Naturalist Program  to "share their love and knowledge of urban nature with park visitors."

The program consists of 10 weeks of training and a commitment to providing 12 programs a year at Environmental Learning Centers and in parklands near schools throughout Seattle. 

The information says:

Are you interested in learning more about the flora and fauna of Seattle’s many public green spaces and parks? If so, you are the perfect candidate for the Seattle Volunteer Naturalist program. Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Volunteer Naturalists provide hands-on learning opportunities for school groups and nature programs for families and adults at Discovery Stations, destination locations throughout parks that present visitors with a theme and natural objects that help them discover their backyard parks.

For example, volunteers would have a spotting scope at Bald Eagle nest locations and at Green Lake Park so visitors could follow the nesting cycle of Bald Eagles or Pied Billed Grebes. Another is a station at Me Kwa Mooks Beach or Discovery Park Beach with shells and information about intertidal creatures. One could be a Forest Station to introduce people to the many plants, mammals and birds that make the forested parklands home.  

Volunteers’ backgrounds are as varied as the students they teach - the common thread is their desire to share nature with the greater Seattle community.

The goal of the Seattle Volunteer Naturalist Program is to enhance, promote and foster appreciation of nature by connecting citizens and students with their Seattle parklands, by providing educational opportunities for all. 

Deadline for applications is tomorrow and training begins on March 8th.

For more information and application go here or email Penny Rose at penny.rose@seattle.gov or call 206-386-4250. 

(photo courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation)