Opportunities From: Mass Audubon

Celebrate Earth Month with Your Team – Make a Real Impact!

Is your company looking for a meaningful way to give back during Earth Month? Bring your corporate group outdoors to Ipswich River and volunteer your time to protect, restore, and steward our natural space.

Please note: Earth Month group volunteer opportunities are designed for corporate and organized groups and include a request for philanthropic support alongside hands-on service.

Volunteer Project:

This project is part of Mass Audubon’s year-round stewardship efforts, which combine volunteer engagement, staff expertise, and sustained investment to care for our sanctuaries and wildlife habitats. Your team will enjoy a collaborative, outdoor and hands-on experience that strengthens bonds, promotes connection with nature, and delivers a lasting positive impact at the local level.

Details:
This opportunity is available Thursday, April 30 from 9am to 2pm for a group of up to 12 volunteers. Volunteers will engage in a variety of physical tasks, so please let us know if there are any accommodations needed so that all members of your group can participate! Please dress for the weather!

Contribution & Support:
Earth Month group volunteer opportunities are made possible through both volunteer effort and philanthropic support. For corporate and organized groups participating during Earth Month, a financial contribution is a requested part of the experience and helps sustain the land stewardship, tools, staff time, and materials that make these projects possible. This specific opportunity will request a company gift of $2,000 to cover the cost of the lumber and materials for the boardwalk. After you express interest, our team will follow up to confirm details and share simple next steps for making your group’s contribution.

How to Sign Up:
To express interest in this volunteer opportunity, you will have to create an account in our Volunteer Portal if you do not already have one (please use your company’s mailing address as your address!). Then, click the “Respond” button and in the Response Notes on the next page, share the company you’re from, the size of your group, and any accommodations your group members may need. Our Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch to make sure the opportunity is a good fit and confirm the details of your volunteer day.

Visitor Services volunteers assist staff in welcoming visitors to Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary from our parking lot admissions gatehouse or our visitors' center and provide them with information for their visit. 

 Responsibilities include:

Training is provided. Preferred hours would be from 12-3 pm on either Saturdays or Sundays. We are actively recruiting for volunteers to help during our busy season.

To express interest in this opportunity, click the "Respond" button. In the "Response Notes," share in a few sentences why you are interested and why you would be an excellent fit for this volunteer role. Please note that this step is only to express interest in this opportunity. A volunteer coordinator will follow up with you about the next steps, which will include a brief conversation and a background check before you begin volunteering.

To express interest in this volunteer position, please click the “Respond” button and in the Response Notes, include a few sentences about why you are interested in this role and why you’d be a great fit. Make sure to click the “Submit Opportunity Response” button at the end to complete the process. Training will take place on Saturday, April 18th from 10am-12pm. Our volunteer coordinator will reach out around then to share more about the program and next steps.

As a Trail Steward volunteer, you will monitor Ipswich River's 12-mile trail system and report any issues, such as fallen trees or rough trail conditions, that you encounter. Ipswich River's trails meander through wetlands, woodlands, and uplands, along boardwalks, and across beautiful landscapes. Volunteers will have the opportunity to get to know the sanctuary's trail system well and observe changes throughout the seasons.

Trail Stewards play a key role in helping Mass Audubon maintain safe, welcoming, and pleasant trails for visitors by alerting staff of priority areas to address along the trails. This volunteer position is a great fit for someone who loves spending time outdoors, hiking, and making trails and natural spaces both welcoming for visitors and protected for wildlife. It is also a great fit for someone looking for a flexible volunteer opportunity to do on their own schedule.

As a volunteer, you will be responsible for:

Hiking along trails on your own schedule when the sanctuary is open and submitting a report to staff with your findings

Clipping intrusive brush and branches, moving small-to-medium sticks and debris, and/or removing trash along trails as needed

Entering the hours you volunteered in our online volunteer portal with a phone or computer

In-person training will be provided and required.

Submit and successfully clear CORI/SORI background check

Attend a Trail Steward volunteer training in-person at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday, April 18th from 10am-12pm.

Be age 18 or older or always accompanied by parent/guardian when volunteering  

Commit to:

Hiking along at least one sanctuary trail at least once a month

Completing report form after each visit detailing what you found on the trails 

Responsibly using the provided Trail Steward equipment and alert Mass Audubon staff if any equipment needs replacing

Demonstrating and modeling responsible behavior on trails

Volunteers also agree to log their completed volunteer hours in our online volunteer portal. This can be done on a personal phone, computer, or tablet. Training on how to enter hours will be provided as part of volunteer orientation. 

Maintaining a safe work environment is a priority of Mass Audubon. Volunteers should dress in appropriate outdoor clothing for the weather and sturdy shoes, and bring a snack and water if you plan to be out on the trails for an extended period of time. Additional safety will be covered in the training. 

Trail Stewards can volunteer by hiking the trails at any time the sanctuary is open, Tuesday-Sunday and Monday holidays, dawn to dusk. Volunteers are asked to walk the trails at least once a month.

Trail Stewards offers a flexible and independent volunteer experience, but there will also be the opportunity to collaborate with other Trail Stewards and schedule times to work together.

To express interest in this volunteer position, please click the “Respond” button and in the Response Notes, include a few sentences about why you are interested in this role and why you’d be a great fit. Make sure to click the “Submit Opportunity Response” button at the end to complete the process. Our volunteer coordinator will reach out to share more about the program and next steps.

Celebrate Earth Month with a day of service at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary! Spend your morning cleaning up and spreading wood chips on our trails as part of Mass Audubon’s Statewide Volunteer Day. We will be outdoors on the sanctuary trail system for the morning.

Bring your own water bottle to stay hydrated; we’ll have light snacks ready to keep you energized.

Due to the physical nature of our project and the tools we’ll be using, this project is only for adult volunteers aged 18 and older.

How to Register

To sign up to volunteer, click the “Respond” button. You can then sign in using your existing volunteer account with Mass Audubon, or, if this is your first time using the volunteer system, you will be prompted to create a new account before signing up. Make sure to click the Submit Opportunity Response button on the next page and look for the green banner – and an email - indicating you have completed the whole process.

Join us at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary on the last Saturday of every month to help us maintain our sanctuary! Possible projects include invasive species removal, trail clearing, light carpentry, painting, raking and mulching. You will be working alongside our property team for the duration of the project.

To sign up to volunteer, click the “Respond” button. You can then sign in using your existing volunteer account with Mass Audubon, or, if this is your first time using the volunteer system, you will be prompted to create a new account before signing up.

As a Nature Play Volunteer, you will be a critical part of the Ipswich River Visitor Services team and our visitor experience. This volunteer will be stationed in our Nature Center and facilitate children’s activities for our visiting families. These activities could include things such as natural-based games, story time, and a variety of nature arts and crafts and would change seasonally.

This volunteer position is a great fit for someone who is comfortable welcoming and interacting with families with young children. This volunteer would also be able to promote Mass Audubon membership and answer basic sanctuary visitor questions. Training will be provided.

Volunteer shifts will take place on Saturdays either in the morning or in the afternoon. Shifts will be 2 hours long.

To express interest in this opportunity, click the "Respond" button. In the "Response Notes," share in a few sentences why you are interested and why this is a great volunteer role for you. Please note that this step is only to express interest in this opportunity. A volunteer coordinator will follow up with you about the next steps, which will include a brief conversation and a background check before you begin volunteering.