Opportunities From: Mass Audubon

Help Mass Audubon monitor Bobolinks and other grassland breeding birds at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. Bobolinks rely on open fields for nesting, and careful monitoring helps us better understand their presence, abundance, and breeding behavior while informing thoughtful grassland management.

Bobolink Monitoring Volunteers will be trained to conduct weekly visual surveys from designated vantage points around the fields. To minimize disturbance, volunteers will observe from select locations and record Bobolink activity and behaviors through an online datasheet. 

Shift/Schedule Information

This position runs from the last week of May through approximately the second week of July.

Monitoring will take place during early weekday mornings, generally between 6:00 am and 9:00 am, with volunteers rotating through 3 to 4 vantage points.

Additional morning surveys may be added if more volunteers are available.

Qualifications

Volunteers should be comfortable with grassland bird identification (both visual and audible), using binoculars, recording accurate field data, walking short distances on uneven terrain, and tracking volunteer hours through an online form. Training will be provided.

Successful completion of a CORI/SORI background check.

Prior birding experience is required, and previous grassland bird monitoring experience is helpful.

To express interest in this opportunity, click the "Respond" button. In the "Response Notes," share in a few sentences a little about yourself and why you would be a good fit for this position. Please note this step is only to express interest in this opportunity. Our volunteer coordinator will follow up with you with more information and next steps.

To Express interest in this opportunity, click the "Respond" button. In the "Response Notes," share in a few sentences a little about yourself and why you would be a good fit for this position. Please note this step is only to express interest in this opportunity. Our volunteer coordinator will follow up with you with more information and next steps. 

The crops crew at Drumlin Farm grows over fifty different types of fruits and vegetables - everything from acorn squash to zucchini! Our farmers employ sustainable techniques including field fallowing, soil amendment, crop rotation, and organic pest control. Our produce is sold through our own CSA, to restaurants, and at two farmers markets - in Union Square and Belmont Center. We are looking for volunteers to assist our staff at one or both of these markets. Come lend a hand with stand set-up, stocking vegetables, talking with customers, sharing recipe cards, and breaking down the stand at the end of the session. You can volunteer at one or both markets. Our farmers will be at Union Square on Saturdays from 7:00am -1:00pm starting on May 9. The Belmont market will be on Thursday afternoons from 1:00 to 6:30 starting on June 4. There is flexibility in scheduling the volunteer shifts. In appreciation for your help, you will receive some fresh veggies to take home.

Want to join us? Contact Pam Sowizral for more information or to sign up! Spring, summer, & fall dates available. This is an opportunity suited to adults.

Our farmers grow fifty different types of fruits and vegetables on 30 beautiful acres of Boyce Field – everything from kohlrabi to bok choy. This is local agriculture at its best. Our staff employ sustainable farming techniques including crop rotation, winter cover crops, and creative pest control, along with a major focus on soil amendments. No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides are used. Our produce is sold through our CSA, to downtown restaurants, at the Union Square farmers market, and at our own produce stand. We also support local food pantries with weekly vegetable donations. Proceeds from the veggie sales sustain the entire sanctuary, including our nature-based programs for children and families.

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. This position available for adults and teens age 16 and older.

As a Nature Guide volunteer, you will enhance our visitors' experience through natural history interpretation. With over 50,000 people visiting Drumlin Farm each year, Nature Guides play a key role in welcoming visitors and sharing information on a variety of nature-based topics about birds, animals, plants, the changing seasons... Specially prepared kits will help you engage with both adults and younger visitors. Our Field Teachers provide the training that will prepare you for this position.

This volunteer opportunity is a perfect for those excited by and committed to learn more about nature and share their knowledge with the children, adults, and families who visit our sanctuary. A background in education is a plus, while enjoyment from interacting with the public, a love of nature, and enthusiasm are required!

Responsibilities:

Requirements:

Next Steps:

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. 

To express interest in this opportunity, click the "Respond" button. In the "Response Notes," say why you are interested in joining us - thanks!

With over 300 acres of woodland, fields, shrubby edges, and ponds Drumlin Farm is a beautiful sanctuary. With the help of volunteers, our staff maintain these habitats for the benefit of birds & animals and for the enjoyment of the visitors who walk our trails. 

It takes many hands to keep the property in tip-top shape. Join us for our Saturday morning habitat restoration sessions. You will meet like-minded people and learn about nature while you lend a hand cutting back overgrowth, pulling invasive plants, planting native plants, and other projects.

The sessions are held two to three Saturdays per month, year-round weather dependent. The position is physical and requires walking on uneven surfaces and using hand tools.