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 North River Wildlife Sanctuary 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 Projects Include: 

Maintaining trail systems that allow people of all abilities to experience nature 

Restoring priority habitats by removing invasive plant species and supporting native plant communities 

Caring for protected land through hands-on stewardship and seasonal restoration work 

These projects are 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 the morning of April 7, 2026 for a group of around 5 to 20 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 remember to dress for the weather, wear long pants, closed-toed shoes, and bring water and work gloves if you have them.

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. Most groups support their volunteer day with a company gift in the range of $500–$2,500 or more depending on group size and scope. 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.

Celebrate Earth Month with a day of service at North River Wildlife Sanctuary!

Spend your morning working with sanctuary staff to clean up the native gardens and walking trails as part of Mass Audubon's Statewide Volunteer Day. Learn about the invasive plant species that currently inhabit the sanctuary, why they are detrimental to the ecosystem, and how to identify them.

Before getting to work, start the day with a hot cup of coffee and breakfast as you take in the beauty of nature, get to know other volunteers, and learn about the importance of the work that you will be doing. After your work for the morning is done, enjoy free admission to the sanctuary for the remainder of the day and hit the trails or explore our visitor center.

This volunteer opportunity will include one or more projects that are accessible and inclusive to volunteers with a broad range of abilities. For more detailed information on these projects, or to discuss any accommodations that would be helpful, please contact Nicole at southeast@massaudubon.org.

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.

Families or small groups can sign up by clicking “Respond as Group.” Only one person in the group will need to create a volunteer account: you will then create a name for the group, click the “Add Me” button to add yourself to the group, and use the “Add Volunteer” button to enter the first and last names of each additional group member. Finally, designate yourself as the group leader (look for the checkbox) and click Finish. Look for the green banner – and an email – indicating you have completed the whole process.

Visitor Center Volunteer

Opportunity Description

North River Wildlife Sanctuary Visitor Center Volunteers play an important role in welcoming visitors to Mass Audubon's North River Wildlife Sanctuaries. They assist staff in providing excellent customer service, supporting engagement operations, and ensuring an overall positive, enriching and enjoyable experience for members, visitors and program participants.

Specific tasks include:

Offering assistance with information about the sanctuary, visitor center, programs, events, the surrounding area, and Mass Audubon in general, making referrals as appropriate to the Mass Audubon webpage.

Distributing sanctuary maps, information, and trail suggestions.

Collecting and processing admission fees.

Checking membership status and recording visitation statistics.

Understanding and introducing visitors to the benefits of Mass Audubon membership. Processing new memberships and assisting with renewals.

Assisting in the gift shop and processing gift shop sales.

Using a Point-of-Sale system, cash register or credit card machine for sales and admissions.

Answering phone calls and providing information, guidance, and direction.

Answering general nature-related questions or making referrals for more information.

Helping to keep the visitor center, lobby, front desk, and shop neat and organized.

Helping to maintain displays and bulletin boards.

Assisting occasionally during peak periods such as holiday weekends or special events, such as working a greeting table outdoors, etc.

Assisting with other program support, where appropriate.

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.

As a Trail Steward volunteer, you will monitor North River's 2-mile trail system and report any issues, such as fallen trees or rough trail conditions, that you encounter. North River's trails meander through forests, woodlands, and uplands, along boardwalks, and across open meadows. 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

Virtual training will be provided and required.

Submit and successfully clear CORI/SORI background check

Watch Trail Steward volunteer training

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; 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.