To express interest and apply for this volunteer position, please complete this form.
The Bobolink Project provides funding and technical support to farmers and landowners to protect breeding grassland birds. Grassland birds like Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows, and Eastern Meadowlarks breed in hayfields and pastures in New England, and their populations have declined in recent decades as farms were abandoned and haying practices intensified on remaining agricultural lands. The Bobolink Project works closely with regional partners to understand and mitigate the challenges that farmers face when trying to adopt best management practices on their farms, to strike a balance between production and wildlife conservation. As the program expands in five states, we need volunteers to help with landowner outreach, field vetting, field monitoring, and ongoing tasks.
The Bobolink Project operates in every corner of Massachusetts, as well as in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Maine. Volunteers can be in any of these states, preferably in or near agricultural areas. As we expand our outreach and enrollment in western Massachusetts, volunteers who are based in Worchester, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Berkshire counties can help to identify and monitor fields.
Landowner Outreach and Field Vetting: ongoing, with a higher importance and intensity until March 31, 2025. The goal of this phase of the project is to identify priority fields (large hayfields, or fields that are known to have birds) and encourage landowners to apply to the Bobolink Project.
Volunteer Tasks:
- Compile a list of fields that have grassland birds (through personal experience, etc.)
- Contact owners of the fields (personal connections are encouraged)
- Spread the word about the program to local organizations that may be able to promote it to farmers
- Post flyers and promotional materials in local businesses and meeting places
Requirements:
- None, since there is a variety of tasks to choose from
Field Monitoring: last two weeks of June. The goal of this phase of the project is to visit each field in the program once per season to count the number of breeding females.
Volunteer Tasks:
- Visit a field, walk transects, count birds and mark their locations on a map
- Optional: take note of invasive plant species in the hayfield and shrubland birds that are using adjacent habitat
Requirements:
- Attend a training (details to follow)
- Download the Quick capture app onto phone or tablet (maps can be predownloaded – service and data is not needed in the field)
- Must be available for one early morning monitoring session in the last two weeks of June
- Must have transportation and binoculars
- Must have sufficient identification skills of grassland bird species
Ongoing tasks: year-round. This project seeks volunteers for ongoing support for behind-the-scenes tasks.
Volunteer Tasks:
- Fundraising support
- Event support
- Outreach support
Requirements:
- Case by case basis, depending on the tasks. We will do our best to find appropriate tasks for everyone that is interested in helping
To express interest and apply for this volunteer position, please complete this form.
