Northern • Central • Southern •
Volunteer Opportunities
The following volunteer opportunities provide chances to help with important plant surveys, seed collecting, and contribute to the restoration of degraded habitat. These opportunities help link AZNPS members with land managers and allied conservation organizations.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NORTHERN REGION
Here are some contacts for opportunities to help promote knowledge, appreciation, conservation, and restoration of northern Arizona's native plants and their habitats, the mission of the Arizona Native Plant Society.
Grand Canyon Trust Volunteers
Volunteers are absolutely essential to Park managers’ efforts to preserve and protect the natural resources and beauty of Grand Canyon National Park. The Grand Canyon Trust Volunteer Program gives volunteers the opportunity to become stewards of one of the world’s natural wonders and a World Heritage Site. If interested, please look for upcoming projects here.
The Plant Atlas of Arizona Project (PAPAZ) is a partnership with the Arizona Native Plant Society, Grand Canyon Trust, Desert Botanical Garden, Forest Service, Northern Arizona University, and Museum of Northern Arizona to document the plant diversity of Arizona by training volunteer botanists to assist on research and collecting excursions. Click here for training schedule.
AZNPS and The Grand Canyon Trust have several volunteer opportunities for Budding Botanists associated with the Plant Atlas Project of Arizona this summer. Get out in the field and work alongside regional botany experts to complete important inventory and monitoring projects north of the Grand Canyon.
Also we are extending our volunteer activities to southern Utah National Forests and seeking people who are able to identify plant species of southern Utah for three-reference area volunteer trips and one trip on Boulder Mountain, where we are doing extensive beaver habitat assessment. Three southern Utah National Forests are entering into welcome agreements with the Trust to protect and utilize healthy examples of important habitats ("reference areas") for comparison with similar, but impacted sites elsewhere on the Forests.
Visit the link below to see more information about these trips and sign up to volunteer. http://www.gcvolunteers.org/utah.html<>
Or contact Kate Watters 928-774-7488, kwatters@grandcanyontrust.org
Here are some contacts for opportunities to help promote knowledge, appreciation, conservation, and restoration of northern Arizona's native plants and their habitats, the mission of the Arizona Native Plant Society:
Keri Stiverson, Museum of Northern Arizona, keri.stiverson@hotmail.com; native seed sorting and planting
Sheila Murray, Horticulturalist, Arboretum at Flagstaff, sheila.murray@nau.edu; native seed
sorting, greenhouse work
Debbie Crisp, Forest Botanist, Coconino National Forest, dcrisp@fs.fed.us; analysing field
data, researching native plants for development of field training guides, organizing files, proposal writing, plant ID, mounting herbarium specimens
Barb Phillips, Arizona Native Plant Society and Forest Service, bjphillips@fs.fed.us; researching native plants for AZNPS brochures, editorial and photographic skills; proposal writing for AZNPS projects like PAPAZ
Tina Ayers, Deaver Herbarium, NAU, tina.ayers@nau.edu; mounting herbarium specimens,
filing; (may require previous training)
Scott Harger, San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area Coordinator, cannonbone@msn.com; communicating about invasive plants
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CENTRAL REGION (PHOENIX AREA)
Phoenix Weedwackers
The Phoenix Weedwackers, a volunteer group formed to help eradicate invasive species such as buffelgrass from the Phoenix Mountain Preserves, started their work in December of 2006 at Piestewa Peak in Phoenix. With an average of 20 volunteers a month they have made a significant impact in many areas of these preserves. To volunteer with the group, please contact claudia@phoenixweedwackers.com, and to see past work events visit their website.
The Weedwackers meet regularly throughout the year on the second Saturday of the month. The 2010 event hours from July onward are Jul-Aug 6-9 am, Sept-Oct 7-10 am and Nov-Mar of 2011 8-11 am. The group is currently working at Piestewa Peak as of July 2010. In the coming months our work locations may change to different parts of the parks so if you are not on the e-mail reminder list, please contact Claudia by email before showing up!!!
Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona
Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona (VOAz) conducts trails and conservation projects in cooperation with public and private managers of protected lands to preserve, and maintain our state's valuable natural resources. Most events are one or two days on weekends.
Check out the upcoming project in July at Canyon Creek Invasive Plant Removal.
Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona
2140 East 5th Street, Suite 8
Tempe, AZ 85281
voaz@voaz.org
602.966.2689
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTHERN REGION (TUCSON AREA)
The Sonoran Desert Weedwackers have been removing invasive grasses from Tucson Mountain Park since 2000. For more information, contact Marilyn Hanson.
Saguaro National Park Weedwackers meet every second Saturday, removing invasive grasses from SNP-East. They meet at the Visitor Center of the Rincon Mountain District. The Park provides all the necessary tools, including gloves for those who do not have them.
For more information contact: Chris Hannum, Biological Science Technician, Saguaro National Park, (520)733-5187
Tanque Verde Valley Weedwackers work on the east side of Tucson every first Saturday of the month. They are now working on Atterbury Wash which is a protected wash at Escalante Road and Sarnoff Road. For more information, contact Sally Danielson by email.
Education: The Tucson Chapter gets occasional requests to help local schools by giving presentations on native plants and with planting native gardens. If you are interested in helping out, contact Nancy Zierenberg at (520)882-7663.