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 our organization and partner's efforts to preserve and protect the natural resources and beauty of the Colorado Plateau. The Grand Canyon Trust Volunteer Program gives volunteers the opportunity to become stewards of this area, which is home to 15 Native American tribes and 29 national parks and monuments and 26 wilderness areas — America’s densest concentration of celebrated landscapes. If interested, please look for upcoming projects on our website.
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. Get out in the field and work alongside regional botany experts to complete important inventory and monitoring projects throughout northern Arizona.
Visit Budding Botanist program webpage to see more information about these projects and sign up to volunteer. Contact Kate Watters by phone: 928-774-7488 or email for more information about how to get involved.
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:
Connie Cowan, Museum of Northern Arizona, native seed sorting and planting
Sheila Murray, Horticulturalist, Arboretum at Flagstaff, native seed sorting, greenhouse work
Debbie Crisp, Forest Botanist, Coconino National Forest, 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, researching native plants for AZNPS brochures, editorial and photographic skills; proposal writing for AZNPS projects like PAPAZ
Tina Ayers, Deaver Herbarium, NAU, mounting herbarium specimens, filing; (may require previous training)
Scott Harger, San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area and Coconino Natural Resource Conservation District Range Conservationist, communicating about invasive plants and rangeland plant communities
Steve Gatewood, San Francisco Peaks Weed Management Area Coordinator, 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. 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.
Volunteers for Outdoor Arizona voaz@voaz.org |
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTHERN REGION (TUCSON AREA)
For many years, AZNPS has led invasive plant control and restoration efforts on the Ironwood Forest National Monument. These efforts include desert restoration of an 18 acre disturbed piece of land to its Sonora Upland Desert Landscape, buffelgrass eradication on the Watermans, and bermuda grass control in a beautiful desert wash under Ragged Top Peak. For more information please contact John Scheuring by email or at 520-404-6758.
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 their Biological Science Technician, Saguaro National Park, 520-733-5187.
UA Herbarium Volunteers
The University of Arizona Herbarium (located in Herring Hall) is looking for a few steady volunteers. We are in need of help with databasing herbarium labels, with miscellaneous projects and occasionally with mounting herbarium specimens. If you would like to contribute to making specimens available for research, then please contact the herbarium by email or call 621-7243.
Cochise County Herbarium Volunteers
The Cochise County Herbarium (located in the Plant Science Center, 1140 N. Colombo Ave, Sierra Vista) is looking for a few steady volunteers to mount plant specimens, enter data and identify plants. Please contact Cecile Lumer at the herbarium by email or call 520-458-8278 ext. 2172 or 520-432-4294.