Volunteer Opportunities

The following are examples of the type of volunteer opportunities in which our members are involved.  In addition, the club is often in need of volunteers to serve on the board, lead walks, etc.  If you would like more information on other volunteering possibilities, please fill out the form and either bring it to a meeting or send it to the address indicated on the form.

Cape Cod National Seashore, Provincetown

Volunteers With Birding Skills Needed!

Cape Cod National Seashore is looking for volunteers with birding skills to help with a non-quantitative assessment of bird use of the "air space" at Herring Cove in Provincetown. The Seashore is planning to construct a small (~90 ft) wind turbine adjacent to the bath house Herring Cove.

The objective, together with the installation of solar panels, is to power the facilities at Herring Cove entirely with renewable, non-polluting energy. Herring Cove is near important habitat and staging areas for least terns, common terns, roseate terns, piping plovers, and other shorebirds. The interactions between birds and small individual turbines are not well studied. In consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, the Seashore developed an adaptive management plan to monitor for potential interactions between birds and the turbine, and to modify turbine operations if needed to avoid impacts.

The first step is to assess bird use of the "air space" that the turbine will occupy. To collect this information, stationary observers will monitor the proposed location of the turbine, and note any birds that transit through or over that air space. Observations can be conducted any time of day or night between now and Columbus Day, and observation periods can last from 30 minutes to as long as the observer would like to stay.

The ability to identify individual species in flight is ideal; however, the ability to identify to group (terns, shorebirds, gulls, etc) while in flight would be sufficient. The only equipment required is your favorite beach chair and some binoculars. For anyone interested in doing night-time observations, night-vision binoculars will be provided. 

If you are interested, or for more information, please contact:

Carrie Phillips
Chief, Natural Resource Management
Cape Cod National Seashore
508-349-3785 x 216
carrie_phillips@nps.gov

Crowes Pasture, Thompson's Field, Bank Street Bogs and Texeira box monitoring

See the bluebirds page for more informaton.

Mass Audubon Coastal Waterbird Program

Volunteers are needed to monitor piping plovers and terns from April - July.   Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary monitors and protects birds from Truro to Harwich (volunteers especially needed in Chatham and Harwich).  Training provided in March and throughout season.  Contact Cynthia Franklin, volunteer coordinator at 508-349-2615 or cfranklin@massaudubon.org. Other areas of the Cape are typically monitored by Coastal Waterbird Program seasonal staff, but contact Becky Harris (bharris@massaudubon.org) who has occasional needs for volunteer help on the mid-upper Cape.

Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Mass Audubon has announced the initiation of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2 which will systematically map the status of breeding birds on a statewide scale.  Mass Audubon needs volunteers to help survey our area for breeding birds.  Volunteers can either sign up to survey a whole block to survey, or individuals may report single sightings a single breeding bird.  Click here to find out more.

Bird Survey Volunteers Wanted

The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is seeking volunteers with skills in bird identification to assist with monthly field surveys at six designated sites located throughout the 3,000 acre Reserve. Volunteers would accompany a staff person to each of the sites and collect data on any species that are seen or heard over a 20 minute period. Three sites would be visited per day and it will take about 2 hours to complete given travel time between sites. The monthly survey dates are flexible and can be worked out to fit the volunteer’s schedule. Surveys will be done during morning hours. Please contact Nancy Church for further information.

Nancy Church
Interpretive and Volunteer Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
PO Box 3092
Waquoit, MA 02536

Phone 508-457-0495 ext.108
Fax 617-727-5537
nancy.church@state.ma.us

MAS Long Pasture and Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary Volunteers

Location: Cummaquid and East Falmouth MA

Energetic people of all ages needed to help with a variety of ecological management projects and property work at Long Pasture and Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuaries. Projects include field habitat restoration, invasive tree and shrub removal, ornamental tree care and a variety of trail work including mowing. Ability to use hand tools and mowing equipment. Some tasks may require heavy lifting. Ability to work without supervision required. Get a good workout while helping Long Pasture. Work days are flexible. Training provided.

Qualifications: Ability to lift 50 pounds, use hand tools, and work outdoors. 

To inquire about this position, for more information or to sign up, contact:
Ian Ives, Sanctuary Director
(508) 362-7475 or iives@massaudubon.org 


MAS Long Pasture Sanctuary Volunteers

Nest Box Monitors

Location: Cummaquid MA

Help build and monitor our bluebird nest boxes at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, March through August. 

Qualifications: You must be familiar with bird identification and have an interest in bird behavior and ecology. Training will be provided.

To inquire about this position please contact:
Chris Walz, Property Manager
508-362-9353 or cwalz@massaudubon.org

Volunteers Needed to Monitor Ospreys for the Mass Audubon’s “Osprey Project”

The return of the osprey is one of the greatest conservation stories of the last 30 years. In the early 1970s there were as few as 10 nesting pairs of these fish-eating birds of prey in Massachusetts. Now that number is over 400 pairs statewide. Cape Cod has also seen resurgence with an estimated 50 pairs now nesting on Cape Cod. Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is developing the Osprey Project, a project to monitor nesting ospreys and their productivity on the mid and lower Cape. Volunteers are needed to assist with osprey observations.

Click here for more information

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