Help Protect What You Love
Volunteers—and the thousands of hours they give every year—make ACR’s programs possible.
Sign up for a day, or enter ACR’s popular docent program and become a volunteer naturalist.  Join us today and start connecting with the beauty of our preserves, make new friends and know you are helping protect the wildlands of Marin and Sonoma counties.

ACR has trained thousands of docents over the years, who have in turn shared their time and love of nature with generations of schoolchildren. Thousands of other volunteers have oriented visitors, cleared trails, removed invasive plants, become field observers, worked in ACR’s library and completed construction projects. ACR would be nowhere without its volunteers!

We have lots of opportunities. Read through the list below, or just scroll down to these programs, which are recruiting new volunteers now:

Docent/Martin Griffin Preserve
Weed Watcher Volunteers
Habitat Protection & Restoration at Martin Griffin Preserve
Bouverie Preserve Stewards

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

EDUCATION PROGRAM 

Docent/Martin Griffin Preserve
Training begins soon!
Discover the natural history and environment of coastal Marin. Through 23 classes you’ll learn about everything from banana slugs to Great Blue Herons to the ecology of redwoods—all taught by experts and run by experienced docents who make the classes fascinating and fun. After training is completed, docents visit local 4th and 5th grade classes and inspire life-long nature appreciation by leading students on nature walks at the Martin Griffin Preserve. Fee is $120 (may vary slightly) to cover material costs. Partial scholarships available. Next training begins September 2010. Call 415-868-9244 or email rsvp@egret.org to sign up!

Docent/Bouverie Preserve
Docents of the Bouverie Preserve guide schoolchildren on the trails and visit local classrooms. Experienced docents also lead guided weekend nature walks. Training topics include birds, wildflowers, mammals, amphibians, Coast Miwok Culture, spore and seed producing plants, regional plant communities and environmental education techniques. Classes meet once a week for 23 weeks. Fee is $120 (may vary slightly) to cover material costs. Partial scholarships are available. Applications for the next docent training - which will begin in August 2011 - are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information, call 707-938-4554 or email bouverie@egret.org.  

Ranch Guide/Martin Griffin Preserve
Martin Griffin Preserve Ranch Guides provide information to visitors about the preserve and its many unique natural features during public season, from mid-March through mid-July. Volunteer times are on weekends and holidays and are flexible. For more information, call 415-868-9244 or email rsvp@egret.org.

Ranch Host
Ranch hosts greet and orient visitors as they arrive at Martin Griffin Preserve. There is no training or experience necessary. Ranch Hosts volunteer during the weekend or on holidays during the spring and early summer. For more information, call 415-868-9244 or email acr@egret.org 

CONSERVATION SCIENCE & HABITAT PROTECTION

North Bay Heron & Egret Project 
Join our volunteer field observers and track heron and egret nesting sites throughout counties in the North Bay. Your work will be vital for protecting nesting Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons and other species, and essential for developing information for scientists, researchers, planners, birding enthusiasts and local residents. To become a trained field observer, call 415-663-8203 or email cgrc@egret.org. For more information on the Heron and Egret Project, click here.   

Shorebird & Waterbird Monitoring on Tomales Bay 
Each year ACR’s scientist-led census of shorebirds and waterbirds on Tomales Bay is possible thanks to volunteer help. Join the team, and you’ll help collect data on these bird populations from boats and from the shores of beautiful Tomales Bay. Volunteers should have excellent birding skills and be able to identify birds in flight and from a distance. Call 415-663-8203 or email cgrc@egret.org for more information. 

HABITAT RESTORATION

Bouverie Preserve Stewards
Bouverie Stewards work intimately with the land throughout the year at the Bouverie Preserve in Glen Ellen. This dedicated crew assists with all sorts of habitat protection and restoration work, while learning about the ecology behind the project. Examples include: removing Douglas Fir seedlings; installing fencing in the pasture before grazing cattle arrive; removing invasive species; and using GPS units to map invasive species. For more information, call 707-935-8417 or e-mail Jennifer Potts at jpotts@egret.org

Habitat Protection & Restoration at Martin Griffin Preserve
Join the Habitat Protection & Restoration team Thursdays from 9am-Noon and help with ecological restoration in Martin Griffin Preserve’s Four Canyons. Activities include collecting seed, propagating native plants, preparing project sites, out-planting and ensuring survival of plants, and renovating facilities. For more information, call 415-868-9244 or e-mail Doug Serrill at doug@egret.org

Weed Watcher Volunteers
Martin Griffin Preserve
Invasive weeds are known to heavily colonize habitats with an adverse affect on their adapted environment. By discovering weeds before they become well-established, you can help protect Audubon Canyon Ranch’s unique natural resources, while deepening your understanding of the natural world. Volunteers learn to identify invasive plants and report their findings, and enjoy a flexible, independent survey schedule.

For more information, please contact ACR Vegetation Management Project Leader Matthew Danielczyk at 707-888-9190 or matthew@egret.org.

Work Days at Martin Griffin & Bouverie preserves
Help us clear trails, pull out invasive plants, work in the library or do light construction, and lunch is on us! Check the calendar for upcoming dates, or for more information contact Martin Griffin Preserve at 415-868-9244 or acr@egret.org or the Bouverie Preserve at 707-938-4554 or bouverie@egret.org. 