Environmental Educator

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The Assabet River NWR Visitor Center (Center) is a state of the art "green" building that offers the local community and tourists the opportunity to learn more about local wildlife and habitats, as well as the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). The Center is the primary location refuge visitors can obtain information about the Refuge, as well as the Eastern MA NWR Complex and the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). The Center also houses interactive, hands-on educational exhibits, a multi-purpose meeting room, and the Friends Group nature store. The trails are open year-round with Center hours of Thursday - Sunday, 10am-4pm.

Role of the Volunteer Environmental Educator
{Most active during school year, but opportunities are available year round}

• New volunteers are required to shadow an experienced volunteer at the front desk for at least 2 hours and shadow at least one school group visit
• Must have prior teaching experience. If you don’t have any please consider our Nature Guide position to begin with.
• In need of committed individuals who enjoy the company of children and are fascinated by the natural world
• Assists refuge staff with creating curriculum and lesson plans
• All program material will meet State curriculum standards
• Assists refuge staff on existing environmental education programs with school groups and scouts
• Ability to work with children of diverse backgrounds and abilities, and of different age levels (primarily elementary school)
• Flexibility to take on a variety of roles in order to conduct successful environmental education programming
• Ability to work outdoors for 2 - 3 hours at a time
• Possesses a team attitude and friendly demeanor
• Optional: assists in creating lesson plans for scouts and reaching out to local scout groups

Time Commitment Required

ü Educators are needed throughout the school year, late September through May or June

ü Our existing Urban Education team meets approximately ten times during the school year

ü We are looking for individuals who can commit to approximately 10 hours a month during the active months of October, February and June on weekdays when school is in session.

Reasons to Volunteer

v Contribute to your local community

v Share your interest in nature with children, and help insure that a respect for the natural world is passed on to future generations. Help children learn to become stewards of nature.

v Be part of a group of exceptional people- make new friends!

v Volunteers are greatly appreciated by the Refuge staff! Year end awards include official "US Fish and Wildlife Volunteer" insignia hats, shirts, jackets, etc. (depending on hours accrued)