Front Desk Greeter at Nature Center

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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 a "Greeter"
{Most visitation is during Spring and Fall and weekends}

• New volunteers are required to shadow an experienced volunteer at the front desk for at least 2 hours
• Provide visitors with correct information about refuge and trails
• Welcome and orient visitors to the Refuge, USFWS, and NWRS
• Keep brochure racks stocked with pertinent information
• Notify Refuge staff of any law enforcement situations
• Communicate regularly with Refuge staff about problems with exhibit
• Check bathrooms for cleanliness (refill toilet paper & soap dispensers and empty wastebaskets as needed)
• Update information on whiteboard (such as birds seen, refuge events, trail conditions, etc)
• Conduct in-depth interpretation of the center and exhibits for visitors
• Possess a friendly demeanor
• Track # of visitors and record at the end of each day
• Maintain cleanliness of center and exhibits
• Answer phone at front desk
• Thursday and Friday Volunteers needed to help with data entry and other office related projects

Time Commitment Required

Minimum of 4-hours per month

Sign-up in advance on schedule and notify refuge staff immediately if shift cannot be honored

Ideally, Greeters can commit to more than one shift per month, and/or be "on call" when extra volunteers are needed for a special event, etc.

Reasons to Volunteer

v Contribute to your local community

v Share your interest in nature with others, and help insure that a respect for the natural world is passed on to future generations. Help visitors see how they can 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 and we would be lost without you!