Local Volunteers - Education and Outreach

Save to Favorites

Volunteers work with the S.W.A.M.P., Swamp Water and Me Program, a curriculum-based program with the 6th grade students and their teachers from Collier County public and private schools. Volunteers are assistants to the park rangers and interns during the S.W.A.M.P. field trips to the preserve. During these trips volunteers are the tail of the group helping with group management, safety, assisting students with experiments and data collection and other activities such as radio telemetry, dip netting and water quality testing. Volunteers may need to lead the groups on occasion if there is an emergency or staffing issue.

The field trips involve hiking into a cypress strand, prairie and pineland. While the hiking is not long in distance it can be physically demanding as it involves long periods of standing, walking through knee to thigh deep water, heat and humidity, mosquitoes, uneven footing and other swamp creatures besides the 6th graders! A normal Environmental Education day is from 9:30 - 3:30. VIPs arrive at the education center at 9:30 and begin preparing for the arrival of the students which includes housekeeping duties, preparing and loading all equipment and working on projects if time allows. 10:00 students arrive. 11:00-2:30 in the field with program, 2:45 - 3:30 clean and re-stock equipment and student backpacks, prepare for the next day and work on projects. This includes sweeping, mopping and cleaning toilets.

On days that no field trips are scheduled the volunteers may assist with special events and festivals, workshops, requested outreach programs such as wet walks, canoe trips and bike rides, work on special projects, develop new activities for other programs, assist with general upkeep and maintenance of EE Center and equipment, work in the native plant garden or do job related exploration and training.

Start Date - 2022-11-30

End Date - 2023-04-30

Activities include: Conservation Education;Science;Soil/Watershed

Difficulty_Level: Strenuous

Hosts Housing Amenities: No Housing/Amenities Available