Volunteer
Spring Spotlight: The Patuxent Rural Life Museums are looking for volunteers! For more information please email Monica.Stiefel@pgparks.com.
The Volunteer Program’s mission is to guide and educate community members of ways in which we can observe, preserve, protect, and enhance Patuxent River Park’s natural and cultural resources to further enrich the quality of life for current and future generations.
Benefits of volunteering
- Develop new skills
- Explore a new career path
- Connect with others
- Give back to your community
- Enrichment of the environment
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We value the dedication, hard work, and passion of our volunteers, and strive to create opportunities for all ages and skill-sets. Our opportunities vary from one-day service-learning projects to ongoing conservation projects. Other projects are accepted by proposal. Please note that all volunteering requires online registration and meeting current M-NCPPC Parks and Recreation registration requirements which can be found at pgparks.com/volunteer. See volunteer opportunities below:
Stewardship is an important component of volunteering. Patuxent River Park strives to create outstanding environmental stewards who are able to translate the knowledge gained through volunteering to their community. Projects include:
- Invasive Species Removal
- Native Pollinator Gardening
- River Clean Ups
- Adopt-A-Trail
- Adopt-A-Garden Plot
- Boat Rental Assistance
- Visitor Center
Citizen Science is often described as "public participation in scientific research". Patuxent River Park invites volunteers to help study various ongoing conservation and research projects. Our projects require a 1-2 hour training from park staff. Opportunities are available seasonally. Projects include:
- Eastern Bluebird Nest Box Monitoring
- Monarch Larvae Monitoring
Volunteer Educators assist our staff naturalists and historians with park programs. Educator opportunities include:
- Volunteer Naturalist
- Canoe/Kayak Guide
- Patuxent Rural Life Museums
- Special Event Assistants
Volunteer Educators are required to be interviewed by our Education and Volunteer Coordinators and must pass a background check prior to being accepted into the program. Training and uniforms are provided.
Group projects for scouts and organizations are available at Patuxent River Park. These may vary from one-time events to on-going projects. Some examples of group projects include:
- Gardening
- Adopt-a-Trail
- Park Enhancement Projects
- Invasive Plant Removals
- Special Event Support
- River Clean Ups