2015 Volunteer Opportunities Department of Interior/U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge 9311 Groh Road, Grosse Ile, MI 48138 Telephone 734-692-7608/FAX 734-692-7603 ________________________________________________________________________ To apply: Contact Visitor Services Manager Jody DeMeyere at (734) 692-7649 or [email protected] (If emailing, in the subject line, type in your name followed by the position you are applying for.) ________________________________________________________________________ The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge represents a new model for conservation – one that both restores habitats for fish and wildlife in an urban area through innovative public-private partnerships and that provides a blueprint for bringing conservation to cities across the nation. We are proud to help connect the public to the wealth of natural resources in the Detroit area! ________________________________________________________________________ 1. Special Event / Community Outreach Volunteer (mostly off-site of refuge lands) - During special events volunteers are needed to: staff a variety of educational booths, children’s craft activities and information tables to acquaint event attendees with the refuge. Dependability and ability to handle assignments required. Shifts are usually two to four hours in length. Upcoming events include: April 25: Monroe County Earth Day Expo July 15: Open House at Humbug Marsh April 28: Trenton Movie Theatre Conservation Film Screening July 19: Open House at Brancheau Unit May 2: Open House at Humbug Marsh August 1: Open House at Humbug Marsh May 9: International Migratory Bird Day Event September 19 & 20: Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Fest May 30: Blue Water Sturgeon Festival in Port Huron September 19 and 20: Hawk Fest June 6: Open House at Humbug Marsh September 26: Open House at Humbug Marsh June 13: Kids FREE Fishing Day October 13: Trenton Movie Theatre Film Screening June 20 and 21: Detroit River Days Event ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Marketing Assistance Volunteer – These volunteers establish and maintain contacts with the media to enlist support through media coverage. Assisting with tours for media and community representatives to acquaint them with the refuge. Extraordinary skill in dealing with people and enthusiasm for the refuge units, mission, and programs. Knowledge of social media and marketing techniques is a plus. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. Volunteer Historian – Research history of previous land owners, land use and other important information for the refuge. Collect documents, photos and oral history from a variety of sources, including internet and local libraries or universities. ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Gibraltar Bay Unit Greeter – Meet and cheerfully greet visitors to the Gibraltar Bay Unit of refuge on Grosse Ile. Provide unit orientations and share your joy for the natural world with visitors. Work period is 1:00PM to 4:00PM on Sundays (May through October weather permitting). ________________________________________________________________________ …. VOLUNTEER POSITION DESCRIPTIONS CONTINUED ….. ________________________________________________________________________ 5. Stewardship Crew – Volunteers are invited to assist with a variety of habitat management activities including forest rehabilitation (assisting with selective tree removal with hand saws and loppers, herbicide application, brush management and stacking, and site evaluations), preparation for prescribed fire (stacking and cutting brush inside the burn unit and clearing control lines), invasive species control (mowing, herbicide application, tree and brush cutting with hand saws and loppers), and seed collecting/handling/broadcasting (hand collect specific species, process, store and hand broadcast under the direction of the leader or refuge staff or adding to the refuges seed mixes). This type of work requires heavy physical labor in natural areas and in challenging environments. Participants must be in good physical condition. The work periods are 9:00 AM to noon on Wednesdays and Fridays at Humbug Marsh and Mondays from 9:00AM to noon at the Gibraltar Bay Unit. The necessary tools will be provided. ________________________________________________________________________ 6. Detroit River Hawk Watch Raptor Counter – If you are an experienced birder and want to put your skills to work, this volunteer position is for you!! During the autumn months, the lower Detroit River becomes a corridor for the passage of migratory birds, and has gained international recognition for the annual volume of birds of prey. Hundreds of thousands of migrating hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures are concentrated at this location where it is possible to systematically count them each year. Detroit River Hawk Watch utilizes trained volunteers to conduct a standardized count of the fall migration of raptors at the lower Detroit River. A minimum time commitment of at least once per week (8-10 hours per week) is required September 1 – October 30, each year. Prospective volunteers must be highly motivated to learn field identification of distant migratory birds of prey. ________________________________________________________________________ 7. Maintenance Assistant Volunteer - Assistants will perform light to moderate maintenance work. Duties may include nature trail maintenance, mowing of existing parking lots, light construction or carpentry, and general upkeep of refuge property. Volunteers with surveying experience are needed to assist with sign posting and maintenance. Good physical condition and familiarity in using power tools is preferred. Positions available year round. ________________________________________________________________________ 8. Beach Cleanup Volunteer - Assist refuge staff with litter pickup of local refuge unit beaches. Gloves, trash bags and snacks are provided. ________________________________________________________________________ 9. Visitor Center Greeter and Nature Store Volunteer (Coming soon – 2016) - The refuge’s interactive visitor center will be standing in the dark without YOUR assistance! As a Visitor Center Greeter and Nature Store Volunteer, you will help visitors connect to refuge lands through a variety of recreational opportunities. The visitor center will be located in Trenton, MI at the Refuge Gateway property off West Jefferson. If you like interacting with people, both young and old, this is the volunteer position for you!! Volunteer duties include: meet and cheerfully greet visitors; provide area and refuge recreation opportunity information; give orientations to the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System; assist visitors with refuge rules and regulations; answer telephones; answer visitor questions; respond to visitor correspondences; distribute brochures; and restock brochures. These duties provide volunteers with the opportunity to reach diverse groups of people with a knowledge and appreciation of the environment and the National Wildlife Refuge System. ________________________________________________________________________ 10. Volunteer Photographer (Coming soon– 2016 ) - Using volunteer’s own equipment, take photographs of native flora and fauna, special events and refuge staff working in the field. Close ups/Macro photos are preferred. Photographs will become property of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and may be used for specific outreach materials. ________________________________________________________________________ 11. Photo Historian Volunteer (Coming soon – 2016) - Using volunteer’s own equipment, find a location on the refuge and take a photo once a week or once a month of the view. Compile these photographs into a yearly snapshot of the refuge. Your contribution will be profiled on refuge social media sites. ________________________________________________________________________ 12. Volunteer Speakers Bureau (Coming soon– 2016) – These volunteers present programs promoting the refuge in response to community organization requests. Presentations are in PowerPoint format and are usually one hour in length, in the evening within the local commuting area. Exceptional public speaking skills, dependability and ability to independently handle assignments required. ________________________________________________________________________ 13. Volunteer Landscaper/Trail Maintenance (Coming soon – 2016) - Specific projects include: mow grass around visitor center once a week, power wash front and back lobbies of visitor center twice a year, and many other duties which will become apparent as we open the new visitor center! ________________________________________________________________________ 14. Volunteer Gardner (Coming soon – 2016) – Maintain the flower beds/pollinator garden around the visitor center. Research care of native plants, pull weeds, install plant ID tags, beautify the area, and provide interpretation of the garden(s) to visitors. This is a perfect opportunity for garden clubs. ________________________________________________________________________ 15. Hunt Program Work Group (Coming soon – 2016) - Volunteers will assist refuge management with a diverse spectrum of tasks including the construction of hunting blinds and parking lots, posting of boundary signage, and any on-going maintenance associated with these structures. Work may also include community outreach to promote the refuge’s hunt recreation program, and the development of public relations materials, including hunt brochures, advertisement, etc. Good physical condition and familiarity in using power tools is preferred. ________________________________________________________________________
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 19:31:21 +0000
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