Volunteer Opportunities

We need you! Our staff has developed local conservation programs and projects that provide many opportunities for volunteers, such as those listed below:

Forest/Ag Expo, April - We will share conservation concepts with over 700 students in 3 days
Spring Field Days, May - Spend the day with middle school students revisiting Outdoor School concepts.
Benton Fish Passage Improvement Program (BFPIP) , June through September - This on-going program is based on teams of 3 trained volunteers who survey culverts for fish passage data that is then submitted to Benton County engineers to help prioritize fish barrier removal and culvert replacement projects.
Visit our web site to learn more about BFPIP: http://www.bentonswcd.org/fishpassage/index.html
You may contact the Fish Passage Coordinator (Taber Burton) directly at 541-766-6821 x4532 or email.
Envirothon at the Oregon Garden, May - teams of high school students from all over the state gather for this competition.
Native Plant Sale (January and February) - We have a number of volunteer opportunities. This event provides low-cost seedlings for habitat and stream restoration, windbreaks, erosion control and landscape beautification. Volunteers are invaluable in the success of this event. You can pick up plants at nurseries, assist in sale site set up, help customers fill orders, and push a broom once the dust settles. Sale proceeds provide scholarships for Benton County residents in Natural Resources disciplines. See Scholarship page for more details .
Education and Outreach - We often make posters to advertise the courses and workshop we sponsor. Volunteers can extend our poster distribution throughout Benton County. Call us, 753-7208, to learn our current poster distribution needs. Poster distribution outside Corvallis proper is especially helpful. Grab a handful of newsletters, too! We have a storage unit filled with educational supplies waiting for an organizer!
Restoration activities - Planting native trees and shrubs is a laborious task. We like to have a list of volunteers interested in planting native trees and shrubs for landowners who buy during our Native Plant Sale. Let us know if you are interested in being on a fall or winter planting crew.
Event set up and staffing - we promote soil and water conservation programs and practices during many Benton County events, such as the Spring Garden Festival in May. We always welcome company during these efforts.
Office work - Volunteer opportunities include archiving documents, newsletter mailing and hand distribution. Soliciting donations for our annual meeting and volunteer appreciation party is a fun job for the right volunteer.

Contact our office about any of the above volunteer opportunities - OR - if you have skills in or knowledge about natural resource conservation issues and you would like to donate a service in that capacity we would love to talk to you. If you would like to be included in our community volunteer database, please email us or call (541) 753-7208.