Help Out

We strive to inspire environmental learning and interpretive connections with our community.

We are a small team of staff and volunteers with a wide range of skills and experience. We love what we do, and we do it with passion, but our work wouldn’t be possible without the help from volunteers and the hours they put into the Nature Center. Or the support from our visitors and organizational partners. You can help support our mission by helping the Nature Center, too!

Help us with your time.

Staff and volunteers work towards our mission by:

  • Teaching public programs
  • Leading drop-in interactive activities
  • Attending outreach events (Kite Festival, Trails Day, etc.)
  • Guiding/teaching school and group programs
  • Working in the demonstration Garden, and more.

The Nature Center encourages volunteers to share their passions and connect families with nature in a variety of roles. Special projects such as program development, wildlife conservation research, or trail maintenance are offered on an “as needed” basis. 

anna with garden volunteers in front of certified habitat sign

Help us with your financial support.

The Nature Center is eligible to receive charitable donations. (Visit Donation page for more info.) Visitors have and can continue to support the Nature Center by helping fund:

  • Our program material costs
  • Tools, labels, or replacement plants for the demonstration garden
  • New display development and materials
  • Interpretive signage along trails
  • Seating areas for families and additions to our outdoor classroom
  • Larger donations can support our efforts towards our Master Plan (including facility expansions, additional trails, tools to manage our natural  resources, and outdoor educational amenities). 

If you are able and willing, your support enables the Nature Center to keep moving forward towards our mission and is much appreciated.

donation box at the nature center

Help us with your curiosity.

With new eyes comes new ideas that help us discover nature in ways we hadn’t thought of before. Interns assist with a variety of assignments, each year with different projects. Past interns have worked on, but are not guaranteed to be available in the future, projects related to the following:

  • Teaching public programs
  • Assisting with summer camps
  • Teaching summer field trips
  • Garden work days
  • Event support (planning and executing)
  • Animal conservation research in collaboration with MVNC partners
  • Trail maintenance
  • Curriculum/program development 
  • Marketing planning
  • Animal Husbandry and Handling

See requirements and more information about volunteer internships. 

Summer volunteer high school intern