Teatown Lake Reservation

On-going Volunteer Opportunities

For those that want to regularly volunteer on an on-going basis, year-round, Teatown offers a variety of volunteer opportunities including:

Nature Guides
Program Leader: Lisa Baugh, Director, Children & Family Education

Teatown Lake Reservation offers exciting, educational programs for visiting schoolchildren from September through June. Teachers bring their classes from surrounding communities and as far away as New York City and Connecticut to participate in programs ranging from Maple Sugaring to Pond Study. Teatown's goal is to provide a positive learning experience in a small-group, interactive format.

Teatown’s school programs would not function smoothly without the dedication and enthusiasm of a core group of volunteer nature guides. For over twenty years, the guides have played an essential role, teaching children about natural history and the environment. The guides come from many different backgrounds and professions. All are willing to give part of their week to stimulate a child's curiosity about the natural world. New guides are always needed and welcomed. Many of our guides return year after year, establishing individual teaching styles, which bring strength and diversity to our programs. We ask for a six-month teaching commitment of two hours per week.

Every fall Teatown's education staff offers 3 training sessions for anyone interested in becoming a guide. New guides become familiar with Teatown's natural history and environs, begin to handle the animals used in our programs, and learn successful teaching strategies and techniques. Guides also receive an extensive reference manual with complete information on Teatown and its programs. Training is also accomplished by observing others in action. In this way, new guides can see how programs are presented and get a better understanding of the dynamics of working with a group of children. Monthly guide meetings - on the third Thursday of the month - supplement training, emphasize upcoming seasonal programs and provide a time to connect with fellow guides to discuss problems and concerns, and participate in hikes and field trips.

Beyond the benefits and challenges of working closely with children the Nature Guide program offers volunteers the opportunity to learn new skills, expand personal knowledge of nature in a beautiful setting and enjoy the camaraderie of others who share similar interests.

Wildflower Island – Guides and Garden Maintenance
Program Leader: Leah Kennell, Wildflower Island Curator

Wildflower Island is a unique feature of Teatown. Although only two acres, it contains an amazing diversity of habitats including over 230 species of wildflowers and shrubs native to our area. Viewing the island is limited to group tours with trained volunteer Wildflower Island Guides.

The garden is “managed” only to the extent that invasive alien plants are removed and certain native competitive species are not encouraged. Volunteers serve to help the staff with landscaping, gardening, propagating and planting native wildflowers, and removing invasive alien plants. Training in island maintenance is hands-on with the island caretaker. Gardening volunteers are needed Monday through Friday mornings.

Wildflower Island Guides lead small group tours of the island. These short tours, usually just over an hour long, are offered to the public and members throughout the spring and summer on weekend afternoons and Wednesday evenings in May. This is a great opportunity to learn about our native wildflowers and then share this information with others.

Training begins each Spring with two Saturday or Sunday morning sessions, which are important for both new and returning Wildflower Island Guides to attend. After the initial training, the Wildflower Island Guides meet monthly on Saturday or Sunday through September for additional training. To supplement their training, novice guides also work one-on-one with a mentor - an experienced guide - who will answer questions and provide additional training and support. Following their training, we ask that Wildflower Island Guides make a commitment to lead at least 6 tours per season (April through September) or to work the equivalent hours on Wildflower Island.

Raptor Program
Program Leader: Erin Smithies, Animal Care Supervisor & Environmental Educator

The Raptor Program is a vital part of Teatown's education department. Working with the birds of prey is an enriching and unforgettable experience. These non-releasable birds of prey have sustained a disabling injury and are no longer able to function as hunters in their natural habitats. Volunteers care for, train and use the birds for educational presentations. The programs give visitors an up-close look at a vital predator as well as informing them of their unique characteristics and the important roles they play in our environment.

Teatown is looking for responsible, enthusiastic volunteers who have a true interest in raptors. Basic care of cleaning cages, preparing food and feeding, as well as general maintenance of the birds is essential. One or two volunteers at a time will work with an experienced trainer learning handling techniques and teaching skills. Each volunteer is allowed to progress at his or her own pace depending on knowledge and background. . The raptor volunteers meet throughout the year on Wednesdays at 5:00pm for training and to discuss issues and exchange information and ideas. Because of the amount of training devoted to each volunteer, volunteers must make a commitment of working with the birds at least once a week for one year.

Animal Care
Program Leader: Erin Smithies, Animal Care Supervisor & Environmental Educator
Teatown’s live animal collection is an important part of our environmental education programs. The animals are used in many of our hands-on programs, special events and summer camp. Most of the specimens in our collection are examples of animals that may be seen while walking Teatown’s trails. Our collection consists of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds of prey, fish and insects.

Each volunteer will work with a staff naturalist or trained volunteer until they acquire the necessary skills to work independently. Caring for Teatown’s live collection is a seven-day-a-week job and an animal care volunteer is required to spend at least 2-3 hours per week. Duties include feeding and watering all assigned animals; cleaning cages, aquariums and exhibits; monitoring the health and well-being of animals; and hand training reptiles and small mammals. Volunteers can also help staff with the construction of new cages and exhibits.

Special Skills
Administrative and Clerical
Contact: Millie Dellaquila, Administrative Assistant
Volunteers are always needed to augment the skills and efforts of the Teatown staff with administrative and general office duties, as well as in the more specialized arenas of public relations, membership and volunteer services, and fund raising. Let us know what your talents and interests are or which Teatown program you want to learn more about. There is probably a related project that is perfect for you! General tasks include assistance with word processing, copying, organizing, and assistance with mailings.

Special Events
Program Leader: Special Events Coordinator
Each of the following events uses volunteers in many capacities, from key positions to simple ones and each job is very important to the success of the event and to Teatown. The most important skills required are a commitment to the project, basic organizational and communication skills, and the ability to have fun working with others.

Pancake Brunch – March
Purpose: To enjoy the results of the sugaring program and to bring people to Teatown.
Volunteers: Very little advance work is involved. More than 200 are served in 4 seatings from 8:30-noon. Volunteers are needed for registration, cooking, serving, clearing and clean up.

Plant Sale & Wildflower Workshops - May
Purpose: Fund raising, to provide education about wildflowers in our region and to highlight Wildflower Island.
Volunteers: No experience necessary. Committee work begins a few months ahead. Poster distribution and potting of perennials starts in April. The week of the sale, volunteers are needed for unloading, pricing, and setting up for the sale. During the sale on Friday evening and all day Saturday, cashiers, salespeople and other general help is needed. Over 1000 people attend.

Fall Festival - October
Purpose: To heighten public awareness of Teatown as a resource, to demonstrate the kinds of programming that are offered by Teatown, and to provide education about the season in our region.
Volunteers: This fun, family event requires more volunteers and Teatown staff time than any other and in a great variety of tasks. Volunteers assist with admissions, refreshments, parking and traffic control are also important areas that day. Committee planning and advance work begins in the summer. There is also a need for sign making, poster distribution and almost every other possible job both before and during the event.

Hudson River EagleFest - February
Purpose: To collaborate with local, regional and national organizations and Audubons to educate the public about the eagle and its habitat along the rivers and reservoirs and to celebrate the return of the eagle to this area.
Volunteers: Volunteers help with food sales and crafts; at warming tents along the Hudson, they are needed as greeters, educators, and eagle spotters.

Land and Trail Stewards
Program Leader: Michael Rubbo, Ph.D., Daniel Kampel Director of Environmental Stewardship
This new and evolving volunteer group will help Teatown care for its 834 acres and its inhabitants through study, research, monitoring and restoration as well as general habitat and trail maintenance. These volunteers will include our current stewards, the Adopt-a-Trail volunteers, as well as the Weekend Trail Crew.

Weekend Trail Crew
Responsibility for developing and maintaining Teatown’s network of trails rests mostly with this group of dedicated volunteers. The trail enhancement is critical to the safety and comfort of visitors walking our trails. The group ranges over all of Teatown’s property performing various tasks including clearing brush and pruning overhanging limbs along trails, chipping and rerouting trails threatened by erosion, marking trails, and building walkways and bridges to protect wetlands along the trails.

Meetings are a great opportunity for parents and children older than 14 to enjoy outdoor work together and to foster team spirit. These volunteers are active April until December. Future scheduling to be announced.

Adopt-A-Trail
Families, individuals, and groups are invited to adopt sections of trail with responsibility for regular monitoring and light maintenance. Volunteers will set their schedule and trail assignments are on a first-come basis.

Volunteers are asked to check their trail at least once a quarter and after heavy storms. Using home garden hand tools, volunteers perform tasks including removing sticks, stones, and fallen branches and trimming light undergrowth from trails. By filing reports twice each year after maintenance walks, locations of larger problems such as blow-downs, washouts and needed bridge and walkway repair can be scheduled for the heavier duty trail crews to handle.

For more information about on-going volunteer opportunities, contact the Volunteer Coordinator at (914-762-2912).