Volunteer

Assist administrative staff with office duties such as general research, data entry, assembling educational packets, filing, bulk mailings, photo-copying and collating, and hanging special event posters in surrounding towns.

Share your passion for wildlife by assisting the Center for Wild Bird Rehabilitation with daily animal care, answering questions from public visitors, and helping with facilities maintenance. 

Can’t make a weekly commitment to volunteer at VINS? Then this position is the perfect way for you to share your love and concern for wildlife by assisting with rescue and transport of birds that need rehabilitation.

Note: Training is required for transportation volunteers.  Transportation times will vary, depending on the location of a bird rescue.

Assist in maintaining the facility through mowing, weeding, trash removal, and any maintenance-related tasks.

Greeting and orienting groups of visitors to the VINS Nature Center includes describing the campus and exhibits, introducing events and programs, and suggesting the benefits of membership and adopt-a-raptor programs. Also, meet and greet our guests during special events on the VINS campus and off-site.

Are you passionate about research? Assist VINS Research staff in field work throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. 

Learn about VINS Research Projects to see if a specific project interests you. 

Are you passionate about environmental education?  VINS is looking for part-time (once per week) volunteers to assist with facilitating our weekly afterschool lessons.

Tasks include:

• Working with VINS staff to implement lesson plan for each day
• Assisting VINS staff in group management
• Helping to set up and put away teaching materials for each lesson

Commitment:  Sessions run weekday afternoons for 4 – 5 weeks at a time, March – May & September - October

Leaders-in-Training (L-I-T) Program for Teens

VINS’ Leaders-in-Training program involves teens in our camp program by offering the opportunity to work closely with children, peers, and adults in a fun, recreational setting while providing experiences for participants to develop their leadership skills. 

For more information visit our Leaders-in-Training page.

Share your passion for the natural world by engaging visitors to the VINS Nature Center. Docents are most active May through October, and are trained to interpret our Forest Canopy Walk, raptor exhibits, and trails using educational props.

After a year of service you may also be trained to work with live animals. Training and a commitment of 40 hours a year is required.

Are you passionate about education? The VINS School Programs team is looking for a part-time (once per week or once per two weeks) volunteer to assist with the following tasks:

General VINS School Programs:

• Helping to make and gather teaching supplies
• Helping to put away teaching materials
• Preparing all of the discount cards we hand out to schools
  • Photocopy, cut, label and organize for Science Educators
• Helping to keep materials in the Education Closet organized

Field Trips:

• Greet and orient groups for Explore VINS 
• Helping to set up room, gathering materials, putting away materials and cleaning up room for Field Trip lessons
• Helping to run a station for some of the Field Trip lessons such as Animal Adaptations