Volunteer!

by Susan Mason

Want to help make our community a better place? Teach your kids about the environment? Spend some time outdoors? Learn new skills? Meet people with similar interests? Consider volunteering for a local environmental or social-service organization.

Tips for Volunteering

There are many volunteer opportunities that don’t require a major or regular time commitment. If you see an activity that appeals to you, call to get on the organization’s list of potential volunteers or to get the schedule. Write the dates in your calendar, even if you’re not sure you’ll have free time then.

Be persistent in contacting the organization. They’re all short-staffed (assuming there’s any staff at all) and just because they haven’t returned your call in a few days doesn’t mean that they don’t want your help.

Many organizations have only a very few regular volunteers. Although you may read that 200 people volunteered for a clean-up or annual trail day, most groups are delighted when even an extra one or two people show up to help.

Most organizations don’t require or expect that you will become a member in order to participate in their volunteer activities.

Kids are often very welcome as volunteers too. They get the same enjoyment from helping that adults do, so give them the opportunity to participate.

Don’t assume that you must have special skills or physical strength. Most volunteer activities can accommodate a variety of abilities and provide training, where necessary.

Dress appropriately for the activity.

You can be a volunteer on your own too. Adopt a section of a street, park, or creek and spend an occasional hour or two picking up trash and recyclables. Attend community meetings and let your friends and neighbors know what was said there. Write letters to the editor when you feel strongly about an issue.

Our Eco-Directory lists more than 50 local organizations that could use your help. Here are some specific needs:

Bidwell Park needs volunteers to help with trail maintenance, weeding in Lower Park, painting, and litter control. People who visit Bidwell Park on a regular basis may want to consider becoming a member of Park Watch. Park Watch members are trained on providing Park visitors with information on Bidwell Park and rules and regulations. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at 895-4758 or shogue@ci.chico.ca.us. Parks in other communities have similar programs. In Paradise, call 872-6291, in Gridley, call 846-5695 and in Oroville, call 538-2415.

The California Native Plant Society needs occasional volunteers for Scotch Broom removal (an invasive non-native brush that crowds out native plants). Call John Copeland 343-1748. They also help maintain the Chico Creek Nature Center Garden with work, such as weeding, pruning, planting, and fixing/installing drip system, or by donating native plants or wildflower seeds. Call Sam Hillaire at 893-9697, Wes Dempsey at 342-2293 or Gen, at the Nature Center, 891-4671.

Chico Food Not Bombs serves vegetarian meals to the homeless and hungry every Saturday and Sunday from 12-2pm in Depot Park. They are looking for volunteers to help cook, transport and serve food. Anyone can help out whether you can come every weekend or just drop by every once in a while. Food Not Bombs is a grassroots organization with over 100 autonomous chapters around the globe. Food Not Bombs believes that many of society’s problems stem from a simple crisis in human values where human life comes second to material gain. Call 354-3098 for more information.

The Chico Peace & Justice Center is cultivating peace through community gardens, poetry workshops, "Peace of Mind" brown-bag lecture series, grassroots organizing workshops, resource library and more! "If you want peace then work for justice." Join our team of peace activists! Contact Ama at 893-9078.

Chico Tree Enhancement and Education Program offers free workshops, training volunteers to help Chico’s young street trees. Want to learn how to prune shade trees? Learn what makes trees grow best and what trees to plant in your yard? Learn why topping is called the most expensive pruning method? Over 140 volunteers have helped Chico Tree Enhancement to improve the health of more than 3000 young street trees since 1993! Take part of Thursday, Friday, or Saturday to learn, have fun and help our young trees!

Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE) is an Associated Students CSUC organization that matches people who want to volunteer with organizations that need help. All community members can use the Volunteer Connection Program to identify available volunteer opportunities. Community non-profit social service agencies are welcome to utilize the Volunteer Connection Program to recruit volunteers for their specific needs. Visit the web page for more information.

Habitat for Humanity builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses through volunteer labor, donations of money and materials and with the help of the homeowner families. The Chico affiliate is repairing and landscaping houses every weekend, year-round. A local house-building project is planned for next year. You don’t need to have any prior building experience or repair skills to participate, just a willingness to learn. Construction professionals are welcome too, of course. Contact Pam Easterly at 895-1271.

The Nature Conservancy’s Dye Creek Preserve (45 minutes north of Chico) has an occasional need for volunteers on various projects throughout the year. Activities include native grass seeding in the fall, tree planting in the winter and spring, serving as a hike docent, maintaining trails, and working on small carpentry projects throughout the year. The past two years have seen a large increase in turnout for our spring canyon hikes. They need volunteers to help lead these hikes, and will be conducting docent training this winter for those who are interested. The training will include talks on the human and natural history of the Lassen Foothills, plant and animal identification, and Red Cross certification in first aid and CPR. It will be an excellent opportunity to learn about the natural and cultural heritage of the area. Please contact Joe Short at 527-0424.

Northern California Regional Land Trust is a private nonprofit conservation organization specializing in conservation of natural resources. They assist northern California landowners and public agencies in the voluntary protection of land and other natural resources. They need volunteers for assisting with various tasks such as data-base entry, mailings and related tasks. Contact Keith McKinley at 530-894-7738 or ncrlt@shocking.com

Protect Our Watershed sorts conifer seedlings at the Calif. Dept of Forestry Fire Center on Steiiffer Rd. (Paradise Pines area) one day each month in the winter, usually starting in December. We work with CCC corps members. The job is dirty, wet and FUN. The Protect Our Watershed record is 10,000 seedlings boxed in one work day! Contact Jean Crist at 873-6383 or cont1@aol.com.

Trout Unlimited A new chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) will be starting up soon, in Chico, CA. Trout Unlimited is a national non-profit conservation organization. The goal of TU is to restore and maintain desirable fish populations, through habitat management, restoration etc. Contact Eric Pooler at 893-3116, or ep10@mail.csuchico.edu or agroninja@yahoo.com.

Does your organization want more volunteers? Send an e-mail describing your volunteer needs to envnews@shocking.com and we’ll include your listing starting with our next issue. It’s easy! It’s free!

From the Winter 2000 issue of the Environmental News.