Naturalist Volunteer

Do you love the woods? Share your passion with the next generation as a Naturalist Volunteer! No experience is required - training is provided. 

If selected, you’ll have opportunities to help with citizen science projects and historical research. These volunteers also provide a warm, welcoming, and safe environment for hands-on educational programs during special events. 

Apply today and join the fun!

Service Summary

Naturalist Volunteers may help:

• Welcome visitors to the Forest History Center
• Give directions and answering general questions
• Help to prepare, set up, and put away program materials
• Help site staff facilitate educational programs to diverse audiences
• Help with fieldwork and data processing for citizen science and historical research projects
• Assist with other tasks not typically performed by site staff as determined by site needs and your interests 

Time Commitment: 
Public programs: Saturdays from 10am - 4pm, thru October 2024
Monarch Monitoring, Nature’s Notebook, and Naturalist service can be coordinated with your schedule. Training for each of these will be three hours, four hours, and 15 minutes respectively. 
This is an indoor and outdoor opportunity

Volunteers Should Be:

• Friendly, outgoing, and courteous teammates
• Able to make all visitors feel welcome and answer their questions in a pleasant manner
• Comfortable dealing with large groups of visitors
• Comfortable working with all ages - especially children
• Strong communicators 
• Able to handle multiple tasks, if needed
• Independent once trained
• Willing to get dirty, wet, hot, and encounter wildlife (like insects)
• Able to speak, read, and write in English 
• Able to sit/stand/travel outside for 2-5 hours at a time
• Able to bend, crouch, kneel, reach, push, and pull
• Able to lift and carry objects weighing up to 20 pounds
• Able to achieve acceptable results on reference checks and a criminal background check (at no cost to you)
• Willing to learn how to register for and sign in/out of volunteer shifts on a computerized system
• Able to commit to the dates you’re serving - show up on time and stay until the end

Accessibility Information: 
Please view accessibility information about the Forest History Center in the link below. If you need accommodation to participate, reach out - let’s chat. 
Forest History Center Accessibility Information

Training:

• All Naturalist Volunteers will be provided the necessary training for their success and the success of the program. Volunteers will also be given a briefing the day of each event. 
• Monarch monitoring - the training for this will be about three hours and would involve some field work and documentation protocols. 
• Nature's Notebook - this will be a four hour training. It will include field work and data entry.
• iNaturalist - this opportunity includes taking pictures of flora and fauna on our site and uploading the photos to iNaturalist. It includes a fifteen minute training session. 
• All training can be set up to fit into your schedule.

Volunteer Perks:
We love our volunteers! Active MNHS volunteers receive rewards and other perks. Special events, educational opportunities, and discounts are just some of the ways we recognize our volunteers.

Naturalist Volunteers at the Forest History Center will explore Minnesota history, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the natural world. They will gain experience in informal educational programming and explore the connections between cultural and environmental history. Along the way, they will develop connections with Forest History Center staff, visitors, and serve the public.

Naturalist Volunteers will directly contribute to several citizen science projects and have the option to focus on the projects they’re most passionate about.