Volunteer Possibilities at PRAC

We are a very small staff with an abundance of projects, programs, and possibilities. We need YOUR talents, time, energy, enthusiasm, and skill to make the Center a thriving place to enjoy and learn. 

Plant maintenance, education, critter care and customer service...we need you!

Description of Volunteer Opportunities

UPDATED JANUARY 2022

1. Docents: PRAC needs docents on a sporadic and inconsistent basis. PRAC’s volunteer docents would be trained on giving tours of PRAC. The tour guide docents would be perfect for our Saturday events or special events.  Docents are also needed to be fill in educators for some of our large school field trips. All training for tours or educational field trips will be provided. If folks would like to commit to a consistent schedule, then PRAC can discuss including volunteer docents in our weekly Nature Tots program (ages 2-5) and monthly Audubon Academy Homeschool program (grades K-8). Docents working with children are subject to a background check.
2. Summer Camps: 
   1. PRAC is in search for a Co-Director for summer camp. This person could receive CEU's if they were a teacher, and/or volunteer hours if a master naturalist. IPRAC expect 5-8 days of a commitment in June to help plan and prepare for July camps. Then, during our 3 weeks of camp in July, the co-director would lead activities for campers in grades K-8. The volunteer co-director should expect to be at PRAC from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. during summer camp weeks.
   2. Counselors: PRAC also takes Volunteers to help manage campers and be a camp counselor/group leader for each of the summer camp sessions during July. Each camp focuses on a different ages group: Mini’s (K-2), Elementary (3-5), and Middle (6-9)
3. Phenology Trail: PRAC could use a volunteer to record data on our Phenology Trail. PRAC provides the training & iPad that data needs to be recorded into. This would need to be done weekly and takes about 20 - 30 minutes to complete. It can be done alone or in pairs. Doing it in pairs is helpful when observations need to be discussed. 
4. Invasive Removal: There are many plants that are invasive and need to be taken out! Invasive removal could be done year-round on an individual basis or in groups. Training and some tool provided.
5. Litter Pick-Up/Grounds or Garden Maintenance: Volunteers can always clear trails, scan for litter, blow leaves off trails, weed gardens, or plant native plants in our gardens. General weed control, mulching, watering, and stick pick up is needed.
6. Composting: PRAC used to have a system set up for composting. If there is a manageable way to create another compost system on site, then PRAC would be open to it. 
7. Native Plants: PRAC hosts 2 Native Plant Sales per year, once in spring and fall. PRAC could use volunteers to help sell plants, water plants, & transplant them into pots. Native plant work is usually concentrated into Aug - October and February - April. Winter work can be done too. PRAC could use volunteers to plant/start seeds of native plants and vegetables for the spring. 
8. Bird Boards: PRAC has 3 dry erase marker boards located on site that need weekly updating. These boards are a written list of what birds have been seen on PRAC property. PRAC is looking for volunteers to come to our property, do some birding 1- 3 times a week, and update the boards with their sightings. Ideally, volunteers would complete an on-site E-bird report as well. 
9. Citizen Science Projects: Projects like Feeder Watch, Climate Watch, Great Backyard Bird Count, or Christmas Bird count could be done on site or within Jackson County. If a volunteer wanted to spearhead using PRAC as a site for any of these citizen science projects that would be fine.  Otherwise, volunteers are always needed to participate in these citizen science projects.
10. Aquarium & Critter Care: PRAC has an aquarium with 8 water tanks that need servicing or cleaning on a weekly basis. Volunteers can come monthly, biweekly or weekly. Volunteers can adopt one tank or service many tanks. Additionally, bird feeders need to be filled and hummingbird feeders need to be cleaned and re-filled. PRAC also needs volunteers to catch minnows as feeder fish for our tanks. Collection of feeder fish or other sources of food could be done on-site or off-site.

Dates and Times needed: Volunteers, Master Naturalists, and Master Gardeners are encouraged to volunteer during operating hours, typically Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PRAC is open most Saturdays, either for a private event or public event. PRAC is closed Sundays and Mondays. Volunteers are accepted on consistent or inconsistent basis. 

Call us for more information. (228) 475-0825

Or, email us and tell us how you want to help! Click HERE!

Education and Outreach 

Do you enjoy working with the public and teaching students of all ages, from toddlers to senior citizens? We have a variety of projects in need of education help and support- some require direct teaching and some are assistant teaching roles. We have many opportunities for volunteers to get involved this school year, please contact us today!

Landscapes, Gardens, and Outdoor Docents

If you are interested in gardening (including weeding, removal of invasive species, and other garden maintenance tasks); we have several areas that are in need of volunteers. 

Our Children's Nature Play Garden needs a once-weekly visit to tidy up the garden beds, rake up sticks and debris, and keep the water feature clean. This may include some planting and weeding some weeds!

Our Children's Vegetable Garden needs a once-weekly visit to assist with planning, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting.  

Are you interested in volunteering in any of the areas listed above? Please contact us at prac@audubon.org or 228.475.0825  to set up an orientation and discuss how we can connect your skills and interests to our volunteer needs!