Volunteer & Employment
Opportunities
Volunteer & Employment
Opportunities
Becoming a Volunteer…
As a Tenafly Nature Center volunteer, you become part of the solution, helping to protect our clean air, clean water, and preserve wildlife and the community. You can help us keep our mission of environmental education and land stewardship alive. In turn, you will work with our staff, gain unique experiences and deepen your environmental awareness.
Who should apply?
Adults, teens (14+), groups
Weekly commitment (Spring 2009: Tues, Wed or Fri only)
Seasonal (on-call via e-mail)
Independent people and team players
Want to help, but you’re under 14 years old? You can! You need to have a parent or adult work with you. Follow the procedures below for filling an application and make sure your adult fills one out too.
Tip- We encourage teen applicants to call for themselves. This way they can learn about the nature center on their own and we can learn about them too.
I am interested in volunteering at TNC. What do I do?
1. Complete the 2 page volunteer application form (PDF format)
2. Snail mail, fax, or e-mail it to us
3. Wait for our call. After we receive your application, we will call you to discuss matching your special skills and talents with our needs.
Note- Volunteer opportunities are limited. Availability is determined by the seasons, weather, skills offered and supervision/leadership available. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us!
Volunteer Opportunities:
|
Symbols: ● Adult ☺ Weekly ◘ Teen ☼ Seasonal ◙ Groups |
Office Work:
●◘ ◙☺☼
We are looking for people who are courteous, professional and efficient. During
our office hours, you are a welcoming face to greet hikers, show off our exhibit
animals, answer phones and questions about the nature center. You may also
assist with important mailings, organizing our library, and other short
projects. This is a great position for learning more about wildlife, meeting new
people and being a tremendous help to our staff.
Outdoor Events:
●
☼
Experienced volunteers can lend a
hand at tabling events at earth day festivals, local street fairs, and at open
houses for other nature organizations on the weekends. As a representative of
the TNC, you will be providing information about our programs and sometimes (in
May/June) selling raffle tickets. This job requires being able to carry and set
up a card table folding chair and being friendly and knowledgeable when handing
out brochures.
Animal Care (Our
Education Animals):
1 Indoor Animal Care Volunteer-
●◘☺
Assist with amphibians and reptiles: cleaning tanks, feeding and caring for them
in the nature center building.
1 Bird Care
Volunteer-
●☺
Work with one of our educators in the aviaries of our Barred Owl and Red-tail
Hawks. This job entails care, cleaning and maintenance of the aviaries. It is a
messy job and you must love birds!
Trail
Maintenance: ● ◘
☼
During the warmer weather, you can help out in making the nature center look
good with distributing wood chips, repainting blazes, repair broken signs,
remove excess vegetation from Pfister’s pond and remove invasive plants on the
trails. You will fill our bird feeders so that our winged friends can
continually visit us. We also have our annual boundary walk where you will join
other volunteers to pick up litter around the edges of the nature center that
has been blown in from the street or personal property. This is one of our most
physical and active jobs.
Gardeners:
● ☺
Thursdays. . . . .
.10 am – 12 pm
Join master gardener Fran and other volunteers to help our garden grow!
Gardeners will maintain the Tenafly Nature Center’s model backyard habitat by
planting, mulching, weeding, and trimming. They will maintain and beautify this
space for the public enjoyment, education and for our programs. Gardeners will
also keep a garden journal as a reference for the nature center and future
gardeners to use. Our garden is a Master Gardener’s approved site for volunteer
hours. Get dirty,
plan, research, enjoy. Join us anytime . . . .the garden is waiting!
Groups
& Projects: ◙ ☼
Is your corporate team looking to volunteer? Do you have a school project to sae
the Earth? We have some big and/or timely projects that could use your help.
Past volunteer projects included: building canoe racks & trail bridges (Eagle
Scout); litter clean-ups (Tenafly High School Sierra Club student chapter);
invasive plant removal (BMW Corporate Finance Team & high school senior
service); bake sales (TMS Saves) and many more.
Counselor In Training (CIT):
◘ ☼
CIT’s assist professional TNC education staff with children’s’ day camps in the
summer and year-round. Help prepare, lead and clean up camp crafts and
activities. Must love working with the little ones! Gain valuable leadership
experience and it looks great on a resume!
Summer 2010
mandatory training TBA
minimum 2 weeks during the summer (you tell us when you are available; we schedule based on availability)
Schedule is Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 or 4:30 pm, depending on the age group you are working with.
possibility of additional weeks in the summer and other vacation weeks
Committees of the
Board: ● ☼
We are always looking for diverse members of our community who want to serve our
mission. Committees meet regularly at the convenience of its members. You may
want to join us on Building & Grounds, Development, Finance, Membership, or
Special Events. Currently, we are also looking for a CPA, event planners and
people with marketing/advertising skills. Please call nominating committee
chair, Debbie Abitante or executive director, Jennifer Kleinbaum for more
details and information.
Other Volunteer
Opportunities: ● ☼
Have a special skill to offer? Let us know! Right now, we are looking for light
carpentry help and handy people. We also need our 1 year old deck washed and
sealed. We are looking for creative people as well, such as for painting and
murals. If you have a portfolio, we would love to look at your art work.
Currently there are no openings
(1) Environmental Educator I (as needed)
(3) Environmental Educator S (Seasonal)
Tenafly Nature Center is an independent non-profit member-supported 400 acre nature preserve, located in Tenafly, NJ, five miles north of the George Washington Bridge. With seven miles of trails and a 3-acre pond, TNC is the largest privately-run nature center in Bergen County. Educators (report to the Education Director) are responsible for teaching our increasing demand of programs both on and off site throughout the year. Curriculum is hands-on and geared toward helping children and adults to develop awareness, appreciation and stewardship for the natural world.
Job Responsibilities:
Teach and help to develop programs for on and off site groups of Pre K-12th grade children, scouts, birthday parties, families and adults including special needs individuals and groups, following best practices. This includes all aspects of programming, including set up, clean up, evaluation, and follow up. (EE I only)
Learn our environmental education curriculum. (EE I only)
Help develop and teach outdoor activities for different age groups each week for separate day camp sessions for students ranging in age from 4-14. This includes all aspects of programming on and off site, including set up, supervision, clean up, inventory, evaluation, and follow up. (EE S only)
Implement the purpose, goals and objectives of each program.
Prepare and maintain program curriculum materials.
Create a safe, fun, learning atmosphere for children while projecting a knowledgeable & confident image to parents and teachers.
Work with other staff and supervise teen volunteers.
Assist with care of captive live animals.
Articulate TNC’s mission and project a helpful and positive attitude when interacting with the public, including TNC members, teachers, and group leaders in person & on the phone.
Perform other duties, as assigned.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in natural science, environmental education, or related field. With at least 2 years prior experience in environmental education, outdoor education or early childhood education. (EE I only)
Mastery of Microsoft Office and common office equipment. E-mail and internet access required. (EE I only)
Willingness to work irregular hours. (EE I only)
Minimum age 18, 21+ preferred. Currently enrolled in or have graduated from a college/university. With at least 1 year prior experience in environmental education, outdoor education or early childhood education. (EE S only)
Criminal History background checks will be required.
Knowledge of and passion for the natural world.
Enthusiastic, outgoing, patient, and flexible when working with children and adults.
Ability to walk all the major trails of TNC and climb one flight of stairs. Ability to lift and move up to 50 lbs.
Ability to work both independently and on a team with minimal supervision.
Willingness to work outdoors in variable weather conditions and variable terrain.
Comfortable handling or learning to handle reptiles, invertebrates and birds of prey (training provided).
Ability to communicate effectively and interact well on the phone and in writing.
Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Currently be eligible to work in the USA.
Valid Driver's license and personal transportation.
Current first aid/CPR certification or ability to obtain certification.
Environmental Educator I: Position starts March 12. Hours vary depending upon seasonal demand for programs. Compensation: $10-$15 an hour depending on experience. Mandatory availability some weekdays and 2 weekend days & evenings a month.
Environmental Educator S: Position starts June 11 – August 31 (Monday –Friday; 8:30 am to 4:30 pm). Compensation: $300-$400 a week depending on experience. Housing may be available. Educators are supported by the education team including the Education Director and teen volunteers. All Environmental Educators report to the Education Director.
Send cover letter and resume by February 15, 2012 to Debora Davidson, Education Director, Please, no calls.
