Tenafly Nature Center relies on the generosity of volunteers to maintain its mission.
Volunteer, and become part of the solution, helping to protect our air, water, wildlife habitats. Help us keep our mission and in turn, you will work with our staff, gain valuable knowledge, partake in unique experiences and deepen your environmental awareness.
Who should apply?
Adults, teens (14+), and groups
Want to help, but you’re under 14 years old?You can! You need to have an adult guardian work with you.
Volunteer opportunities are limited. Availability is determined by the seasons, weather, skills offered and supervision/leadership available. For many of our needs we are looking for volunteers that are able to commit to a weekly schedule.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us!
A national award established to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making.
Available Volunteering Opportunities
The following opportunities are available for individuals who would like to volunteer regularly at TNC.
= Volunteer opportunities for adults (18+ only) = Volunteer opportunities for students (14+ only)
Click title to view descriptions
Our Animal Care Assistant Caretakers are crucial to the health of our animal ambassadors.
Animal Care Assistant Caretakers are responsible for feeding, cleaning & changing water dishes, and cleaning & maintaining the terrarium and cage habitats for our non-releasable invertebrates, snakes, lizards, amphibians, turtles, and chinchillas. Animal Care Assistant Caretakers must be comfortable around the animals they are caring for and with the diets they will be offering to the animals. Our animal ambassadors typically eat a variety of deceased rodents, vegetables, pellets, and mealworms. It is a messy job and you must love animals! Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed during the week on either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for a 2 hour weekly commitment.
Age: Ages 14+
Minimum Requirement: 6 month commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Indoor
Our Assistant Land Steward are important volunteers who help us maintain our preserve.
Assistant Land Stewards are responsible for helping our Land & Facilities Manager maintain a healthy and accessible preserve. They help keep our trails wood chipped, remove invasive plant species, assist with seasonal trail clearance (ex. removing leaves from paths), and other habitat restoration and trail improvement needs. Volunteers may also assist staff with various routine day-to-day maintenance projects and special one-time projects.
Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed during the week and weekends for a 2 hour weekly commitment.
Age: Ages 18+
Minimum Requirement: 6 month commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Outdoors - In cases of inclement weather date/time will be skipped and volunteers will be asked to come on their next scheduled date/time
Our Birds of Prey Assistant Caretakers are crucial to the health of our animal ambassadors.
Birds of Prey Assistant Caretakers are responsible for feeding, cleaning & changing water dishes, and cleaning & maintaining the aviary habitats for our non-releasable birds of prey (ex. owls, hawks). Birds of Prey Assistant Caretakers must be comfortable around the animals they are caring for and with the diets they will be offering to the animals. Our birds of prey typically eat deceased rodents. It is a messy job and you must love birds! Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed during the week for one day on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday for a 2 hour weekly commitment.
Age: Ages 18+
Minimum Requirement: 6 month commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Outdoors - In cases of inclement weather date/time will be skipped and volunteers will be asked to come on their next scheduled date/time
The Board of Trustees steadfastly serve as our community leaders. Together, they lead and oversee many aspects of TNC.
We are currently looking for people who wish to volunteer as a Board Trustee with expertise in Event Planning, Public Relations, Marketing, Fundraising, Forestry & Wildlife Management, and Nonprofit HR. Terms are 3 years. Your active participation is welcomed!
TNC Board of Trustees Are Expected To:
Give approximately 5 hours per month on TNC business. Monthly board meetings (approximately 1-2 hours) and some sort of committee work, and/or volunteer work
Attend board meetings (held once a month). It is understood that occasional conflicts may occur, but trustees should attend the majority of meetings.
Serve on at least one committee and/or do some other type of TNC-related volunteer work.
Express views on board issues under discussion, and then support the board’s decisions.
Be current members.
Financially support the work of the TNCA in an amount(s) wholly at your discretion (when we go to foundations or corporations, it’s best if we can tell them that all trustees are donors).
Participate in board and/or public events to become familiar with and support TNCA in a different way from the monthly Board meetings. These include: our annual dinner, Nature Day, annual boundary walk, and additional TNC events.
Recommend, as appropriate, names of prospective financial supporters and/or potential candidates for the board.
Promote the Tenafly Nature Center Association. Mention TNC to your friends and neighbors. If you belong to a local service organization, consider speaking about TNCA (or requesting a speaker) at a meeting or help staff a TNCA table or exhibit during local events.
Training will be provided.
Schedule: Be prepared to spend approximately 5 hours per month on TNC business. Monthly board meetings (approximately 1-2 hours) and some sort of committee work, and/or volunteer work.
Age: Ages 21+
Minimum Requirement: 3 year commitment
Our Faerie Trail Caretakers are special helpers that make our faerie trail kept looking nice and whimsical, and provide our visitors with a fun passive exhibit to enjoy.
We are seeking volunteers who are interested in helping care for our Faerie trail. Volunteers will be asked to use their artistic and craft skills to maintain this creative exhibit while making sure the fae folk are happy with their forest community.
Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed on a weekday for a 2 hour weekly commitment between the hours of 10 am - 4:30 pm
Age: Ages 14+
Minimum Requirement: 3 month commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Outdoors - In cases of inclement weather date/time will be skipped and volunteers will be asked to come on their next scheduled date/time
Pollinator garden volunteers are special helpers that ensure we have a healthy garden available for an assortment of pollinators including butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
Join master gardeners and other volunteers to help maintain our native pollinator gardens and landscape plantings. Keep our bird feeders filled, plant, mulch, weed, and trim as you maintain and beautify this space for everyone to enjoy. Our garden is a Master Gardener’s approved site for volunteer hours. Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed for a 2-3 hour commitment between the hours of 9:30 am - 4:30 pm on one or more days each week.
Age: Ages 14+
Minimum Requirement: 4 week commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Outdoors - In cases of inclement weather date/time will be skipped and volunteers will be asked to come on their next scheduled date/time
Our NY/NJ Trail Conference Trail Crew are extremely important volunteers who help us maintain our over 7 miles of trails.
Do you enjoy a walk in the woods? If you do how about spending some time working in the woods you enjoy.
Join our dedicated trail crew and help maintain our seven miles of trails. Up to two of those miles could be yours to inspect and keep in shape. We are looking for outdoor-loving people like you.
Here is what you can help us do:
Keep trails accessible for fellow users
Monitor and removing invasive species
Build new trails and rehabilitating old ones
Tenafly Nature Center partners with the NY/NJ Trail Conference so there will be plenty of on-the-job training making newcomers feel right at home. Experience is not necessary the trail conference will show you how. Are you ready to become a volunteer trail maintainer? Contact the NY/NJ Trail Conference to learn more.
Training will be provided by NY/NJ Trail Conference.
Indoor or Outdoor: Outdoors - In cases of inclement weather date/time will be skipped and volunteers will be asked to come on their next scheduled date/time
Our Data Entry and Administrative Support Volunteers are crucial to helping keep TNC organized and running smoothly.
Data Entry and Administrative Support volunteers are responsible for providing clerical support to the nature center staff. Individuals are especially needed to help with scanning, data entry, filing and organizing files, answering phones, mailings (stuffing, labeling, sorting etc.), and work with staff on special projects. Individuals are needed who have a cheerful, friendly attitude, professional and efficient, and great communication skills. Experience with Microsoft Excel and Word and knowledge of data entry is a plus.
Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed on a weekday for a 2 hour weekly commitment between the hours of 11 am - 4:30 pm
Age: Ages 14+
Minimum Requirement: 3 month commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Indoors
Professional and amateur photographers are needed to photograph TNC's events, grounds, flora, and fauna. Maintain the nature center photo collections and files so that we can highlight all that we do.
Program photographer volunteers are responsible for attending TNC programs and events and taking digital pictures of the staff, volunteers, and animal ambassadors providing programs and assisting customers. These images are needed so that TNC may highlight all we do to accomplish our mission. The images provided may be utilized by TNC soley in either digital and or print. Individuals are needed who can provide their own digital camera, have a cheerful, friendly attitude, professional and efficient, and great communication skills.
Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed on a weekdays and weekends for a 1-2 hour commitment throughout the scheduled programs
Age: Ages 14+
Minimum Requirement: 1 event
Indoor or Outdoor: Indoors or outdoors depending on the event
Our Trail Greeters help all guests of the preserve feel safe and welcome.
Volunteers are needed to sit at our entrance and to help keep track of the number of trail visitors, answer questions regarding the trails, give an overview of the organization, and ensure visitors feel safe and welcome. Volunteers will be given a chair, table and necessary literature (along with an optional pop up tent) and set up at our main entrance in front of the visitors center. In between visitors volunteers are welcome to bring a book or entertainment device to enjoy.
Training will be provided.
Schedule: Help is currently needed for a 2-3 hour commitment between the hours of 9:30 am - 4:30 pm on one or more days each week.
Age: Ages 18+
Minimum Requirement: 4 week commitment
Indoor or Outdoor: Outdoors - In cases of inclement weather date/time will be skipped and volunteers will be asked to come on their next scheduled date/time
Are you just looking for a day to gain some hours? Take a look at our scheduled volunteers days below and sign up for a volunteer event that is already set up.
How to apply to volunteer at TNC?
Complete and submit a TNC volunteer application
If your interests and schedule match with our needs we will contact you to set up a schedule.
Teen applicants should complete the application themselves. This way they can learn about the nature center on their own and we can learn about them too.
Wait for TNC staff to review your submitted volunteer application and contact you.
Please don't contact us.
Scheduled Volunteer Days
The following opportunities are scheduled volunteer events that individuals are welcome to sign up for. These opportunities change each season and may be signed up for individually by clicking the event link in the upcoming events list.
Age restrictions may apply see the individual event for complete details.
Forest Defenders
2nd and 4th Sundays and Wednesdays
Forest Defenders are important volunteers who help us maintain our preserve by removing invasive plant species. For the forest ecosystem to continue functioning these invaders must be removed.
Boundary walk
In March
An annual walk of the property to assure that the nature center borders are being maintained, free of encroachments, and litter free.
Annual Egg Hunt
In April
A fun early spring program that encourages individuals to learn about camouflage. Volunteers are needed to help hide naturally dyed eggs and oversee the different sessions.
Trash-A-Thon
In April
In partnership with the borough of Tenafly the Tenafly Nature Center runs a community trash cleanup day for our local green spaces (including the nature center).
Nature Day
June 12, 2022
A fun community event featuring stations throughout the TNC preserve that encourage participants to have a respect for nature.
Haunted Forest
In October
A fun community event featuring stations throughout the TNC preserve that encourage participants to learn about nocturnal animals found within the preserve.
Tenafly Nature Center has been selected and approved as an official Certifying Organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award.
The President's Volunteer Service Award is a national award created from the White House established to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard, measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.
TNC is one of thousands of organizations that deliver the President’s Volunteer Service Award and honor volunteers. As a certified organization for the award, Tenafly Nature Center is responsible for verifying service hours, nominating potential recipients and delivering the Award.
TNC volunteers are eligible for this award and can be approved for it via TNC as their Certifying Organization. Volunteers can begin their pursuit of the award by tracking their volunteer hours online. The hours do not have to be only for volunteer work in support of TNC; they can be for a wide range of projects and service. However, it is important that TNC volunteers use Tenafly Nature Center's Record of Service Key, YER-8122, when identifying their Certifying Organization.
Visitor's Center:Open Daily, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm May be closed to the public during major holidays and programs
Trails: Open Daily, one hour after sunrise until one hour prior to sunset (View the Trail Map)
Admission: (9:30 am - 4:30 pm daily)
There is a small charge for visiting non-members.$2/person or $10/family.
Upcoming Event nature day
Sunday, June 12
Morning Session
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Afternoon Session
1:30 pm - 4:30pm
Summer is almost here and at TNC we are ready to party! Get your tickets today and join us here at the nature center for a fun day full of fun at this annual event celebrating community and the environment.
Tenafly Nature Center relies on the generosity of volunteers to maintain its mission.
Small businesses & corporations wishing to fulfill community service programs/endeavors. Small businesses & corporations must be TNC small business or corporate members. 
= Volunteer opportunities for adults (18+ only)
= Volunteer opportunities for students (14+ only)
Our Animal Care Assistant Caretakers are crucial to the health of our animal ambassadors.
Our Assistant Land Steward are important volunteers who help us maintain our preserve.
Our Birds of Prey Assistant Caretakers are crucial to the health of our animal ambassadors.
The Board of Trustees steadfastly serve as our community leaders. Together, they lead and oversee many aspects of TNC.
Our Faerie Trail Caretakers are special helpers that make our faerie trail kept looking nice and whimsical, and provide our visitors with a fun passive exhibit to enjoy.
Pollinator garden volunteers are special helpers that ensure we have a healthy garden available for an assortment of pollinators including butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
Our NY/NJ Trail Conference Trail Crew are extremely important volunteers who help us maintain our over 7 miles of trails.
Our Data Entry and Administrative Support Volunteers are crucial to helping keep TNC organized and running smoothly.
Professional and amateur photographers are needed to photograph TNC's events, grounds, flora, and fauna. Maintain the nature center photo collections and files so that we can highlight all that we do.
Our Trail Greeters help all guests of the preserve feel safe and welcome.
Summer is almost here and at TNC we are ready to party! Get your tickets today and join us here at the nature center for a fun day full of fun at this annual event celebrating community and the environment.
