Volunteer Positions
Visitor Center Receptionists
Receptionists work in the Visitor Center year-round to ensure that people have a quality experience at the Arboretum. They greet visitors, answer questions, suggest tour routes, provide brochures, answer phones and direct calls, and occasionally take on small clerical tasks. We are looking for outgoing people to be the welcoming face of the Arboretum.
Training is provided on-the-job by staff and experienced volunteers. Ongoing support, training and education are available. Volunteers are asked to make an initial commitment of three shifts per month for six months after completing training. Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Judy Kingsbury at (608) 262-5604 or jakingsb@wisc.edu
More information about this position
Bookstore Assistants
Work in the Arboretum Bookstore helping visitors with publication purchases. Assistants operate the cash register, keep the merchandise shelves and sales counter stocked and orderly, and use the computer to access the Arboretum’s Web site and other relevant information. The Bookstore is open year-round.
Training is provided on-the-job by staff and experienced volunteers. Ongoing support, training and education are available. Volunteers are asked to make an initial commitment of three shifts per month for six months after completing training. Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Judy Kingsbury at (608) 262-5604 or jakingsb@wisc.edu for more information.
Volunteer Stewards — Ambassadors for the Arboretum
If you would like to provide a valuable service to the Arboretum while walking or skiing the trails throughout the year, the volunteer steward program may be for you. The steward program offers volunteers a unique opportunity to educate visitors on the proper uses of the Arboretum while assisting staff in monitoring such things as trail conditions and trail use.
We will have a steward training in Spring 2009; the training schedule and other details will be announced on this website in late Winter 2009. The training is held at the Visitor Center and out on the grounds. Individuals must complete all days of training before becoming stewards.
Each steward patrols the Arboretum at least four hours per month. Shifts are available year-round on a flexible basis after the initial training. Steward uniforms and equipment are provided. Please contact Volunteer Coordinator Judy Kingsbury at (608) 262-5604 or jakingsb@uwarb.wisc.edu for more information.
More information about this position
Ecological Restoration Projects
Ecological restoration emphasizes managing native plant communities. Drop in at a Saturday work party (individuals need not register in advance), or join the habitat restoration team (advance registration needed; work is primarily on weekdays).
Activities include cutting brush from remnant and restored areas, removing invasive plants, and burn unit preparation. As you work you'll learn about the Arboretum and its plant communities. Tools and training provided. We encourage volunteers from all backgrounds and experience levels. All tools, equipment, instruction, and refreshments are provided. Participants are advised to wear long pants, sturdy shoes, work gloves and other seasonally appropriate clothing. Youths 12-17 are welcome when accompanied by a parent or guardian, with advance arrangements.
Please contact Earth Partnership Field Manager Marian Farrior at (608) 265-5214 or e-mail mlfarrior@wisc.edu for more information about the drop-in work parties.
The drop-in work party schedule is:
- First Saturday of each month: Wingra Oak Savanna Project
- Third Saturday: Grady Tract
- Second and fourth Saturdays: Core Area
All drop-in work parties begin at 9 a.m. and end at noon. Work parties may be cancelled in case of severe weather (snowstorms, thunderstorms, temperatures below 10° F or above 100° F) or if the ground is too muddy for work.
Work Days at the Wingra Oak Savanna Project meet at the parking lot at the intersection of Monroe Street and Arbor Drive. Madison city bus route 7 westbound stops at the corner of Monroe Street and Glenway Street, about 3 blocks west of the meeting location at 8:48 a.m.
Work Days at the Core Area meet at the Arboretum Visitor Center steps. Work Days at Grady Tract meet in the Grady Tract parking lot at the intersection of Seminole Highway and the Beltline frontage road.
Habitat restoration team
Join the habitat restoration team and work alongside the Arboretum's Field Staff to carry out ecological restoration projects throughout the year in the Arboretum and at our outlying properties. Call Steve Glass at (608) 265-0798 or e-mail sbglass@wisc.edu or call Michael Hansen at (608) 225-3995, or e-mail mjhansen4@wisc.edu to learn more.
Wisconsin Native Plant Garden Assistants
Volunteers weed, plant, mulch, and do other tasks as we establish and maintain the native plant gardens. Garden volunteers learn about Wisconsin's native plants and weeds, basic botany and plant care. All tools and training are provided. Individuals and groups are welcome. One-time, biweekly, or weekly schedules can be arranged. Contact Susan Carpenter at (608) 262.2445 or scarpen1@wisc.edu for more information.
Propagation & Planting Assistants
Help provide seeds and plants for the native plant gardens, researchers, and ecological restoration projects on Arboretum properties. Propagation & planting volunteers participate in a wide array of activities including seed collecting, propagating, seed cleaning, transplanting and planting out into restoration areas. Work takes place from February through November. All tools and supplies provided. Please contact Staff Horticulturist Susan Kilmer at (608) 265-0535 or sekilmer@wisc.edu for more information.
Earth Partnership for Schools Internship
Internships are available with our Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) program, a teacher professional development program that focuses on restoring native plant communities on school grounds and using them as outdoor classrooms. The EPS staff is looking for one or more interns to start in early spring with positions lasting through July, at least. Duties focus on the design and implementation of the Earth Partnership for Schools’ Summer Institute Series (held in June and July). This is an ideal opportunity for college students, K-12 teachers and community members who want first-hand experience with:
- Curricular activity development (related to restoring native sites as outdoor classrooms on school grounds)
- K-12 teacher professional development/program planning
- Environmental education and inquiry science
- Coordinating with statewide organizations involved with EPS
Please contact Earth Partnership for Schools Program Manager Cheryl Bauer Armstrong at (608) 262-5264 or cherylbauer@wisc.edu for further information.
Naturalist’s Assistant at Earth Focus Day Camp
Each summer, from June through August, the Arboretum offers a summer nature program for children from pre-school through middle school. Our naturalists guide children in exploring the natural world through first hand experiences in the forests, wetlands, prairies, and classrooms of the Arboretum. Camp activities include outdoor discovery hikes, art, music, games, stories, and using senses and observations to explore the session theme.
With all this activity, the naturalists need adults and older teens to assist with the sessions. If you enjoy children and exploring nature, this is a great way to combine those interests.
Volunteers are asked to commit to all five mornings of at least one camp session to ensure continuity in the program. Also, volunteers are asked to attend an orientation session prior to each month’s camp sessions. For a schedule of volunteer openings at Earth Focus Day Camp, contact the Volunteer Program Office at (608) 262-5604 or send an e-mail to Volunteer Coordinator Judy Kingsbury at jakingsb@wisc.edu.
Native Plant Sale Assistants
Volunteers are needed each year in early May for organizing, labeling, moving and pricing plants in preparation for the Friends of the Arboretum Native Plant Sale; then for sales and clean-up on the day of the sale. Volunteering for the plant sale is a wonderful way to learn more about native plants and meet fellow gardeners. Please contact Friends of the Arboretum Coordinator Linda Bishop at (608) 263-7760 or friends@uwarboretum.org.
Longenecker Gardens Assistants
Volunteers are part of a small group that meets once a week during April-June and September-November under the direction of Emeritus Professor Ed Hasselkus, Curator of the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens, in maintaining the woody plant collections. Hours are usually from 1 to 4 p.m. on Fridays, but the schedule may be altered to other weekday afternoons. A short tour of the plant collections is conducted during the mid-afternoon break. Please contact the Volunteer Program Office at (608) 262-5604 or send an e-mail to Volunteer Coordinator Judy Kingsbury at jakingsb@wisc.edu.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
The Arboretum welcomes volunteers to share their time and talents in many different endeavors. We need help with maintaining trails, preparing mailings, data entry, creating an annual index for the journal Ecological Restoration, and more.
Individuals and groups can volunteer for a few hours or over several years, indoors and outdoors, contributing their special talents to the continued success of the Arboretum.
For additional information on volunteer opportunities at the Arboretum, please contact the Volunteer Program Office at (608) 262-5604 or jakingsb@wisc.edu.