Volunteer

Volunteer Opportunities

Burrowing Owl Relocation-Wild At Heart -help relocate burrowing owls whose habitat has been taken over by develpment. Work includes installing artificial burrows and taking down release tents to free owls relocated earlier. Volunteers should contact Greg Clark for dates and directions and his cell phone number. Work 480-961-4046, rai@primenet.com. Contact laurienessel@hotmail.com to be put on an email alert list for future relocation project dates.

Help track large mammals in the Sky Island region to advocate for protection of important wildlife corridors-Sky Island Alliance will hold a Fall 2005 training workshop at The Nature Conservancy's Lichty Center along the Gila River in New Mexico, October 22, 23, 24 and December 4-5. SIA is seeking dedicated "grassroots naturalists" who can commit to an exciting conservation program on a long-term basis. Volunteers will adopt transects in one of our four project areas: Peloncillo Mountains , Cienega Creek Corridor, Dragoon/Whetstone Corridor,and Tumacacori/Santa Rita Corridor. Volunteers monitor the presence of large mammals, such as mountain lion, black bear, jaguar, and Mexican gray wolf between the mountain ranges of the Sky Island region, by conducting track surveys. Volunteers must follow strict guidelines and adhere to a six-week survey interval to ensure the scientific viability of our data. During the workshop, regional wildlife experts join SIA staff to teach tracking techniques and wildlife sign recognition, ecology and behavior of local mammal species. Classroom instruction is supplemented with field trips. There is a $75 workshop fee which includes food, workshop materials and overnight accommodations at the Lichty Center - a TNC ecological restoration project near Cliff , New Mexico . You must attend all five days of the workshop and commit to a full day of transect monitoring every six weeks. Volunteers form permanent 3-4 member teams.

Please contact: Janice Przybyl -- Wildlife Monitoring Program Coordinator, janice@skyislandalliance.org
or call 520 624-7080 x203, P.O. 41165, Tucson , AZ 85717

Maricopa Audubon Birding Fieldtrips: Volunteer to lead birding fieldtrips Contact Marjorie Eckman desertjewelB77@aol.com (480) 368-1901

Bookstore: Set up book table and sell books at monthly membership meetings. Time Commitment 3-4 hours/month September-April. Contact Laurienessel@hotmail.com

Arizona Important Bird Area Program Stewardship Individuals/Teams: Adopt an Arizona Important Bird Area. Conduct 6 to 9 bird surveys with your "IBA team," or as an individual, and fill out seasonal habitat report cards. Participate in site-specific projects related to birds or habitat conservation. (More on IBA program http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/index.html)
Contact: Scott Wilbor 622-2230, iba@tucsonaudubon.org

Christmas Bird Count: Participate in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count. See http://www.maricopaaudubon.org/countfull.htm

Audubon Arizona Nature Center : Current volunteer opportunities include plantings and leading bird walks at the new nature center at Phoenix 's Rio Salado. Contact SamCampana@aol.com

Do you like to make presentations to groups? If so, the Education Committee would like to talk to you! The Education Committee is seeking volunteers to make presentations on birds, habitat, natural history, etc. to community groups across the Valley. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact Doug Green at 480-998-5638; email:azbotman@yahoo.com .

Would you like to play a role in improving your education system at the local level? National Audubon Society's environmental education program for grades 4-6, called "Audubon Adventures," is available to teachers across the U.S. for $35 a year. A newspaper for each child, plus a teacher's manual and other teaching aids, brings the wonders of the natural world to more than 15,000 classrooms across the nation five times a year. If you would like to sponsor a particular teacher, classroom or make a contribution to the overall program here's your chance to make a difference. Contact: Doug Green at 480-998-5638; email:azbotman@yahoo.com

Bird photographers wanted: The Maricopa Audubon newsletter, the Cactus Wren-dition, is always looking for photos of rare and unusual birds seen in the Phoenix area (or elsewhere in Arizona ). Please contact Deva Burns, Newsletter Editor, at (480) 946-2502; email: devaburns@aol.com.