Do you want to work in nature, environmental education, or with animals? Are you looking for a way to give back to your community while spending time in the great outdoors? Are you looking for a way to fill your community service hours, high school internships, or looking for a fun and exciting way to spend some of your free time? Becoming an SMLI volunteer is a great place to start!
Without our volunteers we would have no Museum. They are an essential part of our activities and help keep us vibrant and alive. We depend on these volunteers with their broad abilities, talents, and interests. They are loyal workers who give countless hours of their time. We have opportunities for people who are looking to work outdoors assisting in our conservation work on the 16 Acre Leeds Leeds Pond preserve that is home to the Science Museum. Certain tasks may require a minimum age for individuals to participate.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Education Assistant – Help the educators here set up for incoming school groups, assist with prepping the classroom, working with participants, and sorting supplies for activities.
Marketing & Communications – One of the most creative opportunities at SMLI. Work directly with the staff to tell the world about the vast array of programs at SMLI. Share your potential talents with things such as graphic design, computers, social media, public speaking, or community outreach.
Office Assistant – Help us out around the office. We always need a helping hand making phone calls, doing internet research, mailing, and compiling research. If you like to be organized and like being an office environment, then this is for you.
Native Plant Conservation - Volunteers and museum staff will use manual removal of plants (no chemicals) and dispose of them in a manner to prevent any further spreading. Best time: late winter, early spring through early fall. Invasives of concern: Japanese Knotweed, Mile-A-Minute, Garlic Mustard, Norway Maple, Porcelain Berry, Multiflora rose, Japanese Honeysuckle, and English Ivy.
Trail/Pond Restoration Projects - We have almost 5 miles of marked nature trails that lead through the woods, meadow, and along the bluff and along the beach. To keep our trails as safe as possible for all who visit us, they need to be cleared, maintained, and fixed up occasionally. We welcome all those who are willing! A pond is a type of ecosystem that naturally accumulates debris (tree limbs, plant and animal debris) that leads to the succession of a pond into a forest. We wish to keep our ponds for educational purposes and to do this we need to clear the edges of the ponds every few years. (Great for scout groups and Eagle scouts)
General Gardening and Beautification– If you like being outdoors and making the gardens look nice then this is for you. Work independently to keep the plants and gardens looking sharp. There are always plants to plant and weeds to pull.
Bird and Butterfly Friendly Gardens - We have various beautiful bird and butterfly friendly gardens around the museum and parking lot. These gardens are made to give native birds, butterflies, and other insects a great source for food, nesting, and cover and for educational purposes. Birds and butterflies are more likely to feed and build a nest (or lay eggs) on native shrubs and plants. Different species of butterflies need certain plants for nectar and other plants to lay eggs so their larvae can feed when hatched. These gardens need weeding throughout the early spring through early fall. If any environmental clubs or groups are interested, they can "adopt-a-garden". Your group can tend to and manage one or both of our gardens through the spring and summer.