Since Little Traverse Conservancy was founded in 1972, volunteer involvement has enabled us to be one of the most successful, well-respected and well-known organizations in northern Michigan. Our volunteers have helped make our nature preserves available to and enjoyable for the community, helped our staff reach out to children in the community through our educational programs, and assisted us in protecting and stewarding more than 44,000 acres of land in the northwestern lower peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula. Without volunteer involvement we would not have the human resources to be as effective, successful or efficient as we are today.

Listed below are our current volunteer opportunities. Please print and fill out the volunteer application to mail or fax to us (info below) if you see a position that would fit your skills and be fulfilling for you. We can tailor these positions to fit your schedule and personal skills as necessary. If you don't see something that jumps out at you but you want to become involved with LTC as a volunteer, please submit an application anyway - we are happy to have you on our list of volunteers to call as needed for other opportunities.

Little Traverse Conservancy
3264 Powell Rd.
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
fax: 231.347.1276

Current Volunteer Opportunities
Field Trip Leader
Our seasonal field trips offer the public a chance to enjoy exploring certain nature preserves at no cost and with a guide. If you have ideas of field trips you would like to co-lead with board or staff members or have a favorite nature preserve that you would like to share, we are more than willing to offer an event to the community. Our field trips encourage families and visitors to join us outdoors doing activities like snowshoeing, learning about wildlife, archaeology, mycology, ecology and other fun activities. Field trips usually last 2 or more hours depending on the activity and can sometimes require about an hour of preparation or reconnaissance.
Skills/Qualifications: Strong communication skills, physically fit enough to lead appropriate field trip, have working knowledge about LTC, be willing to represent the organization, answer questions about our programs, preserves and enjoy meeting new people.
Hours: No more than 4 hours every other month.

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Nature Photographer
Do you love taking nature photographs? Are you on our nature preserves often? Do you want to be? We are always looking to fill specific holes in our photographic/video library for use in publications, on our website and facebook page. Work with our Communications Consultant to fill these holes. Small digital camera can be provided, but if you have your own that takes high-quality photos that is a plus.
Skills/Qualifications: Ability to work a digital camera, photographic experience appreciated.
Hours: As needed or at your convenience, available potentially during weekdays and evenings to photograph educational programs, occasional events, and seasonal field trips

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Environmental Education Ambassador
We maintain and offer for free to teachers nine different theme-based discovery boxes. These are a fun, interactive way to involve students in certain science-based lessons. Each box includes hands-on materials such as animal furs, skulls, books, CD's and video tapes. Each box comes with detailed lesson plans, activities, and background information on each topic. All of the boxes meet the Michigan Curriculum Framework Standards, which are listed on each lesson plan. Choose a box that fits your knowledge-base: Knee-High Naturalist Discovery Box; Beauty of Bats; Geology Rocks!; Michigan Mammals; Michigan Trees and Forestry; Michigan Gray Wolf; Owls and Their Prey; Skulls, Bones, and Adaptations; Wild Weather. If you have interest in working with classes in the schools, we are looking for a qualified volunteer to present one of nine theme-based lessons as requested by teachers in our service area.

Skills/Qualifications: Educational experience in- or outside the classroom, comfortable and experienced working with different age groups, have a general understanding of wildlife, the natural environment and ability to drive to schools, act independently, but also as a representative of LTC with a basic knowledge of our educational programs.

Hours: As requested by teachers, no more than 3 hours per month, weekdays.

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Preserve Monitor
Currently more than 100 individuals and families act as Preserve Monitors for a particular nature preserve owned by the Little Traverse Conservancy. Monitors visit their assigned preserve at least twice each year (spring and fall) and send us a report on the condition of signs, trails, structures, etc. Our monitors also help give us feedback about issues and concerns of users and interact with the public about our mission. The Preserve Monitor Guide explains the responsibilities asked of our Preserve Monitors. explains the responsibilities asked of our Preserve Monitors.

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Trail Steward
Each preserve that has a formal trail system has a Volunteer Trail Steward. Tasks may include clearing back vegetation, trimming branches, and removing downed trees. Trail Stewards send us a report once a year. To find out more about this volunteer position, read our Trail Steward Guide.

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Stewardship Work Days
Throughout the year we have large projects to complete on our preserves, and we host "work bees" to accomplish a lot in one day. While some of these are scheduled events and are published in our newsletter, we also keep an email list so we can notify volunteers when there is an upcoming work day. These events usually require lots of physical labor and can include building trails, dismantling structures, cleaning up trash, hauling materials, pulling invasive plants, and planting native trees, shrubs, and seeds.
Skills/Qualifications: Use of general landscaping tools is helpful, physically able to work outside, sometimes in adverse weather, heat or rain. For all volunteer work days, please wear sturdy shoes and bring gloves and drinking water. For some of the work days, we welcome the use of extra tools when possible.
Hours: Half day events generally go from 9:00 am to noon. Full day events go from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Go here for a listing of current Work Days.

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Photo Archivist
If you love to stay organized and are interested in looking at historical photos of our early years, this is the positiong for you. Help us file, scan, organize photos (pre digital cameras) into digital files. We are looking for someone who can devise an efficient digital and hard copy filing system and organize photos that are constantly coming in to be easily maintained by staff.
Skills/Qualifications: Strong organizational skills and familiarity with computers.
Hours: Schedule and hours can be self-determined, or a few hours a month.

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Publication Distribution
Help us keep in touch with our community through distributing our publications to local businesses, chambers, libraries and anywhere else you can think of that would benefit from these brochures. Choose where you are willing to drive - close to home, or maybe wherever you often visit, work or pass through.
Skills/Qualifications: Able to drive and own transportation
Hours: A few hours a month, more often needed during summer months

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Outreach Assistant
Be our "feet on the street" and host an info table at different events, eg Farm Markets, Expos, Educational Events, Community Fairs. Meet and greet community members and attend fun events throughout the area.
Skills/Qualifications: Strong communication and organization skills, ability to act as a knowledgeable representative of LTC, comfortable speaking to large groups of people.
Hours: Varies from once a week to three times a year (expos/community fairs), available some weekends, busiest months are in summer.

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Special Events Assistant
Our members enjoy a fun atmosphere at our annual fundraisers, field trips, and celebrations. The two largest events we could use a few extra hands for are our annual fundraiser, Save the Trees, in early July or August, and our Annual Meeting on the second Tuesday of August.

Skills/Qualifications: Physically able to move tables and chairs, strong organization and communication, ability to represent LTC in the public and enjoy working with people, families.
Hours: Mostly during summer months, Weekdays, possible weekends, ~ 4-6hours/event

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Website and Publication Editor
LTC communicates with our supporters through the internet, newsletters, monthly e-mail blasts and facebook. Other publications are printed often and your help is appreciated when available. Our newsletter is printed quarterly in March, June September and December. If you have a good eye for design, layout and color, update our website and facebook with seasonal field trips, events, photos and other general information and keep that red pen out for editing our publications.
Skills/Qualifications: Previous editing experience, knowledge of website organization and structure, web-editing experience is helpful, but we can train in basic skills.
Hours: Self-determined

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Snow Plowing
Many of our nature preserves have parking lots that we currently pay to have plowed in the winter. If you live near one of these preserves, have a plow truck, and love to volunteer, this is the job for you. Work with our stewardship staff to determine location, method and frequency.
Skills/Qualifications: Own and run plow truck, experience plowing un-paved parking areas.
Hours: As needed throughout the winter months.

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Mailings
Our membership mailings happen in Summer and Fall and require over 200 hours of volunteer help! Our volunteers who help with mailings usually prefer not to do heavy lifting and like to stay organized. We stuff and stamp envelopes here at the office for almost 3 weeks twice a year to get these mailings out the door.
Skills/Qualifications: Ability to write, keep organized while stuffing envelopes and inserts. Some dexterity with your fingers is helpful and ability to sit for a few hours at a time is necessary.
Hours: 3 days a week for 3 weeks, twice a year, 5 hours a day in late June/early July and late October/early November.

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Interns
LTC is open to hosting interns throughout the year. If you are interested in interning with LTC in any area please fill out the Volunteer Application.

Sally Stebbins pulling invasive garlic mustard at Meadowgate Preserve.

Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.
- Erma Bombeck

Mailing volunteers taking a walk (L-R): John Maximiuk, Norm Cutshall, Bev Warner, and Ann Burek.

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. ~Elizabeth Andrew

Trail building at Seven Springs Nature Preserve: (Foreground to background) Bill Harris and sons, Nate and Abe Harris, Tucker Harris, Sheila Malleis, Esther Summers, Trish Woollcott

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ~Kahlil Gibran