In Service to the Earth and Your Community

At Hartman Reserve Nature Center, volunteers are key to the fulfillment of our mission.  Our mission statement is: 
“Hartman Reserve Nature Center is dedicated to the understanding of our environment through educatin, recreation, and community involvement, and to the stewardship of of a unique natural area.”

Our volunteers perform such roles as educational naturalists, land restorers, trail workers, artists, story tellers, and behind-the-scenes administrators. 

Please click here to complete a volunteer application

Where can you volunteer?
Childrens Programs
Special Events
~ Maple Syrup Festival
~ Bus Tours
~ Earth Fair
~ Eco-Tri
~ Sturgis Falls Street Fair Booth
~ Halloween Hikes
Natural Resource Management
~ Controlled Burning
~ Invasive Species Management
~ Trail Maintenance
~ Construct Tree Cages/Stakes
Wildlife Diversity Projects
Indoor Opportunities
~ Gift Shop Attendant
~ Brochure and Mailing Folding
General Maintenance

Learn how to give to your community by being a part of our mission:
∞ Check out our Current Volunteer Opportunities.
∞ Fill out the volunteer form and email it to get on our volunteer database. You will be contacted when we have events and volunteers are needed. 
∞ Contact us directly at 319-277-2187 or volunteer.hrnc@gmail.com with any questions, or to get on our volunteer list.

Ways to Volunteer

∞ Summer Children's Programs and School Field Trips: Year round
•Help staff with large groups of children varying in age and ability.  This could include fishing, canoeing/kayaking, short hikes, games, lessons, etc.  Previous experience with day care or education is helpful.

∞ Special Events: These opportunities include annual events and fund raisers that occur throughout the year.

• Maple Syrup Festival- First Saturday and Sunday in March.

• Bus Tours- Third or fourth week of March, 3 or 4 days in length.

• Earth Fair- Fourth Sunday in April.
-     Gift shop attendant: Sell items and make change

• Sturgis Falls Street Fair Booth- Last Sunday in June.

• Halloween Hikes- Third or fourth week in October, held for three nights in a row.

• Under the Harvest Moon-On the first Friday in November.

1. Greeter: Welcome guests and assist with check-in.
2. Set up team: Help set up tables and chairs, hang lights, set place settings, and decorate the Rotary Reserve.
3. Kitchen help: Prep food, fill water carafes, wash lots and lots of dishes, etc.
4. Serving staff: Serve dinner and dessert to guests.
5. Auction attendants: Monitor auction tables, assist guests as they bid in silent auctions, showcase live auction items, help spot bids during the live auction, run auction items to the check out table, etc.
   

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∞ Natural Resource Management: Some of these tasks require some training.

• Controlled burns- Hartman Reserve manages the prairie and forest areas through controlled burning. Burns are scheduled in the spring and in the fall. Burn crew volunteers will need a certain amount of training from the Staff. Duties will include carrying a water pack, rake, or other tools for fire control.

• Invasive species removal- Removal of invasive/exotic plants and shrubs is important for keeping the ecosystems in balance. Equipment such as handsaws, tree trimmers and weed trimmers will be used. A chemical applicators license would be helpful, but is definitely not required. Some training will be needed for this opportunity.

• Trail maintenance- Keeping our trails clear is important for the enjoyment of recreationists.  We constantly need help clearing downed trees, branches and obstructions from trails, as well as, checking erosion barriers and mulching trails.

• Construction of tree cages and stakes- Hartman Reserve is always planting new trees. We need volunteers to help us construct cages and stakes to prevent deer from pruning off the young, sweet trees before they have a chance to grow and become established.

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∞ Wildlife Diversity Projects:

• These opportunities allow for people in the community to interact up-close and personal with wildlife and build awareness of our natural surroundings. As a result, they require some special training. Trainings will be offered to the public approximately one month before the project. Opportunities will vary according to the needs of the specific project.

• Cleaning and inventory of woodduck and bluebird houses is important for keeping the pairs coming back to our area to nest. Volunteers are needed to place and remove some of these nests seasonally, as well as monitor and clean them.

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∞ Indoor Opportinities:

• Gift shop attendant- The Acorn Gift Shop is open every Sunday afternoon from 1-5pm in October, November, April, and May. Volunteers would sell items, make change, answer general questions, and possibly help with small simple tasks such as folding brochures. Volunteers will be trained during one of these afternoons.

• Seasonal brochure or bulk mailing folding-  Hartman Reserve sends out 4 newsletters annually, revises brochures for all county parks, has a membership mailing, as well as several other special bulk mailings that go to the public throughout the year. Folding these documents takes time and many helping hands.

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Please click here to complete a volunteer application.