Our volunteers are invaluable to us in all we do. Volunteer opportunities change throughout the seasons and are often different from year to year. In order to give the best service to community members dedicating their valuable time, staff take care to engage with volunteers in an intentional and quality way. This sometimes means we are not able to take on more volunteers while onboarding and training recent additions. We appreciate your patience and encourage you to work with other local community organizations while we are between orientation sessions.
The Friend’s mission is to support, protect, and enhance the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and its wildlife habitat, and to broaden public awareness and participation in its environmental, cultural, and educational opportunities.
Whether you want to work with students and the public to spread the conservation message, or get your hands dirty doing habitat work, we just may have a volunteer opportunity for you to join our community.
Volunteering at the Refuge does not require previous experience. Bring your enthusiasm and passion the outdoors, connecting people with nature and culture and we will teach you all you need to know.
If you are also interested in volunteering at our Refuges in the Columbia River Gorge, email the Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards.
We need your support to grow Friends and Refuge programs – nature education, wildlife habitat restoration, and a new naturalist corps! Please become a member and receive eNews and newsletters, come to the annual membership meetings, participate as a volunteer, and help the Refuge community grow, now is the time.
Volunteers are usually recruited for the following opportunities:
Refuge-Specific Volunteer Opportunities:
Refuge Ambassadors
Welcome visitors and support communities in learning about nature exploration at the Refuge and in their backyards.
Refuge Enhancers
Improve habitat to enhance wildlife health and the visitor experience.
Refuge Communicators
Help share the stories and conservation work of the refuge and our partners
Refuge Office Supporters
Help provide a welcoming face and voice to those visiting the refuge or calling the office.
For the above opportunities, you can drop Refuge Staff a line, HERE, to see how to get involved.
Friends Specific Opportunities:
For these opportunities, Email the Friends to express interest in any of the above, and your information will be shared with Staff in charge of the related program, thank you!
Volunteer with Washington Trail Association for a fun and rewarding way to give back to the places you love to hike. Trails across Washington need our help more than ever, including Ridgefield NWR’s Oaks to Wetlands Trail. WTA will be working with the refuge to re-do our trail network after large-scale restoration efforts that have obliterated much of the old trails. WTA has several days scheduled out here to build the new trails — depending on the day, expect to clear new trail corridor, create new tread, or fine-tune temporary trails into actual tread surface (as well as learn about sustainable trail alignment). This is a great project to see a new trail come to life!
What it Takes to Do This Work Party:
No experience is necessary—just bring a great attitude for working with a team! WTA provides the training and tools you need. Expect to be physically active at your own pace for up to 6 hours on uneven terrain.
Recommended for ages 10 and older; under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and a parental consent form must be signed for anyone under 18
Wear: Boots, long pants and shirt, rain wear, and plenty of warm layers. Shorts and sneakers are not allowed.
Pack: a lunch, water and bag to carry it in about a mile, over even terrain.
RIDGEFIELD NWR
Oaks to Wetlands Trail (Carty Unit off Main, follow detour signs to the Refuge)
Space is Limited. Sign Up at: www.wta.org
For More Info, Contact WTA at volunteer@wta.org or 206.625.1367
Many companies not only encourage their employees to give to and volunteer time to nonprofits in their communities, but also will match those efforts with dollars and other means of support.
Employee Matching Gifts are donations an employer makes to match its employees’ charitable contributions. Usually associated with corporate grantmakers, employee matching gifts often are dollar-for-dollar, but some companies will give double or even triple the original donation. Some may also give matching gifts for employees’ volunteer efforts. For example, when an employee participates in a walkathon or other type of fundraising event, their employer may match the money they raise through sponsorships or other donations.
Volunteer Support Programs – sometimes called “Dollars for Doers” – can take various forms. Also known as individual volunteer grants, these programs essentially reward employees who take time to donate their time to a nonprofit.
Find out if your employer offers these programs to maximize your giving today!
Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (PK822). For more information, please visit the link below.
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