Utah HerpSearch
A Utah HerpSearch volunteer takes water quality measurements while conducting a habitat survey. Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Season: Spring-Fall
What: Volunteers collect observations of amphibians and reptiles and submit them through iNaturalist. Expert and amateur “herpers” can use the Choose Your Own Adventure map to survey for species of interest.
Volunteer Commitment: Attending our training is required. Schedule is flexible and varies depending on individual interest. Volunteers may visit recommended sites as desired.
Native Plants & Pollinators
Bug Club attendees observe and log pollinator observations at Red Butte Gardens. Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Season: Spring-Fall
What: Volunteers collect data on Utah’s pollinators, providing valuable information that informs conservation efforts and habitat restoration. Volunteers may also participate in planting days to benefit pollinators and other wildlife.
Volunteer Commitment: Flexible and varies, depending on individual volunteer interest. Project may be done on one’s own time, or volunteers may join a designated survey or restoration day.
Great Salt Lake & Shorebirds
Sharon Montecino, a grad student at Utah State University, surveys for shorebirds. Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Season: One survey date in the Spring and one in the Fall
What: Volunteers survey for shorebirds across Great Salt Lake, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Utah Lake, and the Amalga Barrens Sanctuary. This supports shorebird and habitat conservation.
Volunteer Commitment: Taking our training is required to gain the ability to identify shorebirds by sight. Volunteers must attend one day-long project in wet, uneven areas in the field.
Fence Restoration
Volunteers remove old barbed wire fencing at a property near Peoa, Utah. Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Season: Spring - Fall
What: Volunteers can map existing fences to inform future restoration efforts or join us to remove, repair, or retrofit fencing for the benefit of landowners and wildlife alike.
Commitment: Flexible and varies, depending on individual volunteer interest. Requires the ability walk on uneven surfaces, work with a team, and potentially handle barbed wire.
Riverscape Restoration
Volunteers build a stream restoration structure on the South Fork of Chalk Creek in Utah. Photo by Sierra Hastings.
Season: Summer-Fall
What: Volunteers work on restoration projects along riverscapes in need of a boost to improve water quality and create wildlife habitat.
Volunteer Commitment: No training before the selected volunteer date is necessary. Volunteers sign up for individual volunteer days and meet a team to build beaver restoration structures and/or plant native plants. Sites are outdoors and vary in accessibility.