Volunteer Opportunities
Photo by Tom Mangelsdorf
Burrowing Owl Relocation — Wild At Heart
Volunteer dates for fall 2023 have been set.
Help relocate burrowing owls whose habitat has been taken over by development. Work includes installing artificial burrows and taking down release tents to free owls relocated earlier.
Work usually begins at 8 AM and end anywhere from 11 AM to 3 PM, depending upon how much work needs to be done and how many volunteers are attending.
You may arrive and leave whenever you like.
We appreciate your interest in helping us relocate Burrowing Owls to new homes.
Steve Thomas for Bob Fox and Greg Clark of Wild At Heart
To volunteer, email steve@wildatheartowls.org. Include the dates you are interested in and how many adults and children will be in your group. We prefer children be at least 8 years old, and preferably 10, to attend. Parent or guardian must be present with their children at all times.
One week before each event, we will email specific information about the event and directions to it to those of you who expressed an interest in helping out at that event.
September 10 - Salome Town, assemble 13 tent frames. This is part of the Girl Scout Gold Award project. We expect 10 volunteers from the Girl Scouts. Work will start by 7:30. The tent frames are expected to be completed by 10:30 or 11, or sooner if more volunteers show up.
September 17 - Salome Town, add tent covers to 13 tent frames, place 26 owls in tents, feed the owls and complete owl feeder training. This is also part of the Girl Scout Gold Award project. Work will start by 7:30. The work consists of adding the tent cover, shoveling soil onto the tent fabric, placing concrete blocks at the feeder entrance, driving conduit stakes, and tying the tent to the conduit stakes. Although the Girl Scouts will recruit volunteers for this event, we need additional volunteers to help with moving soil onto the tent fabric so we can finish as early as possible. The owls will be delivered to the worksite and placing the owls in the tents when the temperature is high can overheat the owls.
October 14 - Salome Town, disassemble 13 tents. This is part of the Girl Scout Gold Award Project.
October 21 - Gila Bend Old US 80, assembly of 27 tent frames. This is the same location located 8 miles north of Gila Bend where owls were previously relocated. Today about 14 owls are living at the site and there is room for many more owls. It is anticipated that some frames will be completed during the week prior to October 21 so that all frames can be completed on October 21 or close to it.
October 28 - Gila Bend Old US 80, addition of tent covers to tent frames. It is anticipated that some tent covers will be added during the week. It is possible that all the tent covers could be finished on October 28. However, as we do not know when we will have all the owl feeder volunteers lined up, we might not be able to release owls into the tents. Also, we might not have enough time left in the day before darkness to get all the owls in the tents.
November 4 - Gila Bend Old US 80, target date for all tents completed, owls placed in tents, owl feeder training and mice distribution started or completed. Depends on enough owl feeder volunteers available to handle 5-6 days of the week.
November 18 - Gila River West, begin installation of 130 artificial burrows.
November 25 - Gila River West, continue installation of artificial burrows.
December 2 - Gila Bend Old US 80, expected disassembly of owl relocation tents.
December 9 - Gila River West, begin assembly of owl relocation tent frames.
December 16- Gila River West, continue or complete assembly of owl relocation tent frames.
December 30 - Gila River West, begin or complete addition of tent covers.
January 6 - Gila River West, place owls into tents. Depends on availability of owl feeder volunteers.
The events almost always begin at 8 AM and end anywhere from 11 AM to 3 PM, depending upon how much work needs to be done and how many volunteers are attending.
You may arrive at and leave the events whenever you like.
Please respond to this email if you wish to help with any of these events. Let us know the dates you are interested in and how many adults and children will be in your group. We prefer children be at least 8 years old, and preferably 10, to attend. Parent or guardian must be present with their children at all times.
One week before each event, we will email specific information about the event and directions to it to those of you who expressed an interest in helping out at that event.
We appreciate your interest in helping us relocate Burrowing Owls to new homes.
Steve Thomas for Bob Fox and Greg Clark of Wild At Heart
Friday, November 17
Native Tree Planting in Arnett Creek!
Join Wild Arizona for a weekend of camping, hiking, and planting native plants in beautiful Arnett Creek!
As part of Wild Arizona's long-standing restoration work in Arnett Creek (near Superior, Arizona) we're heading back this fall to begin the next phase: planting native plants!
After several years of successfully removing noxious invasive plants that were choking the canyon, preventing access, and causing ecological havoc, the next step is to plant native saplings including mesquite, palo verde, and ironwood. We will also plant saguaro seeds.
No prior experience is required and ALL are welcome. We will provide all necessary tools and guidance. Join us for a great opportunity to get your hands dirty and take part in a cool restoration project!
Optional camping opportunity.
See details here.
Burrowing Owl Relocation — Wild At Heart
Help relocate burrowing owls whose habitat has been taken over by development. Work includes installing artificial burrows and taking down release tents to free owls relocated earlier.
To volunteer, please call Wild at Heart Raptor Rescue(480) 595-5047
or email Info@WildAtHeartOwls.org
or visit https://wildatheartraptors.org/recovery-programs/
Sky Island Alliance
Document illegal user created roads on public lands. Road closures and habitat restoration weekends. Monitor the presence of mammal species in important inter-mountain corridors. Data entry and office needs.
For more information, visit Sky Island Alliance
Arizona Important Bird Area Program Stewardship Individuals/Teams
Adopt an Arizona Important Bird Area. Conduct 6 to 9 bird surveys with your "IBA team," or as an individual, and fill out seasonal habitat report cards. Participate in site-specific projects related to birds or habitat conservation. (More on IBA program http://www.audubon.org/bird/iba/index.html)
Contact Scott Wilbor at (520) 323-0423 or iba@tucsonaudubon.org
Bird photographers wanted
The Maricopa Audubon newsletter, The Cactus Wren•dition, is always looking for photos of rare and unusual birds seen in the Phoenix area (or elsewhere in Arizona ).
Please contact Laurie Nessel at laurienessel@gmail.com.
Audubon Arizona Nature Center
Do you like to make presentations to groups?
If so, the Education Committee would like to talk to you! The Education Committee is seeking volunteers to make presentations on birds, habitat, natural history, etc. to community groups across the Valley.
If you'd like to volunteer, please contact Jason Struthers at jds.dvm@gmail.com.
Would you like to play a role in improving your education system at the local level?
National Audubon Society's environmental education program for grades 4-6, called "Audubon Adventures," is available to teachers across the U.S. for $35 a year. A newspaper for each child, plus a teacher's manual and other teaching aids, brings the wonders of the natural world to more than 15,000 classrooms across the nation five times a year. If you would like to sponsor a particular teacher, classroom or make a contribution to the overall program here's your chance to make a difference.
Contact Jason Struthers at jds.dvm@gmail.com.
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