Volunteer and Friends' Groups

 

Do you like exploring rock pools? Maybe you're fascinated by the life cycle of a native plant? Or are concerned about the plight of an endangered animal? Volunteer programs with Parks Victoria don't just enable you to learn about the environment, they also help you make a difference to it. Best of all, you'll meet people with the same interests as you.

Also if you're thinking about a career in areas such as horticulture, natural resource management or veterinary science, then volunteering is a great way to gain skills and hands-on experience.


 
 

Parks Victoria has a wide range of programs available. You can help out for a few hours, join an ongoing program on a weekly or monthly basis, or apply for funding to achieve a bigger project.

Children need to be supervised by an adult throughout all programs. You could ask Mum and Dad, or maybe a teacher who would be interested in supervising a group. You might have a grandparent who is already interested in gardening and would love to share their knowledge. If you're keen about volunteering, you're sure to find an adult who is too.

What does a volunteer do?

Volunteers donate their time to help out in wide range of areas such as:

•  weeding, collecting seeds, propagating plants and planting

•  monitoring plants and animals, including threatened species, as well as being involved in programs such as Waterwatch and Frog Watch

•  marine monitoring through the Sea Search program

•  general park and track maintenance, including litter collection

•  organising and running community-based and charity events.

Popular volunteer programs include:

•  Sea Search, which is a bit like a treasure hunt in the sea. Volunteers learn how to identify specific marine animals or plants and collect accurate data (such as the number, size or location of marine life) which helps scientists study how the marine life changes from season to season. For more information visit the website www.seasearch.org.au .

•  The Environment Corps is program is designed for schools to get involved in both practical and theoretical learning opportunities within parks. More information is available on the education page of Parks Victoria's website.

•  Park Champions are conservation volunteers who work to preserve Victoria 's national parks. Throughout the year, there are opportunities to work on daily, weekly, weeklong or weekend projects at Parks Victoria locations. For more information, email melbourne@cva.org.au or visit the Conservation Volunteers website www.conservationvolunteers.com.au/

•  Garden Volunteers maintain a number of gardens in the Dandenong Ranges about 50km east of Melbourne. They are looking for volunteers who love gardens and the great outdoors. For more information visit www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/

Become friends with a ‘Friend's Group'

A Friends Group is a club of volunteers who share a common interest. Some care about a particular area of a national park (such as the ‘Friends of Bogong'), others focus on a native animal (like the ‘Friends of the Mallee Fowl') and still others specialise in a particular species of plant (for example, the ‘Serendip Sanctuary Tree Planters'). The groups meet regularly and are actively involved in making a difference to their area of focus. They all maintain contact with Parks Victoria who provides overall support.

For more information, visit www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/

Do it your way!

In addition to the wide range of activities already running throughout Victoria , your school or community group could start up its own project. Perhaps there is a degraded area nearby that you could bring back to life? Could you write a booklet telling visitors about a natural asset that you love? Maybe you're concerned about a native animal that's losing habitat in your area.

Funding is available for some projects that are well organised and clear about how they plan to achieve their aims. Not everyone will achieve funding, so make sure you apply early and talk to anyone who might already have expert knowledge.

Projects are expected to begin in July each year and be completed by June the following year.


 
Want to Know More?

Contact a park near you to find out about programs already running, visit the volunteering page on Parks Victoria's website, www.parkweb.vic.gov.au, or contact the Parks Victoria Volunteer Program Coordinator by phoning 13 1963.