Work Parties | Field Fridays | Become a Volunteer Land Steward | Other Volunteer Opportunities

Other Volunteer Opportunities

COVID Update: All volunteers are required to have a face covering on them at all times, though it is not required to be worn while working outside if well over 6 feet away from others. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 30 days, have any symptoms of illness, or think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the last 2-3 weeks, you MUST stay home even if you have already RSVP’d.

Please understand that if you choose to volunteer, you do so at your own risk. While these precautions may reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, that risk still exists. By choosing to volunteer, you are knowingly and freely accepting the risk of contracting COVID-19.  

A yearly liability waiver is required to be submitted electronically or by mail before you volunteer. You can download the waiver for adults and minors below.

Citizen Science Opportunities

Western redcedar dieback documentation project- In recent years, there has been an unprecedented amount of die off of some of our oldest living organisms; the western redcedars. Have you noticed dead/dying stands or trees with dead tops? Researchers need your help to document healthy and unhealthy cedars across the County. Volunteers or community scientists can contribute by sharing observations to the Western Redcedar Dieback Map project on iNaturalist. Researchers will analyze this information to identify the strongest predictors of whether a tree will be unhealthy, which will help determine where best to select seed and plant redcedar trees. More information and instructions are available at https://foresthealth.org/map.

Events

It’s a lot of work putting on a great event, and we could not do it without the support of our volunteers behind the scenes! Besides needing help during our events, we also need assistance setting up before and cleaning after each event. Check out the list below to learn more about some of Whatcom Land Trust’s annual events.

Spring Benefit- This is a fundraising dinner event where volunteers are needed to help set up the day before and on the night of including using a computer to register guests, track the live auction, the dessert dash, and some light cleanup. The Spring Benefit is scheduled around the end of May at the Bellingham Technical College and we need about 11 volunteers looking for a meaningful and exciting evening!

What’s the Point –  If you enjoy a day at the beach this event is for you! This a great event for families held at the Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve on a Saturday around the middle of June. We have naturalists on site to explain the wonders of this beautiful park and beach and conduct guided beach walks. We need about 4 volunteers the morning of to help set-up, direct cars to parking, and to help with light clean up afterwards.

Planned Giving Dinner- Each year we honor donor longevity with a dinner at Ciao Thyme kitchen for a small group of 50 people to learn more about legacy giving. We need helpers to prepare and serve a four-course meal. It’s a great opportunity to sharpen your culinary skills alongside Chef Mataio Gillis and his awesome staff.  About 10 volunteers for one of two 4-hour shifts including set up, food preparation, serving and some light clean up after.

Tabling at community events
Do you enjoy talking with the public and sharing information about our work at events? Then this is the perfect volunteer opportunity for you! Tabling events vary throughout the year, so please contact us, to be added to the list. As we schedule tabling events, we will get a hold of you to see if you can help out! Usually this volunteer opportunity will be staffing an informational booth telling people about the Whatcom Land Trust’s Mission and how we accomplish those goals. We also inform people which protected properties people can visit and the volunteer opportunities we offer.  Some past events include Paddle to Lummi Canoe Journey, Whatcom Farm Tour, Allied Arts Holiday Festival of Arts, Recreation Northwest EXPO, Northwest Mushroom Association Convention, and What’s the Point.

Building maintenance
We own our own office space in downtown Bellingham just across from the Bellingham City Hall. It is an older house and we are in need of volunteers who would like to use their skills in helping us to keep our building standing. The less money we spend on maintenance means more money we put towards our mission!

Landscape maintenance 
Our office building has a small lawn, shrubs and a few trees that need to be taken care of mostly in the spring and summer months. We are situated right next to Whatcom Creek and want to be good stewards of our property as well as the special places of Whatcom County!

Office help
For people who cannot get out on the land but still want to volunteer, this is the perfect opportunity! We can always use a hand around the office preparing table setting materials for our fundraisers, writing thank you notes, filing, data entry, stuffing envelopes and other tasks as needed. These tasks will change with the time of year and priorities.

Drone Owner/Operator
Drones have become a valuable asset in both telling the stories of the special places in Whatcom County and in monitoring our properties. Unfortunately operating a drone takes a lot of experience that we don’t currently have on staff! We could use an experienced person with a drone who could take aerial pictures and/or video to help share our mission.

To sign up for any of these volunteer opportunities please contact us at 360 -650-9470

Liability Waivers
Liability waivers need to be filled out prior to volunteering with Whatcom Land Trust. The liability waiver is good for the remainder of the calendar year (January – December), and a new one will need to be filled out each year after. Both electronic copies and printed copies will be accepted. 
If you are 17 years of age or older, simply fill out the adult liability waiver below. 
Adult Liability Form
Minor Liability Form
How to fill out these forms if a volunteer is under 17 years old: 
– If the volunteer is under 13, a parent will need to sign both the adult liability form and the minor addendum form. 
– If the volunteer is between 13 and 17 years of age, the teenager will sign the adult liability waiver, and a parent will need to sign the minor addendum form.