Volunteer Opportunities Calendar
Volunteer Opportunities
- 10/4 – 10/13, Island Monofilament Clean Up, Multiple Locations
- 10/7, Headwaters Butterfly Count, Duette Headwaters Preserve
- 10/14, Rye Butterfly Count, Rye Preserve
- 10/28, Johnson Butterfly Count, Johnson Preserve
- 10/28, Stories and Service Book Club, Emerson Point Preserve
- Ongoing/As Needed, RIP Squad Volunteer Days, Location Chosen Based on Need
Oct 4th – 13th – Island Monofilament Clean Up – Join Tampa Bay Watch and Audubon Florida for this annual volunteer event! Our goal is to remove hazardous monofilament fishing line
from mangrove shorelines. Monofilament or “mono,” is a fancy word for
the commonly used plastic fishing line. It has great fishing utility,
but can take over 600 years to break down, and poses serious threats to
birds and other wildlife. Improperly discarded mono and fishing gear
leads to wildlife entanglement, accidental hooks, and ingestion. Program suitable for volunteers 16 and over. This
will be a do-it-yourself event, where participants will travel to their
designated location by personal boat/other watercraft any day between
October 4th - October 18th to target shorelines where cast line has been
caught in the treeline. Volunteers will compile the recovered monofilament to be collected, cleaned, and recycled. Reservations Required. To register please visit https://41207a.blackbaudhosting.com/41207a/2021-Island-Monofilament-Cleanup. Multiple Locations
Thursday, Oct 7th, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Headwaters Butterfly Count – Moths,
caterpillars, and butterflies oh my! Join us for the sixth annual
Butterfly Count and volunteer to keep track of butterfly biodiversity at
our wildest preserve. Bring your camera, guide books, and sense of
adventure for a day studying these fascinating fliers. Start your very
own butterfly checklist while learning how to identify native species. Program is suitable for volunteers 16 and older. Program sponsored by Wings Over Florida Butterfly Program in partnership with Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources. Reservations are required. To register please contact michelle.leahy@mymanatee.org or call 941-742-5923 ext. 6035. Duette Headwaters Preserve
Thursday, Oct 14th, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Rye Butterfly Count – Moths,
caterpillars, and butterflies oh my! Join us for the sixth annual
Butterfly Count and volunteer to keep track of butterfly biodiversity at
our most historic preserve. Bring your camera, guide books, and sense
of adventure for a day out in the wild blue yonder studying these
fascinating fliers. Start your very own butterfly checklist while
learning how to identify native species. Program is suitable for volunteers 16 and older. Program sponsored by Wings Over Florida Butterfly Program in partnership with Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources. Reservations are required. To register please contact michelle.leahy@mymanatee.org or call 941-742-5924 ext. 6036. Rye Preserve
Thursday, Oct 28th, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Johnson Butterfly Count – Moths,
caterpillars, and butterflies oh my! Join us for the sixth annual
Butterfly Count and volunteer to keep track of butterfly biodiversity at
our newest preserve. Bring your camera, guide books, and sense of
adventure for a day out in the wild blue yonder studying these
fascinating fliers. Start your very own butterfly checklist while
learning how to identify native species. Program is suitable for volunteers 16 and older. Program sponsored by Wings Over Florida Butterfly Program in partnership with Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources. Reservations are required. To register please contact michelle.leahy@mymanatee.org or call 941-742-5925 ext. 6037. Johnson Preserve
Thursday, Oct 28th, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – Stories and Service Book Club: Annihilation – Looking
for a volunteer opportunity in the cool of the evening at beautiful
Emerson Point Preserve? Come out to our book club with a service twist.
Every month we will read a different book about Florida and discuss, followed by a restoration project in the preserve. This month will be Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. Program is suitable for bookworms 14 and up. Reservations are required. To register please contact michelle.leahy@mymanatee.org or call (941) 742-5923 ext. 6035. Emerson Point Preserve
ONGOING/AS NEEDED: RIP SQUAD VOLUNTEER WORKDAY - Join this group that works directly with County natural areas land managers on various wildlife habitat improvement projects. Email announcements are sent out a few days in advance of each event that detail the purpose, goals, and meeting information for each upcoming event. Program suitable for volunteers age 16 and older. To receive email announcements about the RIP squad volunteer events, please email elias.ferrell@mymanatee.org. Location and time TBA - chosen based on need.
Please contact ecoevents@mymanatee.org if you have any questions regarding our programs.