Volunteer Positions & Upcoming Opportunities
Volunteer opportunities and training sessions abound in the springtime at MetroParks. Take a look to see how you can continue to support your Five Rivers MetroParks this season.
See something that interests you, but have questions? Contact volunteer.services@metroparks.org or call #937-275-7275 and as to speak with a Volunteer Coordinator.
Looking for opportunities where we need the most help right now? View our high-priority volunteer opportunities here, or whenever you see this symbol below.
Don't forget to FAN the Volunteer Positions you are most interested in supporting to receive weekly updates of new opportunities posted! You can FAN Volunteer Positions easily by visiting the Volunteer Positions page available in the Main Navigation Menu on Get Connected.
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Ambassador Volunteers share their enthusiasm for Five Rivers MetroParks with diverse audiences in our parks and at outreach booths, programs, and events throughout the Miami Valley. Ambassadors are of the first friendly faces a visitor sees welcoming them to the park and can be counted on to share helpful information and answer a variety of questions.
Visitor Center Ambassadors, Jin Sherman and Erica Blackford, helping visitors at Cox Arboretum MetroPark.
Visitor Center Ambassador Volunteer Training:
Spring has sprung and that means that visitors are going to be showing up at their favorite parks to see the newly bloomed flowers and active critters that come with the warmer weather. If you have a passion for Five Rivers MetroParks and love to chat with others, the Visitor Center Ambassador volunteer opportunity might be the perfect for you! Visitor Center Ambassadors enhance the visitor experience at Carriage Hill and Cox Arboretum MetroParks by engaging the public, answering questions, highlighting park features, and sharing information on upcoming programs, events, and volunteer opportunities.
Learn more and RSVP to an upcoming training by clicking the green RSVP button below.
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Protecting open space and natural areas is a priority for Five Rivers MetroParks, which protects nearly 16,000 acres of land - 90 percent of it in its natural state. Conservation volunteers are a part of our regional conservation story by assisting in implementing a variety of natural area management plans.
Bat Box Monitors:
Are you looking for a COOL way to spend your summer evenings? We are looking for several small teams to monitor bat boxes during the summer. Volunteers will watch, count, and identify bats that exit the boxes. The purpose of this project is to determine the species of bat utilizing the box and the approximate side of the roosting populations. By tracking the difference in colony size across the season and across several years, we can start to understand where bats are living and how their populations are changing in our state.
Learn more and RSVP for an upcoming Bat Box Monitor Volunteer Training by clicking the green RSVP button below.
Volunteers Mike Shade, Rex Miler, and Ellenmarie Wahlrab plan their route to collect data.
Adventure Awaits: Join Cover Mapping!
Ready to hike off the beaten path, learn awesome new skills, and leave your mark on nature? Cover Mapping is your chance to explore the outdoors, team up with fellow adventurers, and help map invasive species to protect our region's natural heritage. You'll learn how to identify and map plants, collect data in the field, and see your work come to life in real-time. It's science, adventure, and teamwork rolled into one unforgettable experience!
Training kicks off in April, with ongoing weekday opportunities at Twin Creek MetroPark. Don't just love nature - help preserve it!
Learn more and RSVP to the upcoming training by clicking the green RSVP button below.
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Gardening Volunteers support our horticulture and education staff in caring for a variety of gardens throughout our parks. These gardens not only provide beautiful spaces for Miami Valley residents to get outside, explore and connect to nature, but many also provide fresh local produce to those in need in our community.
Volunteer Chris Vagedes helps remove invasive species at Aullwood Garden MetroPark.
Join The Annual Big Pull at Aullwood Garden - April 15th!
Get ready to weed out invasive species and branch out in conservation at The Annual Big Pull April 15th! In partnership with Aullwood Audubon and the Garden Club of Dayton, this exciting event will help restore native habitat along the Stillwater River in honor of Ohio Native Plant Month.
Choose a morning or afternoon shift, or stay all day - bring your lunch and enjoy a midday break with the staff! You'll get your hands dirty as you work alongside staff to remove invasive species and support biodiversity in our region. It's a fun, hands-on way to make a real impact and enjoy the outdoors!
View more details and sign up by clicking the blue VOLUNTEER button below.
From prepping to planting, our gardens are in good hands! Volunteer Steve Houston adds blooms at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark, staff Mary Andrick and Chris Vagedes tidy up Aullwood Garden, and staff Kaitlyn Lowry gets a head start on seedlings for the demonstration garden at Possum Creek MetroPark.
Dig in and De-stress: Join our MetroParks Gardening Crew!
There's something special about getting your hands in the dirt - feeling the sun on your face, breathing in fresh air, and watching something beautiful grow. Whether you're an experienced gardener, or just love the idea of spending time in nature, we have the perfect spot for you!
From blooming gardens at Wegerzyn Gardens to the urban oases at RiverScape, our parks thrive thanks to volunteers like you. Join our friendly horticulture teams at Aullwood Garden, Cox Arboretum, Possum Creek, RiverScape, and Wegerzyn Gardens MetroParks and help keep these spaces vibrant and welcoming for all.
Not only will you make a visible impact, but you'll also enjoy a little stress relief, a chance to meet like-minded nature lovers, and the satisfaction of seeing your hard work flourish. No experience? No problem! We'll teach you everything you need to know. So grab your gloves, dig in, and let's grow something amazing together!
Click the blue volunteer button below to learn more and sign up.
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Five Rivers MetroParks provides clean, safe parks and conservation areas for the public to enjoy year-round. Our Park Maintenance volunteers help to manage and sustain 18 beautiful parks, 11 conservation areas, and 160 miles of hike, bike, mountain bike, and horseback riding trails for park visitors to safely enjoy.
Volunteers help with early season tasks such as mulching the trees and entrance beds at Hills & Dales.
Join the Fun at Hills & Dales MetroPark!
NEW! Get ready to make a difference while enjoying the great outdoors at Hills & Dales MetroPark, a hidden gem in the heart of Dayton! Beginning in April, volunteers are needed to help with a variety of tasks like trimming trail corridors, weeding and planting beds, mulching playgrounds, and even sanding and staining picnic tables. With tasks changing based on the park's needs, you'll never get bored, and every visit will feel like a new adventure.
This beautiful park, designed by the famed Olmsted Brothers, offers creeks, wooded trails, and unique Adirondack-style shelters tucked into a charming neighborhood. By volunteering, you'll play a key role in keeping this historic space vibrant and welcoming for the community. Ready to help? Sign up for a Hills and Dales Workday and be a part of something special!
Click the blue volunteer button below to learn more and sign up.
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Five Rivers MetroParks provides a wide variety of high-quality programs to help the public get outside and get connected to nature. Programming volunteers work alongside staff to provide support at programs year-round that help participants master new skills, learn about the natural world, and appreciate the value of open spaces.
Providing health meals is a key element of the Adventure Central program and Mr. Anthony serves them up each evening Monday-Thursday!
Adventure Central Kitchen Support:
Do you enjoy kids? Know your way around a kitchen? Support Mr. Anthony in the Adventure Central kitchen preparing, serving, and cleaning up simple meals for the youth in the after-school program at Adventure Central. You'll not only help to provide healthy, nourishing meals, but you'll also build positive relationship with youth, staff, and other volunteers along the way! This is a very high impact, high reward volunteer opportunity.
Learn more and sign up by clicking the blue VOLUNTEER button below.
Garden Tour Guide Volunteers, Wendy DelRe and Kristen Twenwolde, take the TRAM out for practice navigating the gardens of Cox Arboretum MetroPark safely to prepare for seasonal tours.
Garden Tour Guides:
Share your passion for our MetroPark gardens as a Garden Tour Guide! If you have an enthusiasm for parks and plants that you can't wait to share with others, you may our next Garden Tour Guide. Support our Programming team by sharing your garden knowledge and passion with visitors through scheduled guided tours of our gardens from May through September at Cox Arboretum MetroPark. Training is provided. This is a great seasonal opportunity for volunteers who can commit to regular service May through September and are able to complete virtual and in-person training to qualify.
Learn more about this opportunity by clicking the blue VOLUNTEER button below and start your virtual training today!
Volunteer Jackie-Lynn Van Tillburg assists children in the garden.
Program Support Volunteers Needed!
We're getting ready for the busy spring and summer programming seasons and we're going to need YOUR help! Program Support volunteers assist our staff with routine program tasks like set up, tear down, welcome and check-in of participants, supply inventory and distribution and more. No experience is necessary, and many hands are needed to ensure our many high-quality programs are a success. These opportunities are open to short-term/seasonal and ongoing long-term volunteers typically ages 14 and up.
View all of our available program support opportunities and sign up to lend a hand by clicking the blue VOLUNTEER button below. Check back as more opportunities will be added through the seasons.
School Program Volunteer, Joe Gerstle, helps kids and their adult chaperones get excited about new discoveries in nature together.
School Program Volunteers:
Be a part of a child's first experiences of nature! Help them make new discoveries and connect to our parks and our mission. School Program Volunteers are needed to support scheduled school field trips throughout the year at Cox Arboretum, Sugarcreek, and Wegerzyn Gardens MetroParks. Volunteers should enjoy working with youth, be comfortable in nature, and excited to share with others. Training is provided. Contact yvonne.dunphe@metroparks.org to learn more.
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Five Rivers MetroParks provides an array of outdoor events and large programs throughout the year for residents of the Miami Valley to get connected to recreation, music, history, family, and most of all nature. Special Event volunteers serve a critical role in ensuring that each special event or large-scale program runs smoothly from set-up to tear down.
Adopt-A-Park
Adopt-A-Park is back Saturday, April 26 - and there's still time to MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Each year Five Rivers MetroParks celebrates Earth Day with Adopt-A-Park, a community-wide volunteer event that invites community members of all ages, accessibility levels, and backgrounds to come together and care for our region's natural spaces. Whether you're pulling invasive species, planting natives, or maintaining habitats, your efforts help protect our environment for generations to come.
We still need volunteers at sites across the region including:
- Eastwood, Hills & Dales, Sugarcreek and Taylorsville MetroParks for invasive species removal and habitat restoration.
- Island MetroPark for the Black-Crowned Night Heron habitat maintenance.
- Aullwood Garden MetroPark for invasive species removal and native planting.
- Medlar Conservation Area for tree tube collection.
- Carriage Hill Historic Farm at Carriage Hill MetroPark for fencing maintenance.
- And, Possum Creek MetroPark for a demonstration garden re-vamp.
Explore all of our available projects and sign up by clicking the blue VOLUNTEER button below.
Want to help, but prefer to help on your own time? Our Adopt-A-Park Litter Pick-Up Service Kits are available - a perfect option for groups, families, and scout troops looking to give back together at a date and time that is more convenient for them. Volunteers who register for our service kits will receive our Love the Earth seed balls as a thank you for their support.
Adopt-A-Park is generously supported by these sponsors: Montgomery County Environmental Services, Keep Montgomery County Beautiful, and QEI Engineers, Inc.
Volunteer Bruce Guindon enjoys the early morning opportunity at the Bike to Work Day Pancake Celebration.
Bike to Work Day Pancake Celebration:
Help Five Rivers MetroParks celebration National Bike Month by volunteering at our annual Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast at RiverScape MetroPark Friday, May 16th! Volunteers are needed to support this fun morning event featuring live entertainment, cycling related businesses and clubs, and, of course, PANCAKES! From set up, to registration, to bike parking, to serving breakfast - A variety of fun, engaging volunteer opportunities are available. Most of these volunteer opportunities are open to public/single day volunteers.
Click the blue VOLUNTEER button to learn more and sign up! The pancakes are on us.
Volunteers Tonia Watkins and Carl Henderson help close off the road to prepare for Passport to MetroParks.
Passport to MetroParks:
Five Rivers MetroParks staff are excited to host another year of Passport to MetroParks on Friday, June 30th at RiverScape MetroPark! This event aims to build community awareness of all that our MetroParks have to offer including our parks, programs, events, and volunteer opportunities! Volunteers are needed before, during, and after the event to help with set up, tear down, and booth activities. Most of these opportunities are open to public/single day volunteers. Join us!
Click the blue VOLUNTEER button to learn more and sign up to lend a hand.
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Support our Partners
MayFair Plant Sale:
Do you enjoy talking about and working with plants? Join the Wegerzyn Gardens Foundation volunteers at the annual MayFair Plant Sale happening at the 2nd Street Market May 2nd - May 4th. Cashiers and plant helpers are needed to make this event a success. Basic knowledge about annuals, perennials and vegetables will be helpful, plus an ability to lift and move plant containers. All proceeds from the MayFair Plant Sale go towards programs and projects benefiting Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark. Click here to learn more. Contact the Wegerzyn Gardens Foundation to sign up.
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Volunteer Services
Volunteer Services is available if you have questions or need assistance in signing up.
Contact us at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or #937-275-7275.
Your Volunteer Services Team (from left to right)
Allie
Parks & Conservation # (937) 274-3176
Amanda
Ambassador & Special Events, Interim Administration # (937) 277-4109
Yvonne
Outdoor Connections Programming # (937) 277-4147
Jenny
Human Resources Manager of Volunteer Services
Interim: Animal Care & Animal Programming and Court Appointed Volunteer Service # (937) 567-1413
 Return to the Volunteer Blog here.
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