Five Rivers MetroParks Fountain of Lights returns Memorial Day weekend and will run at the top of each hour for 10 minutes through Labor Day.
Volunteers: Executive Director Becky Benná, Michael McCarty, and Karen McCarty
"The weather didn't start out on our side, but the pancakes were still delicious! Thank you to our sponsors Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, City of Dayton Water, Winans Fine Chocolates and Coffee, Woolpert, Mike's Bike Park, Dayton Cycling Club, LJB Inc, and Pedal Wagon Dayton. Thanks to Chris Cakes for the flying flapjacks!
Thank you to everyone who biked in the rain!
And the biggest THANKS OF ALL goes to our amazing volunteers who showed up at dawn with smiles on!"
-Outdoor Recreation Team
Join us for our next event Passport to MetroParks at RiverScape, Friday, June 3rd or the TVT Challenge at Germantown MetroPark, Saturday, June 4th. Volunteers are needed to support each of these fantastic events. Read more below under Special Events and click the links sign up to volunteer!
Volunteer Positions & Upcoming Opportunities
Check out these great volunteer opportunities available this month across your Five Rivers MetroParks! See something that interests you, but have questions? Contact a Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer.services@metroparks.org or call#937-275-7275.
Ambassador
Are you a fan of Five Rivers MetroParks? It's so rewarding to be able to share your favorite hiking trails, picnic spots, fishing ponds, and prairie views with community members. Ambassador volunteers build awareness of the assets our MetroParks offers to the community. Volunteers share their enthusiasm for Five Rivers MetroParks with diverse audiences at visitor centers, outreach booths, and events throughout the Miami Valley. Ambassadors are often the first friendly face a visitor sees welcoming them to the park, and they can be counted on to share helpful information and answer a variety of questions.
Sign up for an In-Person Visitor Center Ambassador Training
- Visitor Center Ambassador Training: June 9, Cox Arboretum
- Visitor Center Ambassador Training: June 18, Cox Arboretum
- Visitor Center Ambassador Training: July 9, Carriage Hill
Click here to view all our Ambassador Volunteer Opportunities
- Summer Music Series Ambassadors at RiverScape MetroPark
- Visitor Center Ambassadors at Carriage Hill and Cox Arboretum
- Market Ambassadors at 2nd Street Market
- Outreach Ambassadors at festivals and events around the community
Conservation
Do you enjoy learning about birds? Volunteers are needed to monitor eastern bluebird boxes throughout the bird's nesting season (March-August). Monitoring eastern bluebird nest boxes help us track local population trends, understand how bluebird populations are reacting to environmental changes, increase the number of bluebird nesting sites, and provide us with a great activity to connect with our parks and learn more about wildlife. Click here to review the Bluebird Monitoring Training and learn how you can volunteer to support this important project.
Gardening
New gardening opportunities are available in Skeeter's Garden at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark. If you are interested in volunteering at one of our horticulture parks such as Aullwood Garden, Cox Arboretum, Wegerzyn Gardens, or at RiverScape and our downtown parks, you can also find those opportunities here in Get Connected. Don't forget to "Fan" the Gardening volunteer position to receive the latest updates on gardening volunteer opportunities.
Park Maintenance
Come learn, grow, and give back to the trails you love with this exciting trail maintenance volunteer opportunity! Led by our staff Trail Specialist, these trail maintenance opportunities will focus on revitalizing the trail systems in the Twin Valley. Learn alongside like-minded individuals about the why's and how's in building and maintaining a sustainable trail system on these hands-on workdays. View the opportunities available here and sign up to support!
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 the hike, bike, mountain bike, and horseback-riding trails for park visitors to safely enjoy. Do you have skills in operating a Riding Mower that you're willing to share? Our team at Cox Arboretum MetroPark is looking for skilled volunteers to assist in mowing and maintaining the turf on weekday mornings, from June thru October. Click here to RSVP to the Mowing Training at Cox Arboretum MetroPark.
Programming
Volunteers are needed to support a variety of paddling programs coming up this season. These introductory programs are designed to get participants comfortable on the water and teach basic paddling skills. Volunteers support the programs by assisting with participant registration, program set up and tear down, life jacket fitting, and assist participants in and out of boats. Some volunteers may assist as Safety Boaters on the water after completing our Safety Boater training. View available volunteer opportunities and sign up to support our paddling programs here. Check out our available opportunities and sign up here.
Do you have a love of our garden parks? Consider signing up to support Tour Guide: Summer Strolls at Wegerzyn Gardens. Tour Guides are needed to lead a casual stroll through Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark during this program, pointing out interesting sights and sounds in the garden for a family audience. Volunteers will engage with the audience, answering questions and encouraging exploration during the hike. The hike route is predetermined and volunteers will have the opportunity to pre-walk the route with staff before the program. Familiarity with Wegerzyn Gardens is helpful. General nature knowledge and horticulture knowledge are a plus, but not required. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Special Events
Kick off the event season at this year's Passport to MetroParks, on Friday, June 3 at RiverScape MetroPark. This event aims to build awareness of Five Rivers MetroParks, highlighting our parks and the various events and programs we offer throughout the summer. What a great opportunity to meet new people, assist with event staging and organizing, and being an advocate for our mission. Special Event volunteers serve a critical role in ensuring events and large-scale programs run smoothly and are needed in a variety of positions including set-up, tear-down, vendor check-in and ambassador roles. View available volunteer opportunities and sign up to volunteer here.
Be a Part of the 9th Annual TVT Challenge! Volunteers are needed June 4th to support hikers as they participate in this fun, non-competitive hiking challenge from 1 to 28.7 miles along the Twin Valley Trail. Participant registration and the challenge starts at the Twin Valley Welcome Center at Germantown MetroPark. Volunteers opportunities for the event include supporting participant registration, hosting aid stations located along the trail, and supporting the event cookout. View the available volunteer opportunities and sign up to support this exciting event here!
Did you know there is a National Mud Day? We are celebrating with a mud day event at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark on Saturday, June 25th to give everyone a chance to play! Volunteers are needed to set up the event, lead the mud day activities, and help tear down at the end of the event. Click here for more details.
A lifelong outdoorsman and lover of nature, Ken Evanchuck first joined the MetroParks volunteer team as part of our controlled bowhunting program. Once he learned that bowhunters who give 25 volunteer hours annually are guaranteed a spot in the program and can then bypass the lottery drawing, Ken began looking for additional volunteer opportunities. With his friendly demeanor and gift of gab, Ken was a natural fit for an Ambassador role. Learn more about Ken's experiences as a MetroParks volunteer here in this month's Volunteer Spotlight!
Thank you, Ken for all you do for Five Rivers MetroParks and your community!
New! Get Connected Tech Tip
Get Connected has a new volunteer app: CauseConnect!
Download the FREE CauseConnect app and you can do the following easily from your smart phone:
Search & sign-up for your favorite volunteer opportunities.
Check-in and out of your volunteer shifts.
And make sure all of your volunteer hours are tracked automatically!
Watch a video demo of the new app here and then download the free Cause Connect app through App Store or Google Play:
*Note: The Cause Connect app does not currently allow volunteers to complete volunteer qualifications through the app or view volunteer opportunities with qualifications that you have not been approved for. In order to complete any volunteer qualifications required for an opportunity, you will need to log into the Get Connected site.
Want to learn more about Get Connected? Or, would you like to speak with a volunteer coordinator about volunteer opportunities and get assistance in finding the right volunteer opportunity for you? Sign up for a Help Session. These in-person one-on-one sessions are a great opportunity to learn more about volunteering with Five Rivers MetroParks!
Five Rivers MetroParks has a new volunteer management system called Get Connected. This new system is where we post all our available volunteer opportunities, schedule volunteer service and volunteer training, and track volunteer hours. If you have previously volunteered with Five Rivers MetroParks but have not yet updated your account in the new system, you will need to do so before you can volunteer. Use this link to easily update your account and complete the online qualifications: Get Connected and Start Volunteering.
If you don't know or remember the password that was emailed to you, you can reset your password here. If you are having trouble, you can learn more about how to navigate the Get Connected Site here or sign up for a Help Session with a volunteer coordinator here. We are here to help you!
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
Candy Holloway - Horticulture & Sustainability #(937) 275-5006
Yvonne Dunphe - Outdoor Connections Programming #(937) 277-4147
Allie Zimmerman - Parks & Conservation #(937) 274-3176
Janelle Leonard - Business Operations & Visitor Services #(937) 277-5445
Jenny Hymans - Human Resources Manager of Volunteer Services #(937) 567-1413
Mobile app makes it easier to explore the outdoors
MetroParks' mobile app, powered by OuterSpatial, is free and available for both iPhone and Android devices. It includes offline mapping and navigation - and access continues even without a cell phone signal.
Use the app to plan your park visit, navigate the trails, take self-guided tours, find amenities and points of interest, and much more.
Stay active outdoors with resources on Nature is Open blog, social media
Five Rivers MetroParks' Nature Is Open blog includes articles about kid-friendly trails, Backyard Bingo cards, nature-based activities, and much more! Follow MetroParks on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for even more resources aimed at helping families connect with nature and stay active outdoors.
