Get Involved with Pennsylvania
Thank you for your interest in dedicating your time to conserving nature! Find volunteer work or sign up to become a volunteer by filling out the short interest form below.
Current Ongoing Volunteer Openings
There is more than one way to volunteer for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. In addition to participating in scheduled volunteer events and work days, we have several ongoing volunteer opportunities.
Trail Monitors
Trail monitor volunteers are needed to walk the trails on our Pennsylvania Preserves, tend to light trail clearing, and notify us of any large, downed trees or other issues that need attention.
Volunteers will use their smartphones or tablets to connect to the Preserve Monitoring App and track their visits.
More details are available on the Preserve Monitoring Information Sheet.
Please fill out our interest form and select “Outdoor Opportunities (Field Work, Monitoring, Research)” to sign up or receive more information.
Please contact Molly Anderson with any questions.
Hike Leaders
If you enjoy being in nature and have a knack for sharing information about Pennsylvania's wildlife and ecosystems with others, consider becoming a volunteer hike leader!
Volunteer hike leaders are needed to assist with leading occasional hikes at our preserves during events.
Please fill out our interest form and select “Outreach Opportunities (Indoor & Outdoor)” to sign up or receive more information.
Please contact Molly Anderson with any questions.
Photographers/ Videographers
We are always seeking volunteer photographers and videographers to help us capture the beauty of Pennsylvania, the biodiversity of our preserves, and our work across the state.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to have their work showcased on our social media channels, webpages, and publications with content credit.
If you’re interested in volunteering your time and skills, please fill out our interest form below and indicate “photography and/or videography” in the “Interests/Skills” section.
Youth Groups/ Scout Troops
Taking care of the land is a great fit for the values and missions of many youth organizations.
Volunteering to conserve Pennsylvania’s natural heritage is a great way to learn while giving back to the community.
If interested in scheduling a workday for your group/troop, please reach out to Molly Anderson.
Social Media Ambassadors
Social media ambassadors help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our work in Pennsylvania.
Ambassadors are needed to tag us in photos at our preserves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Ambassadors will have the opportunity to have their content showcased on our social media channels, webpages, and publications with content credit.
We are also seeking assistance with reposting and resharing our content on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Contact pavolunteer@tnc.org for more information about current opportunities or fill out the interest form below to receive regular updates.
Guide to iNaturalist
Join the growing group of community scientists using our iNaturalist fact sheet.
Become a Community Scientist
We are creating a community science database of all kinds of life—from lichens to ants, mushrooms to plants, birds to mammals and everything in between for our preserves in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
TNC's roots began with local community members and scientists concerned about special places and species. That legacy continues today. Across our lands, we are utilizing iNaturalist—a digital platform that gives users an opportunity to share and discuss their findings.
Of our 14 preserve projects in iNaturalist, nine have observations recorded; help us increase that number and our understanding of the species—good and bad, native as well as invasive—that can be found on TNC lands across the state. This information can also help guide and inform our conservation staff's management and monitoring decisions.
Get Started with iNaturalist
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- Woodbourne Forest & Wildlife Preserve
- Chrome Barrens Preserve
- Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain
- Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain
- Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve
- Thomas Darling Preserve
- Long Pond Preserve and Hauser Nature Center
- Bristol Marsh Preserve
- Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve
- Brush Mountain
- Edward H. McCabe Preserve
- Harry and Mary Goering Preserve
- Pemberton Forest Preserve and Ponders Tract Trails
- West Branch Forest
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In this video tutorial, learn how to make an observation on iNaturalist using the mobile app. Watch now.
2022 Pennsylvania Volunteer of the Year
Aaron Dandridge
Like many of us, Aaron Dandridge first became interested in nature and wildlife as a kid.
“Once I started to learn about habitat loss and deforestation happening in the Amazon, I began to look closer at what could be done to protect nature,” says Aaron. “I started to read about and watch documentaries about conservation which allowed me to see the work needed to protect and restore nature.”
Instead of just feeling helpless about the state of our natural world, Aaron took actions to live a more sustainable life. He wanted to help right here at home, so he began volunteering with TNC. He took simple, but meaningful steps to reduce his consumption of single-use plastics and products and encouraged others to do the same.
“The main conservation issues that worry me now are soil degradation, plastic pollution and the damming of rivers. I believe water and soil are the sources of life for our planet and both are being irresponsibly used,” he says.
As a resident of Philadelphia, Aaron has seen firsthand the effects of plastic pollution and dumping in our urban waterways. He recalls helping with a partner cleanup event at Cobbs Creek in Philly as a particularly memorable experience where he learned more about the city’s waterways. Through the local volunteer events, he adds, “TNC showed me that they care about large-scale issues around the world and smaller issues across the cities”.
Aaron says that volunteer events allow him to spend time in nature and meet new people who share similar concerns and passions for our natural world, making the volunteer experience more fulfilling. “I have seen impacts on my volunteer efforts,” he says. “I've seen people in my family and friend groups ask me about how they can volunteer or what they can do to be more responsible.”
“I know TNC is doing both important and necessary work around the world and I feel good about helping out in any way possible.”
TNC thanks Aaron for all of his efforts to help make our little part of the world a cleaner, healthier place for people and nature to thrive together.
