VOLUNTEER
Winnakee Land Trust’s mission is to conserve and steward our forests, agricultural lands and water resources. We take an active role in supporting and restoring a thriving ecosystem – and you can too! Our volunteers are critical to our success and growth. In a given year, Winnakee brings together over 200 volunteers to help us maintain our parks and trails and to host events.
Winnakee Land Trust believes active stewardship of our properties is vital to maintaining the important ecosystems of the Hudson Valley. We hope that by connecting the community to the land and educating volunteers in this way, we will foster positive stewardship habits that volunteers can bring back to their own properties.
ONGOING VOLUNTEER STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS
Every second Saturday of the month from 10am-12pm
Join Winnakee Land Trust every Second Saturday of the month for a stewardship project held each month at a different Winnakee park or preserve. Volunteers provide instrumental help to land restoration projects that make our region more resilient to ever-changing environmental challenges. In exchange, we offer volunteers skills training that you can use on your own lands, including identification of harmful invasive species and important native plants, learning proper techniques for improving ecosystems and ways to enhance the visitor experiences and trails on our lands.
Become a part of trail and bridge building in Red Hook!
Winnakee is excited to extend trail construction toward an eventual connection from our Saw Kill Trails to Bard College. Thanks to a Hudson River Valley Greenway Land Trail Grant, Winnakee will build bridges over streams and bogs and connect the community to the project through volunteer opportunities to help build the trail and learn about the property and local ecosystem. One of the main goals of this project is to involve the local community in the construction and maintenance of the trail to foster ownership and connection to the land and nature within their own community.
UPCOMING VOLUNTEER DAYS
TYPES OF VOLUNTEER ROLES
LAND PRESERVATION STEWARD
How you’ll contribute: Outdoor field work and park and trail maintenance at our parks and preserves. Refreshing current trails and creating trails on new properties, including building seating, signboards and trail markers. Work hand in hand with our Stewardship & Land Protection Team to identify invasives, assess habitat health and contribute to stewarding a healthy ecosystem.
A great role for: People who enjoy physical labor, working with a team to achieve a goal, and who want to learn more about native (and invasive!) Hudson Valley ecology to restore forest resilience.
SPECIAL EVENTS
How you’ll contribute: Events are foundational to our vision of connecting land and communities. Our events are varied and so are the ways you can contribute. From setting up table with informational materials, greeting guests, and helping load everything up at the end, to making event specific creations and educational materials and serving as docents, event volunteers are a vital contributor to our community.
A great role for: People who enjoy interacting with the public, working with a team to achieve a goal, and helping organize processes. Great for anyone looking to meet like-minded people who are passionate about Winnakee’s mission and a healthy ecology.
PHOTOGRAPHY
How you’ll contribute: Capturing great images of our parks, preserves and events is key to communicating the importance of our work and inviting community support. Here’s how you can contribute your photography skills:
- Community images: We invite you to share those magic moments at a Winnakee park or preserve! A stunning sunset, cloud formation, beautiful vista or whatever catches your eye.
To share your work you can tag us on social @winnakeelandtrust on Instagram or Facebook.
- Event photography: Support us by taking photos at our volunteer work party days and our events: walks, fundraisers, educational events and stewardship events. Help us capture the spirit of Winnakee!