Volunteers are a crucial part of stewardship and monitoring success at our conservation lands. While most of our opportunities are through volunteer events, we have two programs that offer volunteers an independent way to give back to nature.
Both the Conservation Land Stewards and Citizen Science programs were introduced in 2021. They have both seen an immense amount of stewardship and monitoring work from these volunteers, contributing to 55% of EALT’s total volunteer hours in 2022! As this is the recruitment time for both of these programs, EALT would like to share some stories and experiences from volunteers. The accompanying photos are all taken by volunteers too!
Connecting to Nature
These programs were created in part as ways for people to give back and connect to nature, and to increase EALT’s capacity to steward our conservation lands. These volunteers committed to making frequent visits to their assigned land either for stewardship tasks, or for monitoring a species.
I am grateful for the opportunity to slow down and connect with the land, simultaneously taking care of the land while it takes care of me.
-Anonymous
We enjoyed watching the beavers and seeing their dam grow and we saw some interesting plants and animals while volunteering. We also started an iNaturalist page for Coates and it has 231 observations with 155 recorded species now!
- Anonymous
I truly believe that healing the land is an act of healing ourselves... Not only did I gain a deeper connection with the land I was assigned but I grew a deeper connection with myself in the process.
-Anonymous
Volunteers in photos are not the same volunteers providing quotes.
Supporting EALT
Volunteers are also passionate about supporting EALT.
I feel fortunate to have protected natural spaces in my community and getting to positively contribute to local ecosystems is a great way to stay connected with the land around us.
-Josh Rutherford
It is very important to me that we preserve natural spaces and this program gives me the opportunity to help with that.
-Dave Grabski
It's wonderful to be around other like minded individuals and a community of people who share the same environmental values. Knowing that we are contributing to the improvement of the land and wildlife is so very rewarding.
-Anonymous
Seeing the seasons change
Whether volunteers signed up for a period of two years as a steward, or for the summer as a citizen scientist, they all got to experience seasonal changes on the landscape.
Exploring Coates has been a wonderful experience. This beautiful land has been different every time we visit. It’s exciting to go and not know what we will see.
- Nina and Brent Sobreira
We have enjoyed getting to know our assigned land through the seasons, see the changes, see the results from the work we and the other land stewards have done.
-Rhonda and Dan Van Heyst
We enjoyed seeing our progress in removal of invasive Tansy species to help restore the natural fauna…We look forward to seeing how the land changes over time under the care of EALT.
- Ted Garver and Caroline Stuart
A great year for EALT volunteers
Conservation Land Stewards made a total of 103 visits to our conservation lands. They took part in stewardship work such as trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, sign maintenance, and more!
Citizen Scientists conducted loon surveys, bat exit surveys, amphibian monitoring, and bird banding.
The stories continue…
If you were inspired by the stories of these volunteers, click the links below to learn more and apply!
Deadline to apply: March 19, 2023
Deadline to apply: March 31/May 1 (depending on monitoring program)
Thanks to the Edmonton Community Foundation, Alberta Conservation Association, the Ontario Bird Banding Association, Birds Canada, TD Friends of the Environment, and Alberta Ecotrust for funding these programs.
Photo credits: Blaire Oosterhuis, Luke Nelson, Ben Bunker, Laura Phalen, Karen Newman, Brianne Sing, Shawna Lake.
