Volunteer with Balsam Mountain Trust

Are you a wildlife lover that wants to help care for our animal ambassadors or share your enthusiasm for nature with the local community?

Volunteers are an invaluable asset and play a vital role in the success of many nonprofit organizations. Our volunteers are dedicated individuals who provide excellent animal care and share our passion for the natural world with the community. Any potential volunteer will need references and a current tetanus shot (once offered a volunteer team member spot). Volunteers must be aged 16 or older.

Interested in joining our volunteer team? Fill out the application here!

If you have any questions about volunteering at Balsam Mountain Trust, please contact Rachael Hart (Operations Coordinator/Naturalist) at rhart@bmtrust.org or 828.631.1060

Animal Care

At the Balsam Mountain Trust, we care for birds of prey, native reptiles, an opossum, and more! We love our animal ambassadors, and they are an integral part of our education programs. Providing top-quality care and enrichment would not be possible without our dedicated crew of animal care volunteers.

Please note: We require that animal care volunteers are available for a 3-hour shift (between 9 AM and 2:30 PM) every week, for at least 6 months.

Responsibilities:

• Animal diet preparation and feeding
• Observation of the general health and well-being of each animal
• Cleaning animal habitats
• Learn how to properly handle our ambassador animals in a safe and positive manner

Education

Our volunteer educators will not only learn to handle birds and reptiles, but also present their natural history to both public and private audiences.

Examples of education work:

• Assisting with school programs and public events, which may include animal handling, answering questions, organizing a craft station, etc.
• Assisting with summer camps on Balsam Mountain Preserve property
• Taking photographs, writing articles for newsletter, and assisting with website and Facebook page

Have other skills that we can put to work? We often have special projects that require folks with experience in carpentry, invasive plant removal, trail maintenance, gardening, web design, etc. Contact us education@bmtrust.org or 828.631.1061.