Current Volunteer Opportunities
Check out this list to get an idea of the types of opportunities that are available (all are unpaid). Pick the ones you like best, and then contact us. We'll try to match a project to your interests and skills!
Fry Stocking
Each spring, hundreds of volunteers help to stock young Atlantic salmon in rivers and streams throughout the Connecticut River watershed. There are fry stocking opportunities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Visit the Fry Stocking page for more information.
Volunteer Job Links
View volunteer opportunities around the country with the Federal Government.
Group and Individual Service Projects for Helping Salmon
Building Pool Canopies - at the hatchery, build and refurbish plywood covers to protect salmon from sunburn
Fence Out Livestock - keep livestock out of the stream on your farm or limit their access to prevent sedimentation and destruction of salmon nests through projects funded partly by Partners for Fish and Wildlife
Salmon Scale Analysis - Mount sea-run Atlantic salmon scales on slides, read their age, calculate their growth and enter the data into the returns database in Access. This is mostly a summer time job.
Group and Individual Service Projects for Helping People Get the Job Done
Office Filing - come to the Coordinator's Office, learn the file system and help with the filing documents once a week
Reporting Fish Returns for Anglers - come to the Coordinator's Office every morning from about 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monday through Friday from mid-April through mid-June to get the daily return numbers, flows and temperatures, tape a summary on the phone, and update the database on the computer
Develop K-12 Curricula and Lesson Plans - Use existing curricula and develop new curricula and materials for teachers to use in the classroom explaining watersheds, migratory fish and restoration programs
Write a Grant - to fund a specific project for dam removal, breaching or fishway construction
Keep Our Vehicles Clean and Safe - wash a car or van or truck inside and out once a week and wax them twice a year, check the fluids and tire pressure
Outfit the Shad Truck - Install the new shad tank on the old truck bed so shad can be re-established upstream
Shad Truck Driver (if the truck is ready this spring) - Load the shad truck with shad at the Holyoke dam, transport and release the fish at designated locations upstream. Multiple trips will be needed and a trip takes most of a day in May and early June.
Data Entry - enter all the information on how many and where Atlantic salmon fry have been stocked into the Access database on the computer
Catalog the Reference Library - enter all our scientific references, reports and articles into ProCite, a reference manager database
Photography - Shoot pictures (still and video, underwater and on land) of the various aspects and activities in migratory fish restoration for use in public presentations, brochures, posters, and educational programming
Group and Individual Service Projects for Helping Visitors
Build Brochure Racks - construct brochure racks and display panels for hatcheries and offices restoring fish to the Connecticut River
Maintain the Trail - clear the trail from the Coordinator's Office to the hatchery and maintain it for foot traffic
Build Picnic Tables - Build two picnic tables for public use at the hatchery and Coordinator's Office
Build the Salmon Life Cycle Trail - Conceptual plans are ready to go on a nature trail that interprets the life cycle of migratory fish, need to raise the funds, and get the commitments to implement the project
Fishing is Fun Days - Help bait hooks, cast, and sometimes even cook the catch during regularly scheduled fishing programs for the disabled at the Richard Cronin National Salmon Station
Graphics Design - Put together brochure updates, fact sheets, and/or exhibits primarily using Pagemaker software
Group and Individual Service Projects for Helping the Environment
Gardening for Wildlife - on hatchery lands at the Coordinator's Office and Salmon Station, using native drought resistant plants, plan and implement the project to benefit squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, chipmunks, fox, bobcat, deer, turtles, etc.
Houses for Native Birds - enrich local wildlife diversity by building and installing bird houses on hatchery property to attract nesting bluebirds, pileated woodpeckers, flickers, owls, humming birds, Baltimore orioles, scarlet tanagers, etc.
Organize a River Clean-Up - be a local steward to a stream near your home, join a local watershed association or start your own so you can keep you river clean and safe for salmon
Increase Public Awareness - Work with your local Conservation Commission and/or road crews to help them understand the importance of managing run-off from streets and parking lots to prevent sedimentation and filter contaminants before they damage salmon habitat in local streams.
Protect Stream-side Green Belts - Work with your local Conservation Commission and Developers to keep a band of trees, shrubs, and fields along the edge of streams. These act like purifying sponges filtering out sediment and contaminants before they reach the stream and damage fish habitat.
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