Ways to Get Involved
Whether you want to further conservation, learn more about nature or share your love of the outdoors, you’ve come to the right place. National wildlife refuges provide many opportunities for you to help your community and fish and wildlife by doing what you love.
White Horse Hill has an active volunteer program that enlists the help of numerous volunteers each year. We also work closely with our Refuge Friends group to provide access to visitor activities throughout the year. Contact us to learn how you can become part a growing team of volunteers.
Volunteering
Discover for yourself what tens of thousands of volunteers have learned - volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fun and rewarding in many ways. Master new skills. Meet new friends. Enjoy a sense of accomplishment from doing your part to further wildlife conservation for the pleasure of generations to follow. Traveling volunteers are encouraged to check out our station's latest volunteer opportunities on volunteer.gov.
Whether you have 1 hour, 100 hours, or somewhere in between, we have an opportunity waiting for you.
Visitor Center
Our visitor center is staffed by refuge and friends volunteers. The local community and out-of-area visitors appreciate your gift of time. Friends nature store volunteers greet visitors from all around the world. Through regular exposure to visitor questions and answers, our front desk volunteers become experts on White Horse Hill National Game Preserve history, management, plant and animal communities, and more.
Native Plant Gardens
If gardening is your interest, we could use your help to maintain native plant gardens and displays around the visitor center.
Outreach and Education
Local and visiting families enjoy short programs offered by interns and volunteers. If you enjoy teaching others, we can put your talent to use with events and programming.
Grounds and Facilities
Accommodating more than 80,000 visits each year creates significant wear and tear on trails and facilities. Each year we welcome volunteers interested in maintaining trails and facilities with tasks ranging from picking up litter, mowing and trimming trails, installing or repairing signs, whatever your talent or interest are we are interested in visiting with you about the many volunteer opportunities at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve.
Meet new friends. Learn new skills. Contact refuge staff and apply today!
Our Partners
Nature does not recognize human-made boundaries. In order to conserve our natural and cultural resources effectively, we must work with others to bridge these boundaries. Partnerships foster creative solutions to challenging situations and often the results are greater than the sum of the parts. The Refuge has established formal agreements with the following partners.
Friends of White Horse Hill
The Friends of White Horse Hill is an active refuge Friends group serving White Horse Hill National Game Preserve. Refuge Friends are dedicated community members who magnify the power of our conservation efforts and help refuge staff meet conservation goals that would otherwise be out of reach. The Friends of White Horse Hill provide support by donating thousands of volunteer hours and raising funds to assist with outreach and management activities at White Horse Hill. Friends help engage the American public in wildlife conservation, improve access to outdoor recreation and strengthen relationships between White Horse Hill and neighboring communities.
Friends members at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve lead tours, staff the visitor center, organize festivals, support the FOCUS on White Horse Hill camera club, operate a nature store at the visitor center, and provide assistance for habitat management and trail maintenance projects.
Devils Lake Public School District
White Horse Hill Outdoor Learning Program
In a joint effort to connect people with nature and enhance retention and interest in classroom learning, an agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Devils Lake Public School District provides integrated curricula in language, social studies, math, and science in an outdoor setting at White Horse Hill National Game Preserve.
- Fifth grade students are bussed to White Horse Hill and back for the morning 1/2 of their school day, every day of the school year.
- Lunch and their remaining classes (phy-ed, band, choir, reading) take place at Devils Lake's Central Middle School.
- Devils Lake School District teachers instruct their students while at White Horse Hill.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff provide coordination and outdoor leadership once per week