Volunteer

Volunteer Activities are on hold until further notice. Thank you for your patience.

The Friend’s mission is to support, protect, and enhance the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and its wildlife habitat, and to broaden public awareness and participation in its environmental, cultural, and educational opportunities.

Whether you want to work with students and the public to spread the conservation message, teach about local indigenous culture, or get your hands dirty doing habitat work, we just may have a volunteer opportunity for you to join our community.

Volunteering at the Refuge does not require previous experience. Bring your enthusiasm and passion the outdoors, connecting people with nature and culture and we will teach you all you need to know.



See how to get involved below.

If you are also interested in volunteering at our Refuges in the Columbia River Gorge, email Jared_Strawderman@fws.gov

Current Volunteer Opportunities

We need your support to grow Friends programs – nature education, wildlife habitat restoration, and a new naturalist corps! Please become a member and receive eNews and newsletters, come to the annual membership meetings, participate as a volunteer, and help the Refuge community grow, now is the time.

We are currently recruiting volunteers for the following opportunities:

Refuge-Specific:

Plankhouse Docent for Weekends The Cathlapotle Plankhouse draws thousands of visitors to the Refuge each year. Help share the legacy of the Indigenous people who have tended to this place since time immemorial as a Plankhouse Docent or Cultural Educator. Field trips take place during the weekdays. Docents staff the house on weekends from April – September. Email RidgefieldEducation@fws.gov with the subject line “New Plankhouse Volunteer”



Refuge & Trail Guides for Weekends Over 200,000 visitors flock to the refuge annually to enjoy nature through participation in wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, cultural interpretation, hunting, and fishing. Volunteers help to make their experiences meaningful. Share your enthusiasm for nature and make the Refuge a welcoming place for people walking our trails, stopping at the Visitor Contact Station and driving the AutoTour. Volunteers naturalists needed to walk trails and teach people about what they can see and enjoy at the Refuge this spring and summer! If you are interested email RidgefieldVolunteer@fws.gov to be put on the update list for a late spring training.



Habitat Restoration Volunteers get to see the most beautiful places on the refuge while helping to ensure that native wildlife have food and shelter. Spring and Summer work is focused on tree planting maintenance and removing invasive plants. Crews often meet Wednesday and Saturday mornings throughout the year. **Volunteer Work limited in April and May due to limited access during this phase of the River S bridge construction. Work parties for new volunteers will resume in June.** For more information or to sign up to join a work party email Keith_Rutz@fws.gov



For the above opportunities, you can drop us a line at RidgefieldVolunteer@FWS.gov to see how to get involved, or fill out the form below.

Friends Specific:

New Visitors Center Committee members

Friends Board Members

BirdFest Committee Members

BirdFest Event Support

Event Tabling both on and off-refuge

Fill out the form below to get started!

Oaks-to-Wetlands Trail Work Parties with WTA

Volunteer with Washington Trail Association for a fun and rewarding way to give back to the places you love to hike. Trails across Washington need our help more than ever, including Ridgefield NWR’s Oaks to Wetlands Trail. WTA will be working with the refuge to re-do our trail network after large-scale restoration efforts that have obliterated much of the old trails. WTA has several days scheduled out here to build the new trails — depending on the day, expect to clear new trail corridor, create new tread, or fine-tune temporary trails into actual tread surface (as well as learn about sustainable trail alignment). This is a great project to see a new trail come to life!

What it Takes to Do This Work Party:

No experience is necessary—just bring a great attitude for working with a team! WTA provides the training and tools you need. Expect to be physically active at your own pace for up to 6 hours on uneven terrain.

Recommended for ages 10 and older; under 14 must be accompanied by an adult and a parental consent form must be signed for anyone under 18

Wear: Boots, long pants and shirt, rain wear, and plenty of warm layers. Shorts and sneakers are not allowed.

Pack: a lunch, water and bag to carry it in about a mile, over even terrain.

RIDGEFIELD NWR

Oaks to Wetlands Trail (Carty Unit off Main, follow detour signs to the Refuge)

Nov. 2, 9:00 – 12:30 PM

Intro To Trail Building (Family Friendly event)

Other Full-day Work Parties:

Nov. 14, 8:30 – 3:30 PM

Nov. 21, 8:30 – 3:30 PM

Dec. 12, 8:30 – 3:30 PM

Dec. 19, 8:30 – 3:30 PM

Space is Limited. Sign Up at: www.wta.org

For More Info, Contact WTA at volunteer@wta.org or 206.625.1367

Volunteer Sign-Up

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Does your employer offer matching gift or volunteer support programs?

Many companies not only encourage their employees to give to and volunteer time to nonprofits in their communities, but also will match those efforts with dollars and other means of support.

Employee Matching Gifts are donations an employer makes to match its employees’ charitable contributions. Usually associated with corporate grantmakers, employee matching gifts often are dollar-for-dollar, but some companies will give double or even triple the original donation. Some may also give matching gifts for employees’ volunteer efforts. For example, when an employee participates in a walkathon or other type of fundraising event, their employer may match the money they raise through sponsorships or other donations.

Volunteer Support Programs – sometimes called “Dollars for Doers” – can take various forms. Also known as individual volunteer grants, these programs essentially reward employees who take time to donate their time to a nonprofit.

Find out if your employer offers these programs to maximize your giving today!