VOLUNTEER
The Bobolink Project provides funding and technical support to farmers and landowners to protect breeding grassland birds. Grassland birds like Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows, and Eastern Meadowlarks breed in hayfields and pastures in New England, and their populations have declined in recent decades as farms were abandoned and haying practices intensified on remaining agricultural lands. The Bobolink Project works closely with regional partners to understand and mitigate the challenges that farmers face when trying to adopt best management practices on their farms, to strike a balance between production and wildlife conservation. As the program expands in five states (MA, VT, NH, ME, NY), we need volunteers to help with landowner outreach, field vetting, field monitoring, and ongoing tasks.
Landowner Outreach and Field Vetting: ongoing, with a higher importance in late summer, fall, and winter
- Goal: Identify priority fields (large hayfields, or fields that are known to have birds), and encourage landowners to apply to the Bobolink Project
- Tasks: compile a list of fields that have grassland birds (through personal experience, etc), contact owners of the fields (personal connections are encouraged), spread the word about the program to local organizations that may be able to promote it to farmers, post flyers and promotional materials in local businesses and meeting places, etc.
- Requirements: None, since there is a diversity of tasks that people can choose from
Field Monitoring: last two weeks of June
- Goal: Visit each field in the program once per season to count the number of breeding females
- asks: Visit the field, walk transects, count birds and mark their locations on a map. Optional: take note of invasive plant species in the hayfield and shrubland birds that are using adjacent habitat
- Requirements: Attend a training (details to follow), download the Quick capture app onto phone or tablet (maps can be predownloaded – service and data is not needed in the field). Must be available for one early morning monitoring session in the last two weeks of June. Must have transportation and binoculars. Must have sufficient identification skills for grassland bird species.
Ongoing tasks: year-round
- Goal: ongoing support for behind-the-scenes tasks
- Tasks: Fundraising support, Event support, Outreach support
- Requirements: Case by case basis, depending on the tasks. We will do our best to find appropriate tasks for everyone that is interested in helping.
To express interest and apply for a volunteer position, please complete this form.