Commitment is a minimum of one day per week for the duration of at least one quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer) from 8:45am-1:15pm. We are a licensed preschool program, so all volunteers must pass a background check and provide proof of a negative TB test within the last 12 months. This position is COVID-dependent during the 2023-2024 school year.

Contact: Maddie Cole, Head of Fiddleheads, 206-616-5261, mcole06@uw.edu

HORTICULTURE: CUH Gardener Assistant

The Center for Urban Horticulture Gardens, including the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA), are highly visible to the public and require intensive gardening, restoration practices and ongoing maintenance. Plants in these gardens and range from Northwest native species to annuals and herbaceous perennials from overseas that are being tested here. Duties include control of invasive, noxious and general weeds, mulching, planting and plant removal, grooming of paths, light pruning to maintain plant health, perennial plant care including deadheading and division, watering and fertilizing as well as basic plant labeling and inventory. **We also have space in our UBNA Restoration Volunteer opportunity. See app below or contact Sloane Palmer (sapalmer@uw.edu) for more info.

Tuesday mornings, 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Requested commitment of two months, including orientation of the CUH grounds and training in the gardens. General: You should have some knowledge of gardening/grounds duties

This position is not currently available

Lab/Field Assistant in Plant Ecophysiology Lab

Volunteers work with faculty, graduate students, and researchers in laboratory, greenhouse, and field settings to contribute to plant ecophysiology and ecological horticulture research.

Other Contacts: Arthur Hsu (hwhsu@uw.edu), and Amelia Keyser-Gibson (akeyserg@uw.edu)

This position is not currently available

Rare Care General Assistant

Interested in contributing to rare plant conservation by assisting Rare Care with office projects? Volunteers assist Rare Care staff with a variety of tasks that support the rare plant monitoring and seed collecting programs. Projects may include rare plant literature research, mailings or digital image labeling and filing. Strong computer and organizational skills are a plus.

This position is not currently available

Rare Care Rare Plant Monitor

We are currently accepting applications for the 2024 training. The Rare Plant Monitoring program is a citizen science program. Rare Plant Monitors visit populations of rare, native plants throughout Washington State. Volunteers need some basic plant identification skills and knowledge of WA native flora, good observational skills, a sense of adventure, their own transportation, and a few days to spare during the field season (March – October). Some experience in scientific data collection is helpful. PRIOR to applying, please read the responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations of the volunteer position on the Rare Care webpage.

Minimum commitment includes attendance at an all-day training session (virtual) and completion of at least two monitoring assignments over the first two years as a trained monitor.

This position is not currently available

Rare Care Seed Collector

Assist Rare Care with collecting seeds for the Miller Seed Vault and the Seeds of Success Project. Seed collecting provides an opportunity to deepen your understanding of plant ecology and observe how variations in weather can drastically affect seed maturation rates and timing.

Rare plant seed collectors contribute to the Miller Seed Vault seed bank by collecting seeds from wild populations of rare native plants around the state of Washington. Rare plant seed collectors need the same skills as Rare Plant Monitors and are required to attend a special training in native plant seed collection methods and protocols. For more information visit the Rare Care website.

Volunteers may also participate in the Seeds of Success Project by assistint with seed collections from wild populations of more common native plants. These seed collections are either contributed to the Kew Millennium Seed Bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens, England, or to the national seed bank for seeds available for use in stabilizing, rehabilitating and restoring public lands. Volunteers participate by locating suitable populations for collection, or by assisting Rare Care staff with seed collections in the field. Collections require walking on uneven terrain and hiking 1 to 3 miles. No prior experience is needed to particate as a Seeds of Success volunteer.

This position is not currently available

Rare Care Seed Vault Assistant

Help Rare Care preserve seeds of rare plants for perpetuity. Seed vault assistants help with cleaning, counting and packaging seeds of rare native plants for long-term storage in the Miller Seed Vault. Volunteers work in the Miller Seed Vault processing room, a climate-controlled environment with an ambient temperature of 57 degrees F and a relative humidity of 22%. Working with seeds requires a strong attention to detail. You'll handle very small seeds with hand tools. For more information about the seed vault, visit the Miller Seed Vault web pages.

This position is not currently available

UBNA Restoration Volunteer

Want to be part of a group focused on ecological restoration in the Union Bay Natural Area? Join us! Projects will largely consist of invasive species removal and participants should be prepared for manual labor in varying weather conditions.

To start, this group will be meeting twice monthly; hopefully ramping up to weekly work!

Contact: Sloane Palmer, CUH/UBNA Horticulturist, (703)867-1440, sapalmer@uw.edu