VOLUNTEER

Stratford Ecological Center is working to expand its efforts to educate children about the role pollinators, native bees and honeybees play in our natural world. In this effort, we are going to need volunteers willing to help out with specific tasks in building pollinator friendly habitats and honeybee management. Opportunities will range from hands on field work to educational. Prior expertise is not required. We will train.

During the spring, summer and fall, we are looking for a couple of volunteers who would like to monitor our 27 Bluebird Nest Boxes and help with our Martin Houses at Stratford. It can be good exercise, great fun and we will train you!

Farm & Nature Field Trips are scheduled in the spring and fall on Wednesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays. If you love nature and children, this is an opportunity you don’t want to pass up. Must be age 18 and up. No experience necessary. We will train you!

We look for a few volunteers who would like to help with our summer farm camps. Some of the tasks may include helping with camp projects, helping campers fish, helping with the breakfast and dinner for the overnight 9-12 year old camps and more. You must be 18 years or older.

Being a farm hand may include preparing and maintaining the fields, animal chores, carpentry, fence building, and other farm maintenance and upkeep. Farm Hand workdays are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Needed weekdays and Saturdays – Spend a few hours a week assisting with office duties and welcoming visitors to Stratford.  This is a great opportunity to learn all about Stratford and help on the farm!  Stratford has openings 9am-4pm on weekdays and Saturdays from 9am-1pm.

We are looking for volunteers who wish to assist in a number of ways in our development efforts for Stratford.

Help water, weed and harvest all the produce in our gardens and greenhouses.  Garden workdays are Tuesdays and Fridays.  At the heart of it all, our volunteer efforts, helps support our children’s programs and the community through fresh harvest donated to PIN of Delaware.

Summer and fall is the time our farmer fills the hayloft with food to sustain the animals throughout the winter months. We are looking to add to our “haying crew”. Must be 18 years old.

Help with researching, restoring, and preserving the historical 1800’s cemetery!

Removing invasive species is a constant endeavor here at Stratford.  Identification, location and proper removal is key to the 95 acres of our Nature Preserve.  But, it goes beyond the preserve, because having native foliage is healthier for the land, the farm animals as well as the other animal species that live and dine from the 236 acres at Stratford.  Fall, winter and early spring are key to eradicating the invasive species.

Help with various aspects of the maple sugar season at Stratford! We need tour guides, sap collectors and cookers. Tours are scheduled during the week and on Saturdays during the sugaring season.

Messages from the Earth is a life science program for 5th graders that occurs during the school year. Guides spend the day with up to 10 students, leading them on the trails to stations where there are activities designed to teach them a particular life science concept. One station is a giant leaf where students go inside to learn about photosynthesis. Another has them carrying buckets of water up hill to demonstrate how the sun’s energy is needed to drive the water cycle. The day also includes visits to the animals in the barn and the all-time favorite activity, Magic Spot. Each student attends 5 days: 2 days in fall, 1 day in winter, and 2 days in spring. Training provided!

A terrific opportunity to network and promote Stratford programs. A knowledge of Stratford’s history, vision, mission, programs, events and more is a requirement of this opportunity.

Stratford hosts several special events each year, including; Enchanted Evening, Llama & Sheep Shearing Day, Harvest Fair, and our Maple Sugar Breakfast.  You can get involved in many ways, from planning, to set up and take down, working the event and more.

Story Time on the Farm happens the 3rd Tuesday of every month (April – October) from 10am-11am. We look for those who love to teach and read to children. Most children that attend this program are toddler age.