Volunteer Opportunities

Would you like to volunteer for nature? Volunteering is a chance to serve our region, build field skills, and support conservation partners. Activities should directly support LMN‑NE’s mission and the stewardship of northeast Louisiana’s natural resources.

Field‑Based Citizen Science

• Biodiversity surveys including Phenology (plants, birds, insects, butterflies, fungi, herps). LMN-NE members can use Nature’s Notebook .
• LMN-NE members can use iNaturalist for documentation during hikes, workshops, and BioBlitzes (eg. Sicily Island Hills Bioblitz).

  

Biodiversity & Regional Projects

• Biodiversity of Louisiana — A statewide umbrella documenting species across Louisiana. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/biodiversity-of-louisiana (inaturalist.org in Bing)

LMN‑NE & Local Ecology Projects

• Ecology – Kiroli Park — Observations from LMN‑NE’s Ecosystems & Restoration Ecology workshop at Kiroli Park. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ecology-kiroli-park
• Ecology – Restoration Park — Observations from the LMN‑NE workshop at Restoration Park in West Monroe. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ecology-restoration-park
• Herpetofauna of NE LA — A focused project documenting amphibians and reptiles at Black Bayou Lake NWR. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/herpetofauna-of-ne-la
• Highland Park Wetland Trails — Wildlife observations from the West Monroe wetland trail system. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/highland-park-wetland-trails

Specialized & Thematic Projects

• DARLa (Distribution of Amphibians & Reptiles of Louisiana) — A statewide herpetology project mapping species distributions. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/darla
• FunDiS Southeast Rare Fungi Challenge — A project targeting rare or under‑documented fungi species in the Southeast. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fundis-southeast-rare-fungi-challenge (inaturalist.org in Bing)
• Lindquistia — A project tied to the (Un)Identified Neotropical Fungus 17 species list. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lindquistia (inaturalist.org in Bing)

Personal & Family Projects

• Charles & Kim Paxton’s Observations — A combined record of Charles and Kim’s natural history observations. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/charles-kim-paxton-s-observations (inaturalist.org in Bing)

LMNA Community Projects

• LMNA 2018 Rendezvous — Observations from the statewide Rendezvous at Camp Hardtner. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lmna-2018-rendezvous
• LMNA 2021 Scavenger Hunt — Entries from the virtual scavenger hunt during the 2021 Rendezvous. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lmna-2021-scavenger-hunt (inaturalist.org in Bing)

Site‑Specific Open Projects

• Restoration Park — Species documentation from West Monroe’s Restoration Park. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/restoration-park

• Seasonal monitoring: frog call surveys, butterfly counts, Christmas Bird Count, water quality sampling.

Habitat Stewardship & Restoration

• Trail maintenance at Black Bayou Lake NWR, Kiroli Park, Restoration Park, ULM Biological Station and other natural areas.
• Invasive species removal (Chinese tallow, privet, etc.).
• Native plantings for pollinator gardens, prairie restoration, and wetland enhancement e.g. Bette Kauffman’s Certified Wildlife Habitat, Kim Paxton’s work at Cheniere Lake Butterfly Garden

Education & Interpretation

• Leading nature walks for schools, scouts, and community groups.
• Staffing LMN‑NE outreach tables at festivals and events (Black Bayou Lake Fall Celebration, Celtic Fest, Ouachita Green’s Fall Family Funfest).
• Creating educational materials such as signage, handouts, species guides, trifolds and presentations.

Organizational Support

• Event logistics for workshops, Rendezvous, and BioBlitzes.
• Photography and videography for LMN‑NE communications.
• Website, social media, and newsletter support. Creating and sharing personalized posts and sharing LMN-NE posts is very helpful.

Examples of Approved Volunteer Activities (from LMN‑NE)

• Assisting Ouachita Green (volunteer events:  Household Hazardous Waste and America Recycles days, clean‑ups and beautifications).
• Volunteering at Black Bayou Lake NWR or any NWR, park, or designated natural area.
• Service to LMN‑NE, LMNA, or any LMN chapter.
• Serving as an outreach ambassador to schools, civic groups, and community organizations. First Saturday Family Events

LMN-NE has the following ongoing volunteer opportunities for our own organization.

Marketing activities:

Off-page communications (spreads the word, builds eminence and brings people to our website / events): Sharing posts on social media, short personalized write-ups of events / activities, article submissions for local press, Nature Nuggets

On Page communications: (Blog articles and Page content for LMN-NE website, text, art work, video content

Creation of events: Guided walks, presentations (online for our YouTube Channel and/or in-person)

Creation of education materials

Mentorship