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Volunteer Opportunities
Maple Syrup Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to help our staff with sap collection. If you are interested in learning more about our syruping process by taking a hands-on approach, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. Volunteers participating in this activity should be prepared to walk in and out of brush, up and down inclines, all while deciding how many layers to wear when the temperature is above freezing, but the wind is still chilly. It’s a syruping adventure! If you are interested in this opportunity and tend to have availability on weekday afternoons for around two hours, please email us.
Resource Workdays
Join us for a volunteer workday to help with a seasonal project once or twice a month on Saturdays. Everything from painting, to removing invasives, to helping with maple syruping, and more. The details for this are sent monthly to the email list above.
Event Volunteers
We run our free community events, the Fall Festival and Tree Jamboree annually and always need volunteers! Sign-up for the email list above to be notified when we start looking for people!
Junior Naturalists
Junior Naturalists are volunteers going into 10-12 grade that help our summer day camp team. They are leaders that make the camper’s experience at Ney fun, exciting, and safe. Assisting with all aspects of camp including leading games, supervising campers during activities, and working with staff to ensure this is a fun and safe summer for everyone!
Join a Committee
We are looking for volunteers who would like to help us out by joining one of our committees. Programs & Education, Building and Land Preservation, Fund Development & Finance (People with fundraising backgrounds or experience are encouraged) committees generally meet once a month for one hour. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about any of these committees or would like to join by contacting Becky. Click here for contact information.
Site Stewards
If you visit our trails often and would like to learn more about the plants and animals you encounter, becoming a Site Steward could be an exciting next step for you. Volunteers in this role will visit an assigned area of our park at least one time per month. During their visit, they’ll record details about blooming plants, spotted wildlife, and invasive species in the area. This information not only helps us learn more about each section of the park, but will also inform our monthly workday goals. Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about this role.
If you are a current Site Steward looking to report your observations from a recent visit:
Group Service Projects
Do you belong to a group that would like to participate in a service project at the Ney Nature Center? Call our office to schedule a group project. Group projects include trail trimming, invasive species removal, gardening, wildlife monitoring and other various seasonal projects like maple sap collection and syrup making, prairie burning or tagging monarchs.
Eagle Scout Projects
The Eagle Scout Project is one of the biggest tasks that a Boy Scout can take on. Reaching the point of Eagle Scout takes several years of hard work, dedication and community service. A Boy Scout must first move through the ranks of the scouting program and then meet the planning qualifications for the Eagle Scout Project. The Scout Law indicates that a scout must be; Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. The Eagle Scout Project helps to tie all of these actions together in the final aspect of what the scouting program is all about.
The Ney Center has been fortunate enough to have been the site for several of these Eagle Scout community leadership projects. Through their hard work these scouts teamed up with our Site Committee and Executive Director, and planned, organized and executed these service projects. These include:
- Joey Little – Constructed 21 standing garden beds for the Homestead garden and other locations
- Ethan Schatz – Designed and constructed a new trail section featuring recycled timber stairs, upper half of Eagle trail
- Gabe Juenemann – Designed and constructed an outdoor classroom space on the Ney Homestead
- Alec Malmgren – Constructed six wood duck houses for east prairie wetlands.
- Michael O’Rourke – Restored and constructed trail section between Stagecoach trail and top of bluff, lower half of Eagle trail
- Noah Redfearn – Designed and constructed new structures on the Mountain Bike Trail, two bridges and a retaining wall
- Devan Stenger – Designed and constructed a new compost site for the Education building
- Anders Brovold – Designed and constructed new bird nesting structures; Chimney Swift tower on the Ney Homestead, five bluebird houses around the pond, two Kestral boxes, and two Bat houses
- Josh Simon – Constructed and installed two native bee nesting structures
- Simon Iverson – Constructed and installed four garden beds for the Homestead garden
- Samuel Elliott – Installed rain gutters and water barrels in strategic locations at the Kahlow & Ney Homesteads
- Alex Goldman – Restored Food Plot into oak savannah habitat by planting native prairie plants and oak trees
- Samuel Sticha – Built Butterfly House on south side on Ney Pond and planted pollinator plants inside
- Aaron Barnard – Built sensory mystery box for interpretation
- Alan Eotvos – Rebuilt the Mayo House board walk and replaced the historic current bushes along south side
- Andrew Randall – Built and installed 10 wood duck houses.
- Hayden Cody – Designed and planted pollinator gardens at the Kahlow Homestead.
- Alex Borchardt – Salvaged lumber from ravine bridges and built benches.
- Demitri Markham – Sorted and cleaned up debris from the Log Cabin dismantle.
- Steven Morrill – Repaired the upstairs barn floor.
- Alex Shepherd – Created an outdoor classroom in the gravel pit.
- Brian Turner – Demolished the hog barn.
- Joe Lambrecht – Constructed metal trail signs.
- Cole Shaughnessy – Cleaned and pressure washed the Kahlow barn.
- David Denzer – Built bat houses.
- JT Callahan – Created the cedar point amphitheater.
- Jeremy Bosacker – Repaired the summer kitchen.
- Tim Marsolais – Painted buildings.
- Brad Walechka – Trimmed trails.
- Kyle Schreiner – Created a culvert on the ravine trail.
These scouts have helped to make the Ney Nature Center a more beautiful, enjoyable and accessible area for all, as well as earning the coveted Eagle Scout title. Congratulations to all these young men and thank you for the time and effort you put in to help us at the Ney Nature Center. If you or someone you know is looking for an idea for an Eagle Scout Project, feel free to contact the Ney Nature Center with any ideas or questions. It’s a win-win.