Volunteers play an active and important role in the Maryland Reserve and its components. Their contributions range from field monitoring to the manning of the visitors centers. In 2006, over 100 volunteers donated over 5,000 hours, bringing with them years of experience and countless skills.

Volunteers provide a variety of behind-the scenes help. Their jobs are endless and include editing quarterly newsletters, building equipment, educational programs, trail maintenance, pond and garden creation, resident animal care, and serving as advisors for other projects.

Volunteer Activities

• Volunteers of all ages help with the Wild Rice program at Jug Bay. They wade through the mud to gather rice seeds in the fall and sow the seeds in the spring.
   
• Volunteers learn the role and importance of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) in the Bay, and then they grow plants in their homes for 10 to 12 weeks. In the late spring they return with their plants to either Otter Point Creek or Jug Bay and contribute their home-grown SAVs to the greater SAV restoration project.
   
• The volunteers have many other projects at the Reserve sites such as larval fish monitoring, turtle telemetry monitoring, salamander surveys, steam assessment monitoring, invasive plant removal, and deer management programs.

To find out about volunteer opportunities contact the CBNERR-MD

Stewardship Coordinator or the volunteer coordinators at the Jug Bay and Otter Point Creek components.