About Our Volunteer Program

Our volunteer program is open to individuals ages 16 or older who are interested in nature education and natural history. No experience is needed, as all volunteers will attend individual training for specific roles.

Once you become a volunteer, you can assist in all facets of running the center. Volunteers work indoors or out, with the public or behind the scenes. They provide critical support at special events, assist the public visiting the nature center, and help maintain the exhibits. Most importantly, they have a special desire to connect people to nature.

You Play an Important Role

The support you provide as a volunteer assists Audubon Arkansas in:

• Protecting and preserving natural resources.
• Encouraging appreciation and stewardship of natural resources through hands-on learning experiences and educational programs.
• Contributing to the educational and recreational opportunities in Arkansas.

Enjoy The Benefits

• Opportunities for training, in both formal and informal group sessions
• Expanded awareness of nature
• Social interaction with like-minded people
• Invitations to special events, trips and programs
• Personal satisfaction of making a difference

Volunteer Opportunities

• Citizen Science
• Front Desk Reception & Greeters
• Trail Stewardship & Guides
• Education Programs Volunteers
• Gardening & Landscape Volunteers
• Special Events Volunteers
• Maintenance Volunteers

Sign Up Today! 

Questions? Contact Jonathan Young at (501) 244-2229.

Scouting Opportunities at the Center

The Audubon Center is a great place for adventure and stewardship projects. We want to build positive partnerships with Scout troops and scout projects.

The Audubon Center is an energy-efficient green building – insulated with hay bales, outfitted with cisterns and chimney swift towers, and landscaped with native plants. Its site includes over 450 acres with forest, grassland, wetland, and rare glade habitat. It also contains a butterfly garden and rain garden. It is easily accessible to Little Rock and connects with service learning and field science projects at local schools and university internships.

The site’s diverse terrain makes it an excellent place to study geology, botany, ornithology, or mycology. It is beautiful in all seasons and illustrates the ability of nature to respond to different soil, slope, sun, and moisture. We have an outdoor dutch oven cooking site (thanks to Trevor Byrd) and an outdoor pavilion that can be meeting site.

Eagle and/or Troop Service Projects

I. Construction: 
Numerous small construction projects including small bridges to facilitate trail crossings. nest boxes, feeders, etc. Audubon will need to approve designs.

II. Invasive Removal: 
Chinese privet, salt bush, Bradford pear, and Japanese honeysuckle are problems in several areas of the Center. They would need to be cut and treated with Roundup to prevent re-sprouting. We have “weeks” of this work. Projects would target various areas to develop reasonable and do-able projects.

III. Trail Maintenance (5+ Projects) 
Most of our existing trails are “rustic” and need regular maintenance in clearing downed trees, invading shrubs/vines, and improving the drainage. These would be nice “troop adoptions” for trail segments.

IV. Bird Features:
Monitor/Maintain
1. Blue bird boxes during spring and summer,
2. Hummingbird feeder stations during the hummer season (spring – fall).
3. Fall and winter feeders (suet, sunflower, thistle, and fruit) and monitors.
4. Butterfly/bird garden plants, planters (people) and monitors to count/weed/deadhead/etc.
5. Wood duck nesting boxes and monitoring.
EACH could be divided into several troop/eagle projects.