Become a Volunteer
For nature lovers or anyone who wants to see our region thrive, the Conservancy has volunteer opportunities! View a list of our current or upcoming volunteer opportunities and register for one today. Anyone at any age can volunteer with us. (If you’re younger than 18 years of age you’ll just need adult supervision and permission.) Check out the list below for some ways you can volunteer at WPC. If you find an opportunity that’s right for you, contact us for more information. Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Conservancy and wanting to make a difference.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Types of Volunteer Opportunities
Other Ways
to Get Involved
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING?
Contact us today at volunteer@paconserve.org
Meet Some of Our Dedicated Volunteers
Beverly Boogio
Knees in the dirt is the best form of unwinding and relaxing.Read more about Beverly
Eric Chiu
It’s great to work with other people who are passionate about their community, and you build a strong bond with them through the hands-on work of volunteer events.Read more about Eric
Terry Christopher
I have always enjoyed the outdoors; however, working as a volunteer has opened my eyes to so many plants and species around us.Read more about Terry
WPC Emerging Leaders
The Emerging Leaders Advisory Committee is a group of young professionals who are the next generation of conservation leaders in our region.
Volunteering at WPC
The following lists some of the ways you can volunteer at the Conservancy. We welcome volunteers to help in our community flower gardens, plant trees or maintain our preserves and trails, among other tasks. View a list of our current or upcoming volunteer opportunities and register for one today.
Plant Trees in Pittsburgh and Across the Region
Bring more trees to our region. Join your friends and neighbors to plant trees along streets and trails, in parks or in areas where trees need to be replaced. Tree planting events take place in the spring and fall.
For more information:
Alicia Wehrle
412-586-2386
trees@paconserve.org
Help Clean and Stabilize our Rivers and Streams
Every living thing depends on clean water. Help keep our rivers and streams healthy. Volunteer to clean up a stream, collect water samples or do some heavy lifting to help stabilize an eroding streambank. You can volunteer anywhere, especially near our offices in Indiana, Ridgway and Hollidaysburg. Volunteer opportunities are available from April through October.
For more information:
Kelly Horrell
724-471-7202
khorrell@paconserve.org
Register for a Community Garden Event
Looking for a one-day volunteer project for your family, coworkers, students or group? Do you want to get outdoors and make a street corner or hillside come alive with color?
Volunteer to plant a community garden in the spring. With 130 community gardens in the region, there’s sure to be one near you. It’s a great way to give back to your community and it’s a fun team-building activity. We remove annual flowers from early September through late October.
If you’ve got more time to volunteer, consider becoming a Garden Steward. Garden Stewards take care of the gardens all season long by watering, weeding and keeping the gardens looking healthy and beautiful. WPC has 130 garden projects for volunteers with different levels of skill, time commitments and responsibilities.
Please see the Volunteer at a Community Gardens page to learn more.
For more information:
Lynn McGuire-Olzak
Volunteer Coordinator
412-586-2324
lmcguire-olzak@paconserve.org
Take Care of a Community Garden as a Garden Steward
After its 130 community gardens are planted each spring, the Conservancy relies on a dedicated group of volunteers, called garden stewards, to give regular attention and care to these gardens. Stewards work during spring and summer to keep the gardens healthy and blooming into the fall.
WPC is seeking volunteer stewards to “adopt” gardens to regularly prune, water, weed and remove litter and debris.
For more information:
Lynn McGuire-Olzak
Volunteer Coordinator
412-586-2324
lmcguire-olzak@paconserve.org
Maintain and Restore our Nature Preserves
Do you enjoy hiking and getting outdoors? Become a Land Stewardship Volunteer! WPC owns and cares for more than 14,000 acres of land free and open to everyone for outdoor recreation. Land Stewardship volunteers help keep these natural areas clean and safe. You can choose from a variety of locations to volunteer from March through November, from the north in Erie County, as far south as Fayette County. It’s fun, hard work, and you’ll learn a lot, too! For example, you’ll learn from WPC staff about invasive plants that crowd out native species, and how to remove them. You may also work with staff to build and maintain hiking trails, mark property boundaries or clean up an illegal dump. Many hands make for light work!
Looking for a deeper commitment to a land stewardship project? We may be able to match you with a specific preserve. You would commit to making a specified number of visits per year and submitting monitoring reports, maps and photographs documenting your visits. Openings for preserve-specific assignments are only occasionally available. We are unable to guarantee that all applicants will be assigned to a specific requested preserve.
Click here to view dates and volunteer at an upcoming land stewardship workday.
For more information:
Andrew Zadnik
Director of Land Stewardship
412-586-2318
azadnik@paconserve.org
Volunteer at Fallingwater
From assisting visitors, to working at the café, or helping with archiving and clerical projects, there are many volunteer opportunities at Fallingwater. To find out more contact Lisa Hall or visit the Volunteer Opportunities page at Fallingwater.org.
For more information:
Lisa Hall
Fallingwater Volunteer Coordinator
724-329-7840
lhall@paconserve.org
Help with Clerical or Office Work
Assist the Conservancy and learn more about our conservation and membership efforts. We need volunteers to help with recordkeeping and other administrative tasks at our Pittsburgh headquarters. Located at 800 Waterfront Drive on Washington's Landing (off 31st Street Bridge across the river from the Strip District), this location is accessible by bus, bike path or car and offers free parking.
For more information:
GENERAL OFFICE SUPPORT
412-288-2777
info@paconserve.org
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Kathy Patrignani
412-586-2340
kpatrignani@paconserve.org
Take Photos or Capture Video as a WPC Photographer
Are you a shutterbug? You can use your hobby as a way to volunteer! Photographers are needed to document newly protected properties, member outings and volunteer events such as garden or tree plantings. Volunteers are asked to use their own camera equipment.
For more information:
info@paconserve.org
DIDN'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR?
If you don’t see an opportunity that fits your skill set, please contact us and tell us about your special skills, interests and hobbies. We can still use your help, time and skill to help keep Western Pennsylvania green and beautiful. Chances are, we’ll be able to find the ideal project or opportunity that’s perfect for you! Contact us at 412-288-2777 to see how you can contribute your time and talent here at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy considers applicants and volunteers without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, sexual preference, disability, marital status or veteran status.
