 Spring 2015 Volunteer Training Opportunities
Are you
looking for interesting volunteering opportunities now that spring is
almost here? Here are three great ways to get outside and contribute your time and
talents for the benefit of nature.
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Help
with Canada Goose Population Control
 Have
a Canada goose problem? Don't know what to do or where to turn?
Join the Rhode Island Conservation Districts and their
partners for one of their upcoming FREE
Educational Workshops to learn more about Resident Canada
Goose biology and behavior, the problems they pose
to our local environments and economies, and
what you can do on your property and in your community
to help mitigate the effect of RI’s growing
Resident Canada Goose population.
The free workshop is Saturday, March 7, 2015 1:00 –
3:00 PM
URI East Farm
To register or for more information
Building #75
about this project contact:
East Farm Rd.
Southern
RI Conservation District
South Kingstown, RI
(401) 500-0422 SRICD.info@gmail.com
 Funding
for this project is provided by the Rhode Island Department of
Environmental Management and the US EPA through the Section 319
Nonpoint Source Management Program of the Clean Water Act.
These
workshops are made possible through partnership with the City of
Pawtucket Parks and Recreation, Recycling & Sustainability
Divisions, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the
Wood—Pawcatuck Watershed Assn., the Town of Bristol, and the
Bristol Department of Parks & Recreation.
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Become
a FrogWatcher Citizen Scientist
 Did
you know that frogs and toads are disappearing at an alarming rate
across the globe? More than one-third of amphibian species are
faced with possible extinction due to a number of factors such as
habitat loss, pollution and disease.
You can help scientists
keep an eye on Rhode Island frogs and toads. Though there don’t appear
to be any immediate threats to local New England species, the
monitoring and data collected through the FrogWatch program will help
conservationists keep tabs on these populations and react quicker to
any decline.
Training occurs at
Roger Williams Park Zoo and includes FrogWatch program details and
procedures, and how to identify RI frogs and toads by their calls.
A test on frog
and toad calls is required to complete FrogWatch certification.
FrogWatch
USA Training Dates and Times: 
Thursday, February 26th 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Sunday, March 8th 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Sunday, March 22nd 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Pre-registration is required. For
more information, check out: www.rwpzoo.org/352/be-frogwatcher
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Become
a Water Quality Monitor for University of RI Watershed Watch
 The
URI Watershed Watch (URIWW) is a volunteer water quality monitoring
program that works with local communities to assess water quality,
identify sources of pollution in water, and provide information about
water leading to more effective management of critical water resources.
Led by trained scientists, URI Watershed Watch's volunteers become
citizen scientists gathering detailed, quality assured data from local
lakes, rivers, and streams. URIWW provides
training, equipment, and supplies, and volunteers are not
expected to have any special expertise or scientific experience.
Volunteers need only supply time, enthusiasm, and a boat to get
to the deepest part of their lake (if they are not monitoring a river
or stream).
WPWA was instrumental in the formation of URIWW 27 years ago and
continues to monitor over 30 sites in lakes, rivers, and streams in the
Wood-Pawcatuck watershed.
Classroom
Training (Recommended for all volunteers): The
classroom training is designed to help people considering becoming volunteer
monitors learn more about water quality and about Watershed Watch.
Attending a URIWW training session does not obligate you to
become a volunteer monitor and is a great way to learn more about water
quality! The classroom session is is highly
recommended and
is offered twice, so choose the date and time that best fits your
schedule.
New Volunteer Classroom
Training, held in Weaver Auditorium, Coastal Institute in Kingston
(choose one): Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 6 pm
-or-
Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 1 pm
Please pre-register at
401-874-4552 or 401-874-2905.
Field
Training (REQUIRED
of all volunteers): New
volunteers learn how to collect samples and conduct the various tests
used by URIWW to assess our local water resources. Working is
small groups with the equipment and supplies, volunteers get to perform
the skills until they are fully comfortable. Following the
training, volunteers take home their equipment and are encouraged to
practice on their own. While the training is
free, PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED (locations
announced when registering).
Please pre-register at 401-874-4552 or 401-874-2905:
Saturday, April 11, 2015: 9 am or 1 pm
Saturday, April 25, 2015: 9 am or 1
pm
Saturday, May 1, 2015: 9 am Bristol, RI
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