Volunteer Opportunities
- UNH Marine Docents
- Great Bay Coast Watch
- Seacoast Science Center
- Sandy Point Discovery Center
- Gundalow Company
- National Marine Debris Monitoring Program
- Coastal Cleanup
- Lobster Conservancy
- Marine Education Internships
University of New Hampshire Marine Docents
A Marine Docent is a volunteer in the UNH Cooperative Extension/NH Sea Grant Program. The mission of the Docent Program is to "provide a lens through which the marine and associated environments can be viewed, understood, and appreciated by people of all ages." Docents also provide a link between the University's research community and the public, through their educational programs
Click here for more information about UNH Marine Docents
Great Bay Coast Watch
High school and adult volunteers monitor the water quality at 20 selected sites in the Great Bay Estuary from April through November. They also do Pollution Source Indentification shoreline surveys, rainfall characterizations, habitat surveys, monitoring for toxic phytoplankton, and data entry on the computer. Collected data is used by scientists studying the Estuary as well as by local and state planning and conservation boards. All volunteers are trained in sampling techniques and meet once a month to turn in their results and to hear speakers on marine science research and coastal issues.
For further information contact Ann Reid: GBCW Coordinator, ann.reid@unh.edu
Seacoast Science Center
The Seacoast Science Center offers a variety of year-round visitor, school and camp programs designed to provide educational and entertaining insights into New Hampshire's coastal environments and history. The center, located at Odiorne Point State Park, has seven distinct coastal habitats. Volunteers work as educators, as exhibit room facilitators, in reception and in planning events. Training sessions take place each year in March and April.
For more information, contact Karen Provazza, SSC Volunteer Coordinator, k.provazza@seacentr.org
Sandy Point Discovery Center
The Discovery Center is an environmental interpretation and education facility located on Great Bay. Education programs at the Center are facilitated by UNH Marine Docents and interns under the direction of the staff. The education program at Sandy Point includes field trips by school and other groups, teacher curriculum workshops, informal interpretive programs for the general public, research projects, bird walks and archaeological digs. Volunteers also act as exhibit room facilitators and in reception.Sandy Point Discovery Center has a training session each season - spring, summer and fall. Sandy Point Discovery Center is a part of National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).
For further information contact Sheila Roberge, sheila@greatbay.org
Gundaow Company
A variety of volunteer opportunities are available as the replica gundalow Captain Edward H. Adams moves throughout the Piscataqua Region, providing a platform for educational programs. If you enjoy working outdoors in beautiful riverfront locations this is the place for you! Gundalow volunteers work as interpreters, greeters, educators, skippers, and deck hands. Time with the gundalow is not limited to the summer months, as we also need year-round help researching history, teaching students, and developing programs.
We hope you'll join us onboard, in the boat yard, or in the classroom. For more information please contact us: 603.433.9505 or gundalow.edu@hotmail.com
National Marine Debris Monitoring Program
National program of shoreline surveys at nine survey regions. Debris is collected and is used to determine how much of it comes from the land and how much from the sea. Volunteers in New Hampsire collect debris at Pirates Cove in Rye, NH - the program's first site. Summary reports of the data from around the United States will be available from NMDMP's Washington headquarters.
Coastal Cleanup
Annual international three-week program to celebrate our coastlines each September. The International Coastal Cleanup is a global project of the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC) and is supported by an international network of environmental and civic organizations, government agencies, industries and individuals who remove debris and collect valuable information on the amount and types of debris. This information is used to educate the public on marine debris issues.
http://www.cmc-ocean.org/cleanupbro/index.php3
Lobster Conservancy
Volunteer based Intertidal Lobster Monitoring Program. The primary objectives of this research are to identify and seek protection for coastal nursery habitats for juvenile lobsters by identifying the location and time of settlement of postlarval lobsters, quantifying the abundance of juvenile lobsters inhabiting the intertidal zone, and describing the basic ecology and behavior of early juvenile lobsters.
Marine Education Internships
Each semester, Sea Grant offers one or two marine education internships for graduate and undergraduate students. The interns receive an intensive introduction to the field and a great deal of hands-on experience in conducting marine education programs. While the internships are open to students from any institution, the program is offered through the NH Sea Grant Extension office.
http://www.unh.edu/marine-education/interns.htm
For more information, contact Mark Wiley: mark.wiley@unh.edu
