Dunwoody Nature Center
Youth Volunteer Policy
For big service-day projects
(Hands On Atlanta day, etc):
- Minimum age for kids accompanied by a parent – 8
- Minimum age for kids in a youth group accompanied by an adult leader – 10
- Minimum age for teens volunteering on their own – 14
For service activities on less-crazy days:
- NO minimum age for kids accompanied by a parent! (The earlier they learn to care for the earth, the better.)
- Minimum age for kids in a youth group accompanied by an adult leader – 8
- Minimum age for teens volunteering on their own – 14
Ongoing Service Opportunities
We have two seemingly endless projects:
- Trail Maintenance — Hauling wood chip mulch from the pile by the parking lot to heavily-used trail areas, spreading the mulch evenly across the trail, lopping overhanging branches that impede passage, lining the edges of trails with fallen limbs, clipping poison ivy and tossing it back away from the trail (this last task only for those lucky people who aren’t allergic). DNC provides carts, shovels & rakes for this job – volunteers need to wear long sleeves/jeans and bring their own gloves. A pair of loppers is handy, too.
- Wetlands Restoration — Digging up or pulling up by the roots the chinese privet in the wetlands area, and piling the offending brush at the trail head for the county to haul away. Removal of this invasive non-native plant allows native plants to be introduced or restored to our wetlands. Visitors can see the difference in the front and back of the wetlands area – a living “before & after” picture. DNC provides shovels, volunteers should wear long sleeves/jeans and may want to bring gloves.
Some other tasks that young volunteers often perform:
- Recycling — DNC recycles office paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, old cellphones, and hard plastic. Volunteers help by hauling our waste to the Sandy Springs recycling center. They help even more when they bring their own trash as well, and sign in to give DNC credit in the “cash for trash” program. (Driver’s license is the only requirement.)
- Composting — Master Composters tend our demonstration site, and sometimes request help turning the piles, adding new materials, etc. (Strong back required.)
- Office Help — teen volunteers are terrific for calling a list of people, data entry, etc.
- Garden Maintenance — School/scout groups sometimes adopt a garden area. They can plan the plantings, prepare the beds, install plants, water, pull weeds, etc. They coordinate their efforts with Master Gardeners from DNC’s environmental improvements committee.
Come play and learn in our backyard!