Volunteer Opportunities
Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge has many opportunities for local nature enthusiasts to volunteer and get involved in our wildlife community. Here are just a few ways you can become a part of a great team of people who support the great outdoors in Southeast New Mexico.
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Dragonfly Festival: Helping set up and clean up, assisting staff and presenters, directing visitors. Or you might join the Festival Committee and help plan next year's event!
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Visitor Center: Be the person at the front desk who represents Bitter Lake to the community and beyond. Folks come from around the globe to see our beautiful refuge!
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Trail Maintenance: Our Butterfly, Upland and Oxbow trails need regular attention to be accessible and appealing to visitors.
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Plantings: Removal of invasive plant species and replacement with native plants are ongoing activities on the refuge. The areas along the butterfly Trail and around the Visitors Center are "first look" areas for visitors and need to be kept attractive and authentic.
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Bird Banding: Measuring, recording and banding captured birds, especially waterfowl. This is a real "hands-on" wildlife experience.
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Migratory Bird Count: Be an "observer" if you are an experienced birder, or a "scribe" if you would rather record sightings. This is twice monthly, year-round outing that covers the entire refuge and provides vital data that directs and reflects refuge wildlife management projects. It's a great way to learn bird identification!
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Special Events: The Youth Pheasant Hunt and the Cranes and Cocoa are some annual events that require only a short-term commitment.
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Children's Education: Special programs at the refuge or in the classroom. Help teach our kids about nature up close and close to home.
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Nature Store: Stock, label, shelve and maintain our attractive store merchandise. Talents with display and merchandising are much appreciated.
Interested? Call Steve Alvarez, Volunteer Coordinator (one of many
hats he wears), for more information, call 575-244-6256.
