There is always work to be done! Volunteers are always need to help maintain and improve the refuge. The following work parties and events are scheduled. Please volunteer to help out!

Next Work Party: Turtle Habitat Clearing at Oxbow NWR
Saturday, May 10th, 10:00 AM

Volunteers are needed for Blanding Turtle nesting habitat improvement work. We will remove tree and brush slash to open up some new nesting habitat.

If time permits, we will also hand pull the invasive species spotted knapweed, and the prolific species sweet fern in the primary nesting area.

Stephanie Koch, staff wildlife biologist, will meet us at the Oxbow Refuge Still River Parking Lot. We'll car pool up to the work area from there.

Bring water, a snack/lunch, gloves, hat, sun block, insect/tick repellent, etc. Wear long pants, and sturdy boots/shoes.

Directions to Oxbow:

Route 2 to the Harvard exit--(Exit 38A) for south on Route 110/111.
Turn right to stay on Route 110 at the blinking light in Harvard Center (Rt. 111 goes straight ahead).
Turn right onto Still River Depot Rd. at the Still River Post Office (small white building), also on the right in Still River.
Drive down the hill, cross the RR tracks,and bear right at the big Refuge entrance sign.
The parking lot is a short distance ahead.

Alternative Directions:

Route 117 to Route 110 at the Bolton Orchards store. Turn right and go north on 110 to Still River Depot Rd. Left onto Still River Depot Rd. and follow above directions.

Your help is greatly appreciated. If you can make it please contact Frank Laak as soon as possible at f.laak@att.net or 508-460-8450.

International Migratory Bird Day
Saturday May 10, 2008, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Celebrating migratory birds and increasing awareness with community. Need volunteers to assist with running programs/hikes. Contact Susan Russo at Susan_J_Russo@fws.gov or (978) 443-4661 x34 for more information or to volunteer.

Annual Fishing Event: Saturday
May 31, 2008 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Partnering with MassWildlife; need volunteers for leading hikes, possible crowd control, crafts, running raffle. Contact Susan Russo at Susan_J_Russo@fws.gov or (978) 443-4661 x34 for more information or to volunteer.

Work Parties and Bio-Activities

The Refuge staff and the Friends need volunteers for the following "bio" work parties and activities. Please email or call the identified contact person (listed below) if you can help with these activities. A more detailed description of these activities can be found here.

What		When		Need		Description/Skills/Contact
Owl Surveys Assabet River NWR Great Meadows NWR Oxbow NWR		February - April		1-2 people		Jason St. Sauver of the biological staff has started owl surveys at refuges in the Eastern Massachusetts Complex. Surveys are conducted at night from about midnight to 4am. There must be relatively calm winds and it can be chilly. Surveys may be completed before 4 AM. These surveys provide a good opportunity to see an owl. No special skills are required. Contact: Jason St. Sauver
Breeding Bird Atlas All Local Refuges		March – October		several people		Birding skills required. Contact: Stephanie Koch
Anuran Surveys Assabet River NWR Great Meadows NWR Oxbow NWR		March - July		Several people		Dates and times are subject to weather conditions. The Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex conducts anuran (frog and toad) surveys each spring at Great Meadows, and Assabet and Oxbow Refuges. We document the presence and annual reoccurrence of about a dozen species of frogs and toads at numerous locations on each refuge. This is a long term study to evaluate the health of the local wetlands and the potential impact from environmental factors. There are 4 different census windows within this general time frame. Surveys are conducted at night from about 8pm to 11pm. No special skills are needed to sign up, but you should be prepared to learn all of the native frog calls prior to participating. Contact: Paul Scheiner
Vernal Pool Research Assabet River NWR		April – May weekdays only		1-2 people		Preference will be given to volunteers who have experience surveying vernal pools. Volunteers must commit to assisting at least 2 days / week (weekdays) for a 6-week period. Contact: Stephanie Koch or Eileen McGourty
Fence Repair Oxbow NWR		April		Several people		No special skills are needed to sign up, but you should be prepared for working in brush (ticks are out) along Route 2. Contact: Tim Prior
Turtle Habitat Clearing Oxbow NWR Massasoit NWR		April - early May		5-10 people		We will be clearing trees that were cut last fall to create more open habitat. No special skills are needed. Contact: Stephanie Koch or Eileen McGourty
Sign Posting Monomoy NWR		April 8 - April 17		10 people		Exact Dates depending on weather and tides. This activity requires a good amount of walking and the carrying of 8-10 foot sign posts; bring water, lunch, sunscreen and dress for field conditions (long pants, hat, sunglasses, comfortable sturdy footwear), which will include walking along the shore and some areas of tall grass and areas of poison ivy and ticks; also bring hip waders (we have some, but can’t guarantee they don’t leak!) for getting on and off the boat and posting in wet areas. No special skills are needed. Contact: Monica Williams
Blanding’s Turtle Research Assabet River NWR		May/June - October		1-2 people		Preference will be given to volunteers who can commit to assisting at least 1 day / week for at least an 8-week period. No special skills are needed. Contact: Stephanie Koch
Invasive Plant Species Mapping Assabet River NWR Great Meadows NWR Oxbow NWR		May - November		Several people		Exact dates to be determined. This project requires volunteers to map invasive plant species with a GPS unit on Great Meadows, Assabet River and Oxbow NWR. Invasive plant species identification and GPS experience helpful but not necessary. Training will be available for those interested. Contact: Eileen McGourty
Horseshoe Crab Tagging Monomoy NWR		May 20 - May 21 June 2 - June 4 June 17 - June 19 July 1 - July 3		6-10 people		Bring lunch/snacks, water, sunscreen, hat, a set of dry clothes, hip waders or water shoes/tevas for walking into the water to get and return crabs and for getting on and off the boat. No special skills are needed. Contact: Monica Williams
Tern Census Monomoy NWR		June 15 - June 20		16 people		Monomoy currently has the largest common tern colony along the Atlantic coast! The census usually takes 2-3 days to complete, but we allow a longer window to account for weather dependent conditions, the amount of volunteers we have available, and how many nests the terns lay. Participation requires a lot ofwalking; bring water, lunch, sunscreen and dress for field conditions (long pants, hat, sunglasses, comfortable sturdy footwear), which will include walking through tall grass and areas of poison ivy and ticks; also bring hip waders (if you have them) or water shoes for getting on and off the boat. No special skills are needed. Contact: Monica Williams
Hand Pulling Water Chestnut Great Meadows NWR		June - July		Several people		No special skills needed. Contact: Libby Herland or Tom Eagle
Aquatic Weed Harvester Operation Great Meadows NWR		July - August		3-4 people		Training will be available for those interested and preference will be given to volunteers who can commit to 1 day / week for 4 weeks. Contact: Tom Eagle
Nighthawk Surveys SuAsCo and Nashua Rivers		August - September		Several people		General birding experience helpful. Contact: Hank Norwood
Concord Christmas Bird Count Eastern Mass NWR Complex		December		Several people		Birding skills helpful. Contact: Eileen McGourty

Phone numbers and email addresses for the contacts:

Tom Eagle		Tom_Eagle@fws.gov		978.443.4661, x12
Libby Herland		Libby_Herland@fws.gov		978.443.4661, x11
Stephanie Koch		Stephanie_Koch@fws.gov		978.443.4661, x24
Eileen McGourty		Eileen_McGourty@fws.gov		978.443.4661, x37
Hank Norwood		HankN583@aol.com
Tim Prior		tprior.1@verizon.net
Jason St. Sauver		Jason_StSauver@fws.gov		978.443.4661, x23
Paul Scheiner		scheinerp@aol.com
Monica Williams		Monica_Williams@fws.gov		508.945.0594, x11

Citizen's Science Projects

An easy way to help out conservation organizations and the protection and study of rare and endangered species is with Citizen Science Projects. Many are as simple as when you see something rare, report it! These take very little to no extra time other other than knowing what to look for.

Click here for details.

Thanks to Jason St.Sauver and the staff of Eastern MA NWR Complex of the U.S. F.W.S. for putting together this information. For more information, contact: Jason St. Sauver, Biological Intern at Jason_StSauver@fws.gov or 978.443.4661, x23

Other Volunteer Opportunities

The Mass Turtle Altas is looking for volunteers to help monitor turtles in Massachusetts. Massachusetts residents are encouraged to report turtle sightings to the Mass Turtle Atlas. The Turtle Atlas is an initiative of the Turtle Conservation Project under guidance of Mass Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. Turtle sightings are reported online, complete with a map feature and the ability to upload photos.

To register as a turtle monitor, go to to www.turtleatlas.org. You can then download and print a manual that describes the state's turtles and how to properly monitor them. Additional contact information is available at the site.

Another local survey is mapping Nighthawks. For the info and the results of the 2007 SuAsCo/Nashua Rivers & Beyond Nighthawk Survey, go to www.borobirding.net/nighthawks/.

More Volunteer Opportunities with the Refuge Staff and Friends

Volunteer opportunities exist doing work supporting the refuge directly with projects, working with the Friends group to promote and fulfill its mission, and working at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge headquarters with staff on projects already underway.

There are many volunteer opportunities supported by the Friends, including:

• Work parties and refuge cleanup
• Brush and downed tree removal
• Vernal pools survey
• Bird surveys, including woodcock surveys
• Anuran surveys (calling frogs and toads)
• Bat habitat study and research
• Spotted knapweed control
• Purple loosestrife monitoring and beetle rearing
• Nature education programs
• Event organization and publicity
• Data Entry, Literature Searches, and other Office Work
• Canoeing on the Assabet / Sudbury / Concord River

In addition, the Friends of Assabet River NWR needs volunteers to help support our mission. These include:

• Bookstore manager
• Bookstore help -- any special skills, sales, remodeling, inventory
• Political Action Coordinator
• Public Outreach -- town fairs, displays for events
• Membership Coordinator
• Publicity Coordinator
• Event coordinators -- support refuge events, Friends activities
• Refreshment committee for Friends meetings
• Home Schooling Program
• Wildlife monitoring program support
• Grant writing and research.

Do you have a skills, talent, time or energy to help? Interested in helping with a project or creating one? If you're interested please email us!

Many additional volunteer opportunities exist at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters. These include:

• Urban Education Program (Fall/Winter/Spring)
• Volunteer Coordinator (year round)
• Photography Workshop and Contest Coordinator (Spring/Summer/Fall)
• Program Leaders (year round)
• Mobile Bookstore Staff at Concord Unit (Spring/Summer/Fall)
• General Office Work (year round)
• Librarian (one time project)- organize the refuge library
• Slide File organizer.

See the Eastern Mass. Refuge Complex Volunteers Page for additional details about the volunteer opportunities at headquarters.