Get Involved
The World Birding Center Your skills are needed to help us accomplish our mission of preserving our natural habitat while increasing the understanding and appreciation of birds and wildlife. Hope to hear from you. If you would like to volunteer with the World Birding Center, please download and fill out the volunteer application below. Email the completed volunteer form to the site of your choice. Do you enjoy…
Making new friends Doing your part to making the RGV a better place to live Educating the public on birds and conservation Teaching children the joy of birding and nature Working in a professional, office environment Providing customer service to the public Planting native trees and plants Guiding groups on birding tours Areas where volunteers are needed:
State Park Hosts
Park Hosts support park staff and assist park visitors in a variety of ways from collecting fees, leading bird/nature walks through the park, and performing some maintenance duties. Docents Docents are trained volunteers whose primary responsibility is to teach the public about the conservation of habitat, birds and other wildlife. Docents do this through a variety of opportunities from interpreting exhibits to visitors, leading school groups on bird/nature tours, and providing educational programs to children and adults in the community. Program Speakers/Presenters The World Birding Center will offer a menu of programs for beginner, intermediate and advanced birders and nature enthusiasts. Topics will include our natural and cultural heritage in the Rio Grande Valley, as well as“birding” hot spots around the world. Hawk Watch Volunteers The Hawk Watch happens during the peak of spring and fall raptor migration at the World Birding Center Headquarters – Bentsen State Park. Volunteers count and identify migrant raptors and record the data. This data is submitted to the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). Volunteers also provide interpretation of the hawk watch for park visitors. Field Volunteers Conduct scientific research projects such as Bird Point Count Surveys, Breeding Bird Surveys, Specific-Species Surveys and events such as the Christmas Bird Count and International Migratory Bird Day. Revegetation Volunteers Revegetation volunteers perform a variety of tasks from field collection of native plant seeds, plant and care for germinating seeds and seedlings, remove exotic grasses, and conduct plant surveys at revegetated sites. Interns (College) The World Birding Center offers unpaid internships for students who are interested in gaining practical experience or receiving academic credit from the college/university. Internships are available in a wide range of areas from reforestation, biology, wildlife management, interpretation/education, communications/public relations, fundraising, and computer science. Community Projects (High School) The World Birding Center offers students in high school opportunities to fulfill community service hours, Boy Scout Eagle projects, Girl Scout projects, and more. Projects may include building bird feeders, benches, trail plant identification and signage, design/guide an educational class, “bird” art projects and more. Gift Shop Volunteers Volunteers in the gift shop are responsible for stocking and displaying merchandise, being knowledgeable about merchandise, assisting visitors and answering questions, handling sales/transactions. Office Volunteers Office Volunteers work behind the scenes and provide administrative support to the World Birding Center staff through activities such as filing, copying, faxing, mailing, and other various duties. Visit one of the nine entities from the upper links to sign-up!
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Nine Unique Locations
Volunteer Contacts
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley
(WBC Headquarters) roy.rodriguez@tpwd.texas.gov Edinburg Scenic Wetlands moliva@edinburgwbc.com Estero Llano Grande javier.deleon@tpwd.texas.gov Harlingen Arroyo Colorado jlyssy@myharlingen.us Old Hidalgo Pumphouse iduran08@sbcglobal.net Quinta Mazatlan chook@mcallen.net Resaca de la Palma gloria.alcaraz@tpwd.texas.gov Roma Bluffs Christine_Donald@fws.gov South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center spiedc@aol.com If you prefer to mail the Volunteer Form, please send to: Bentsen - 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Dr. Mission, TX 78572 Edinburg - P. O. Box 1079 Edinburg, TX 78540 Estero - 154A Lakeview Dr. Weslaco, TX 78596 Harlingen - 900 Fairpark Blvd. Harlingen, TX 78550 Hidalgo - 902 S. 2nd St. Hidalgo, TX 78557 Quinta - P.O. Box 220 McAllen, TX 78505-0220 Resaca - P. O. Box 714 Olmito, TX 78575 Roma - P.O. Box 3405 Roma, TX 78584 SPI - 7355 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX 78597 |