The Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center depends upon volunteers for a wide variety of tasks. And, because the animals depend on us for their very existence, we do ask for a serious commitment from our volunteers.
Volunteers can help the animals in many ways! We look forward to meeting you and learning how you can join our Volunteer staff.
Animal Care volunteers are at the heart of everything that we do. Wildlife rehabilitation can be emotionally and physically difficult, but is incredibly rewarding when we can watch our patients return to their wild homes. You will get out of volunteering what you put in – the more commitment and follow-through you show us, the more we can teach you.
Animal Care volunteers will help with:
Animal Care volunteers will start with the basics – expect to help with a lot of cleaning! Once you have learned the ropes, we will teach you more advanced tasks, including direct hands-on animal care.
These volunteers are required to make a 3-month minimum commitment and to adhere to a standard weekly schedule. Volunteer shifts are a minimum of 3 hours a week. Shifts are daily from 8 am to 11 am, 11 am to 2 pm, 3 pm to 6 pm, and a summer shift of 5 pm to 8 pm.
The Center provides public education with the help of our animal ambassadors, giving the public a rare opportunity to get up close to our wild neighbors. While the idea of holding a hawk on a glove seems exciting, handling the ambassador animals is a big commitment and requires a great deal of time and training from our education staff. Volunteers must show follow-through and a willingness to do the less glamorous work that keeps the education program running before being considered for direct handling opportunities.
Volunteers who handle any of our ambassadors must be properly permitted under the Center’s state and federal licenses. Permitting is at the discretion of the Education Director and Executive Director.
As an education volunteer you will help with:
Prospective volunteers must attend a virtual information session which covers the Center’s mission, volunteer duties, expectations, and scheduling. Please sign up below for one of our upcoming sessions.
Following the information session, those who are still interested in volunteering will come in for an in-person orientation and training day. Once this training is complete, volunteers will be able to sign up for shifts.
We receive thousands of calls each year asking for help getting injured and orphaned wildlife to our hospital. Without our dedicated transport volunteers, these calls would go unanswered. Because we serve such a large and diverse area, transportation can be challenging – and that’s where you come in!
Transport volunteers are asked to cover a certain geographic region, i.e. Riverhead or the north fork. As calls come into the Center, we post them to transporters who cover the area that the animal is in. Calls may come through at any time, but typically only during our open hours.
This is a vital service that we and our wild patients rely on, so please only sign up if you are committed to giving your time at least once a week to help.
Rescue/Transport volunteers must attend a rescue/transport class prior to going on any rescues. Please sign up below to be notified of our next class.
From veterinary students to biology students, the Center qualifies as an internship site for college students. Internships are currently unpaid. Please e-mail a cover letter, a resume, and two references at least 4 months prior to the semester in which you wish to intern.
The first step to becoming a member of the Board of Directors! Vacancies exist for our Fundraising Committee, our Volunteer Committee, and our Education Committee. Enjoy socialization and making a difference in your community and the lives of our injured wild patients.
Are you interested in helping out on a less regular basis? Volunteers are need to organize and prepare our mailings (including newsletters and event invitations) a few times throughout the year. We are also looking for volunteers to help at our fund-raising events (organization, setting up, cleaning up, etc.).
