January 11, 2009

Colorado Division of Wildlife Seeks Volunteers

The Colorado Division of Wildlife is seeking volunteers for the upcoming seasons.

"Rapid development and habitat loss have increased the challenges to Colorado's wildlife and the DOW is fortunate to have a dedicated group of people willing to get up early on cold mornings or work late nights to help the DOW in multiple ways," said Jena Sanchez, a Volunteer Coordinator from Colorado Springs.

"Volunteer efforts make a huge impact on helping wildlife. The value of their donated time is over a million dollars a year. Volunteers help accomplish important work that might not get done otherwise," she said.

Sanchez conceded that not all of the jobs volunteers assist with are glamorous, but they all have a positive impact for wildlife. "Counting bighorn sheep and mountain goats sounds neat. But it means getting up before dawn to climb mountains in sometimes less than ideal weather. It can be a grueling experience, but by and large every volunteer who does it comes away with a sense of personal gratification that they are making a difference."

Sanchez said the agency tries to match people with tasks they are comfortable with. Not everyone wants to get wet spawning fish, get dirty planting trees, or work with youngsters teaching hunting safety and outdoor ethics. Some volunteers do light office duty, work in customer service centers, serve as campground hosts, or staff information booths at wildlife festivals and trade shows.


New volunteer orientation meetings will be held on the following dates and locations:

Denver, Jan. 21
Pueblo, Jan. 21.
Colorado Springs, Jan. 22.
Fort Collins, Jan. 28
Grand Junction, Feb. 17

To learn more about these or other opportunities to get involved, contact the DOW volunteer coordinators.

2 comments:

mdmnm said...

Cool program!

Are we going to see "volunteer tales" added as a new category along side "cheap gear"?

Chas S. Clifton said...

There may be some "volunteer tales" coming, but not necessarily involving the Division of Wildlife. Still thinking about the DOW part.