Become a volunteer docent!

Become a volunteer docent!

Do you love wildlife? Do you love Bay Area nature? Share your passion with others as a volunteer docent with Golden Gate Bird Alliance. We’re seeking volunteers to be Burrowing Owl docents and Birding the Bay Trail docents, and will hold annual trainings for each of these roles in September.

Birding the Bay Trail Docents:

Docents help people spot birds along the Bay Trail

Share the birds along the Bay Trail with residents and visitors. You do NOT need to be an expert birder — just able to identify one or two common shorebirds or ducks.

Teams of two docents go out to pre-selected sites along the beautiful Bay Trail in Richmond and share spotting scope views of the various ducks and shorebirds that make the Bay Area their winter home each year.  Training and materials are provided.  Volunteers are asked to spend two hours once or twice a month from October through March.  This year’s training is on Thursday, September 28, from  6 to 8 p.m.  at the Golden Gate Bird Alliance office in Berkeley.  If you’re interested in attending the training, please RSVP to Noreen Weeden at 510-301-0570 or volunteer@goldengatebirdalliance.org.

Burrowing Owl Docents 

Burrowing Owl in November 2014 by Miya Lucas

Help us continue a tradition of public education and protection for our local Burrowing Owls, when they return to Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley for the winter. Experience the joy as people see their first owl through a spotting scope or binoculars.

 This fall the Golden Gate Bird Alliance will be training additional docents to talk with the public about this locally endangered species and to help document information about these owls. Volunteers should be able to spend one to two hours per visit, at least two times a month, from October through March.

Training will take place on Saturday, September 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Shorebird Nature Center in Berkeley. Interested? RSVP to Noreen Weeden at 510-301-0570 orvolunteer@goldengateaudubon.org.

Help us introduce adults and kids to nature

Help us introduce adults and kids to nature

Experience the fun and fulfillment of introducing people to the birds and wildlife all around us! We’re holding volunteer trainings over the next few weeks for two docent programs and our Eco-Education program:

Burrowing Owl Docents. Docents provide public education and conduct citizen science work on over-wintering Burrowing Owls in Berkeley and possibly other locations. Training happens just once a year for this program that runs October through March. Training is on Saturday, September 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Berkeley.

Birding the Bay Trail Docents. The Bay Trail in Richmond is rich with shorebirds and waterbirds from the fall through the spring.  Trained docents share information on the Bay Trail and birds that can be observed locally. Training is on Wednesday October 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the GGBA office in Berkeley.

Eco-Education volunteers. Help introduce elementary school kids to nature, during field trips led by our award-winning expert Eco-Education staff.  Choose to volunteer in San Francisco, Oakland, or Richmond. Choose one of the following trainings, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on:

  • September 23 at MLK Shoreline in Oakland.
  • September 27 at MLK Shoreline in Oakland
  • September 29 at Pier 94 in San Francisco.
  • October 5 at Point Pinole in Richmond.
  • October 7 at Pier 94 in San Francisco. 

Questions? RSVP for the docent trainings to Noreen at nweeden@goldengatebirdalliance.org by September 5th.

Or RSVP for an Eco-Education training to Anthony at adecicco@goldengatebirdalliance.org

Share your love of birds: volunteer!

Share your love of birds: volunteer!

Want to share your love of birds and nature with other people ? Volunteer with Golden Gate Bird Alliance’s youth or adult education programs in 2015-16!

We’re holding trainings during September for volunteering with either our award-winning Eco-Education program in elementary schools, or our Burrowing Owl docent program in Berkeley.

Eco-Education

Eco-Ed student learns to use binoculars / Photo by Eva GuralnickEco-Ed student learns to use binoculars / Photo by Eva Guralnick

Our Eco-Ed program works throughout the school year with low-income elementary schools in Oakland, San Francisco, and Richmond, providing classroom instruction and field trips. We need people to help during weekday field trips to local parks with 3rd through 5th graders. No prior experience is necessary – just a love of nature and children. You can choose the city and dates to fit your schedule.

Join in the fun this coming school year by attending one of our upcoming trainings, which run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Choose ONE of the following sessions:

  • Thursday Sept. 3 at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond
  • Wednesday Sept. 9 at Arrowhead Marsh, MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland
  • Monday Sept. 14 at Pier 94 in San Francisco
  • Tuesday Sept. 15 at Point Pinole in Richmond

To sign up for a training or for more information, contact Anthony atadecicco@goldengatebirdalliance.org.

Click here to see what it’s like to go on an Eco-Ed field trip!

Burrowing Owl Docents

Burrowing Owl docents introduce passersby to the small population of owls that overwinter at Cesar Chavez Park along the Berkeley waterfront. Docent training happens just once a year. This year’s training is on Saturday September 26 in Berkeley.
Docents monitor with the goals of:
  • Protecting the over-wintering Burrowing Owls and encouraging their propagation.
  • Educating the public about the presence of Burrowing Owls and the need to protect them and coexist with them.
  • Encouraging the protection of grassland bird species.
  • Helping these charismatic little owls stimulate public interest in bird conservation.
  • Collecting data on Burrowing Owl numbers and their human visitors.
Docents commit to shifts of an hour or more, at least once every two weeks from October through March. To sign up, email nweeden@goldengatebirdalliance.org.
Docent Doug Donaldson helps a park visitor spot Burrowing Owls / Photo by Ilana DeBareDocent Doug Donaldson helps a park visitor spot the owls / Photo by Ilana DeBare Eco-Ed Director Anthony DeCicco and students at Point Pinole / Photo by Eva GuralnickEco-Ed Director Anthony DeCicco and students at Point Pinole / Photo by Eva Guralnick

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