Interested in volunteering? We have lots of great options, including both field work and office work. Please sign up for one of our opportunities below!
If you want to make a difference by getting outside and getting active, come help remove barbed wire fencing as a Desert Fence Buster, plant trees and improve habitat on our wildlife crossings with our Desert Wildlife Crossing Crew, or join a Desert Monitor team to check wildlife cameras. We also have highway trash clean up events with our Desert Highway Crew, and occasional roadkill observation surveys for our Desert Roadies. You can also help as a Desert Identifier by sorting wildlife camera photos from home, supporting Advocacy work, Outreach, Fundraising, Photography, or stuffing envelopes during our Desert Mailer events. Your time and effort is incredibly valuable to us. Thank you for all you do!
CSDP is committed to a culture that values differences and fosters inclusion. Volunteers under the age of 18 are encouraged to participate in CSDP activities unless otherwise noted. All minor volunteers must have a Release and Indemnity waiver form signed by their parent or legal guardian, and must be accompanied and directly supervised by an authorized representative (parent, teacher, guardian, or chaperone).
Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities:
(To sign up for a specific volunteer role or event, click on a tile below)
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Volunteer Position Descriptions and Information:
Remote Volunteer Opportunities
Desert Identifiers: Identify the species on our wildlife camera photos from home.
We can always use lots of help sorting wildlife photos as a Desert Identifier! You do need a PC computer for this activity, and internet access to download photos. Desert Identifiers work remotely and on their own schedule. We do ask that you aim to complete your assigned photo packet in a month’s time or check in on your progress each month. Species ID can be challenging and fun, and we’re here to help you learn! If you don’t have a PC computer but are interested in this volunteer role, let us know – we now have a few PC laptops we can loan to volunteers!
Desert Advocates: Write letters to the editor and submit public comments on urgent issues.
Field Work Volunteer Opportunities
Desert Wildlife Crossing Crew: This project will remove invasive species from the wildlife crossings; enhance wildlife habitat on these wildlife crossings with additional native plants and seed mixes; and provide public education and outreach through a series of 12 volunteer workdays, educational videos, and permanent interpretive signage. Volunteer days occur once a month until August 2024. Read more about this project here!
This project is funded by the Santa Cruz Valley National Heritage Area.
Desert Monitors: Desert Monitors check assigned wildlife cameras once per month and physical hiking ability is a requirement for this activity. Getting to a camera site often requires navigating over rough terrain, in desert habitat, hiking anywhere between 1 to 8 miles round-trip. For safety, Desert Monitors work in pairs or small groups. We will provide everything you need, teach you how to use wildlife cameras in the field and basic field safety, and how to submit the photos after your outing.
Cameras operate year-round, but we have two 5-month survey seasons so volunteers can take a break during the hot summer months: the Spring Survey Season is January – May, and the Fall Survey Season is August – December. Teams are expected to visit each of their cameras at least 5 times for each survey season.
Desert Roadies: Coordinated walking, driving and biking roadkill surveys, or report what you see anytime on our iNaturalist project. Roadkill surveys provide valuable information that help us construct wildlife crossings and funnel fencing to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and increase safe passage for wildlife across roadways. Surveys are done in small teams by foot, car, or by bike, and data is collected using a GPS unit and a datasheet, or a smartphone.
We do not currently have any active Desert Roadie project, but in the meantime, you can report roadkill sightings (with date and location information) on our iNaturalist project page at: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/csdp-safe-passages.
Group Volunteering Events: (see our Calendar for upcoming event dates)
Desert Fence Busters: Barbwire fence removal events (see calendar for dates and registration). We collaborate with a group of community partners on the Desert Fence Busters project. This involves removing old barbed-wire fencing from the landscape, largely focused in Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains. This is hard, physical work with immediate positive results for wildlife movement. We typically hold 4-5 events throughout the year and take a break during the hot summer months.
Desert Mailing Parties: Gatherings to help stuff, stamp, and address envelopes for CSDP’s mailings, with music, food, and fun (see calendar for dates). We host mailing parties in the spring and fall, and depending on need. We meet at the Historic Y near downtown Tucson and fold, stuff, address, and stamp envelopes, typically for our fundraising campaigns. There is always fun music and snacks! On occasion we host these events as “Mailing Parties on Tour,” where volunteers can also help complete the work from home.
Desert Highway Clean Up Crews: We have been hosting quarterly trash pick-up events along our adopted stretch of Oracle Road, near the wildlife crossing structures, for many years now.
Try our Volunteer App too!
You can sign up, connect with team mates, and clock your hours from your smartphone or tablet using the FREE Bloomerang Volunteer app available on Android’s Google Play and the iOS App Store. For training videos on how to use the app and volunteer portal visit our Volunteer Resources page or click here. And we are always happy to help! Using the app is completely optional.