Get Involved
The Reserve Program welcomes and recruits volunteers to work in both education and site management.
Field Trip Interpreters
Rachel Carson Component
Rachel Carson Interpretive Volunteers lead the public field trips to the Rachel Carson site in Beaufort, N.C. Interpreters attend monthly meetings to learn more about the natural history of these estuarine habitats as well as how to interpret them to a variety of audiences. Field trips are usually conducted Memorial Day through Labor Day on Tuesday and Thursdays, with boat trips during high tide and walking trips during low tide. Field trips can also be scheduled upon demand by groups of ten or more. Enthusiastic groups of up to 15 people enjoy the two hours spent walking or boating around the Rachel Carson site. If you are interested in joining this group of volunteers please contact Lori Davis at 252-838-0883.
Currituck Banks Component
Volunteers at the Currituck Banks component, just north of Corolla, N.C., lead interpretive public hikes through a variety of barrier island habitats and maritime forest. Hikes led by volunteers and staff are typically offered Memorial Day through Labor Day. Field trips can also be scheduled upon demand by groups of ten or more. Volunteers are trained at the site, and given guidance on interpretation and the ecology of the area. Volunteers lead visitors along an elevated boardwalk through shrub thickets, maritime evergreen and swamp forests, and estuary to an overlook on the Currituck Sound. Hikers get to enjoy the sites, sounds, and life of maritime forests along the Outer Banks. Visitors will learn about the native wildlife, plants, the waters of the Currituck Sound, and even a little history. The boardwalk is 2/3 of a mile round trip and is handicapped accessible. For volunteer information, contact the Northern Sites office at 252-261-8891.
Bird Island Component
During the summer months, weekly educational walks are conducted in the Bird Island component of the Reserve. These are let by members of various environmental organizations and volunteers. The information covered in these walks varies from week to week and covers topics such as the history of the component, the types of habitats found there, what sort of wildlife occupies the property, and what a visitor may find while beachcombing. Scripts and guidance are available to volunteers wishing to participate in these walks. The number of visitors attending the talks ranges from 20 to 80, but is usually around 30. Contact Lauren Kilodij of the North Carolina Coastal Federation at 252-393-8185 if you would like to lead a walk.
Site Stewardship Volunteers
Volunteers are always needed to conduct stewardship activities at many of the Reserve sites. These activities include bird and turtle monitoring, clean-ups of beaches and woods, fishing for red drum, or participation in other research projects. For more information, see the volunteer contacts below.
Volunteer Contacts
Southern sites, including Bird Island, Bald Head Woods, Masonboro Island, Zeke’s Island, and Permuda Island, contact Hope Sutton at 910-962-2998.
Rachel Carson site, contact Lori Davis at 252-838-0883.
Emily and Richardson Preyer Buckridge site, contact Woody Webster at 252-796-3709.
Northern sites, including Buxton Woods, Kitty Hawk Woods and Currituck Banks, contact the Northern Sites office at 252-261-8891.