Biodiversity Monitoring - Southeast & Islands

Opportunity Overview: 

Since its founding, The Trustees has worked to protect over 100 special places across Massachusetts. The 27,000+ acres held within this portfolio serve as a mosaic of diverse ecological communities, from the floodplain forests and calcareous wetland communities of the Berkshires to the scrub oak and pitch pine barrens of Cape Cod and the Islands. To better understand the breadth of species that call our properties home and to help monitor the impacts that climate change and our greater anthropogenic footprint are having on species/community composition, the Coast and Natural Resources Team has launched a biodiversity monitoring community science program on iNaturalist, which is a free mobile application designed for recording observations and compiling biodiversity data.    

We are seeking volunteers to support this effort through the collection of biodiversity data on our properties in the Southeast & Islands region. This includes the following properties: Signal Hill, Bradley Reservation, Bird Park, Moose Hill Farm, Ames Estate, World's End, Weir River Farm, Whitney and Thayer Woods, Norris Reservation, Holmes Reservation, Lyman Preserve, East Over, Copicut Woods, Cornell Farm, Westport Town Farm, Slocum's River Reserve, Menemsha Hills, Long Point, Wasque, Mytoi, Cape Poge, Coskata-Coatue, Lowell Holly, and the Mashpee River Reservation. The data you gather will be used by our ecologists to inform stewardship and conservation efforts. By joining and contributing to this project, you are taking an active role in the protection of biodiversity and the natural heritage of Massachusetts.  

Please Note: This volunteer position reports to and coordinates with the Trustees' TerraCorps Land Stewardship Coordinator. While initial training to teach volunteers how to use iNaturalist will be provided, this is primarily an independent, self-scheduled role.  

Benefits:  

• Collecting data to be used by ecologists to inform state-wide stewardship and conservation efforts  

• Property level interaction with ecological systems    

• Exercise and outdoor activity   

• Connecting and networking with like-minded staff, visitors, and volunteers     

Responsibilities (may include but are not limited to the following):  

• Spend at least one to two hours per outing hiking (on trail) and exploring properties in your region  

• Independently collect and submit biodiversity observations and environmental data on iNaturalist  

• Review iNaturalist observations collected on other Trustees properties and confirm or suggest IDs, when possible, to help get them to research grade.   

• Log volunteer hours weekly  

Qualifications:  

• Interest in The Trustees' conservation efforts and ecological monitoring  

• Familiarity with Trustees properties, or willingness to explore  

• Access to a smartphone and the ability to use and understand the iNaturalist app (training provided)  

• Ability to traverse varied terrain and comfort being outdoors in diverse weather conditions   

• Reliable transportation to the property(ies) you are interested in visiting/surveying  

Time Commitment:   

While making one 1-2 hour outing per week is desired, this is a fully independent volunteer role designed to fit YOUR schedule.