Welcome to the Arboretum

Volunteer Opportunities

VolunteersAt the UC Davis Arboretum, we rely on volunteer support in every area of operations. Volunteers donate more than 15,000 hours of service each year! As a volunteer, you can learn new skills, meet other people who share your interests, and feel wonderful about supporting the work of the Arboretum. Whatever your skills or interests, the Arboretum welcomes you.

All new gardeners, nursery assistants, and education volunteers participate in a seven-week training class that prepares them for their volunteer experiences at the Arboretum.  The 2007 Fall training is being offered on Tuesdays beginning Tuesday, October 16th. Classes will be held in Academic Surge Room 2368 and will be from 9:00 am to noon. Pre-registration is required. Following the general training, volunteers participate in specialized training for their specific volunteer program (see program descriptions below).

The Arboretum also welcomes volunteers who prefer to work on short-term projects. We schedule volunteer workdays several times a year for planting or garden clean-up projects. Many service organizations enjoy coming out for a day of work in the garden. We also work with volunteers for special projects in garden design, computer programming, marketing, journalism, graphic design, photography, and other fields.

For more information, please call Susan Macaulay at (530) 752-4880 or send an email to skmacaulay@ucdavis.edu.

Volunteer Programs

Volunteer gardeners work with the Arboretum's horticultural curator and garden manager to beautify and maintain the Arboretum collections.

Schedule: Arboretum gardeners commit to one gardening shift per week for approximately three hours. The hours are 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings.

Qualifications: Volunteer gardeners should love gardening and have a basic knowledge of plant and weed identification. The ideal volunteer gardener will have the physical ability to lift 30 pounds and to shovel, hoe, dig, plant, weed, prune, and haul garden trimmings. Must be able to work outside in hot or cold weather. The ability to work independently as well as a member of a team is highly desirable.

Volunteer nursery assistants help the nursery manager produce and care for ornamental plants in a container nursery. They propagate plants by seed and cuttings, coordinate irrigation needs with staff and irrigate plants if needed, repot plants, weed and prune plants, rake leaves, lift and carry plants, wash pots, clean and organize. Volunteer nursery assistants keep propagation records and nursery inventory, print tags, and record all activities as necessary.

Schedule: Nursery assistants commit to one shift per week for approximately three hours. Nursery work groups meet 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings. Nursery assistants may also be asked to help at monthly plant sales on Saturday mornings.

Qualifications: Should be interested in learning about growing plants in containers and plant propagation methods, and be able to work in cooperation with others in sometimes crowded conditions. Experience or course work in the culture and propagation of plants is a plus but not required. Must be able to work outside in hot or cold weather. The ability to work independently as well as with a team is highly recommended.

Exhibit volunteers, working with staff and other volunteers, create interpretive displays that educate the public about Arboretum collections, local ecology, UC Davis research, regional conservation efforts, and other topics. Exhibit volunteers research, design, evaluate, and maintain displays such as horticultural labels, changing signs, and permanent interpretive displays.

Schedule: Wednesday mornings, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Qualifications: Enthusiasm for learning about the Arboretum collections and creatively illustrating this knowledge to the public through interpretive displays. Ability to work positively within a team is essential. An appreciation for nature, gardens, and education is required and knowledge about biodiversity, conservation, ecology, and/or the Arboretum collections is helpful.

Curatorial volunteers work with the Arboretum curator to help inventory new and permanent collections of plants, assist with plant labeling, help maintain the Arboretum plant records system, and assist with collection mapping projects. Curatorial volunteers may also help the curatorial staff collect plant samples and prepare lists as needed for scientific research and teaching.

Schedule: Generally, curatorial volunteer projects require a commitment of two to three hours per week. Curatorial volunteers may work in a group or independently and may design their own schedules.

Qualifications: Curatorial volunteers should enjoy detail-oriented work and have an interest in museums and conservation issues; research skills are valuable. Careful attention to accuracy. Much work in the curatorial area is quiet and independent and suited to a well-organized person. Volunteers assisting with plant records must be willing to work with computer records. Volunteers helping with plant labels, collection maps and lists, and assisting researchers must be willing to work outdoors in variable weather conditions.

Docents lead educational and informational tours through the collections of the UC Davis Arboretum. Docents provide information about the Arboretum to the general public during tours, at headquarters, and at special events such as Picnic Day.

Schedule: Docents sign up for tours and education events each quarter. Regularly scheduled docent tours are Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Special request tours are scheduled as needed. Tours last about 90 minutes.

Qualifications: Docents must enjoy talking with people, doing library and field research, and walking through the gardens. A pleasant manner and a professional attitude with the general public, Arboretum staff, and other volunteers is required. Gardening or nature study experience, education, or a plant science background is helpful.

Volunteer naturalists help with environmental education programs for visiting elementary school classes. They work with experienced naturalists to guide small groups of children (grades 2-4) on nature walks in the Arboretum, and lead hands-on activities to supplement the nature tour.

Schedule: Volunteer naturalists are required to participate in one tour per week during the fall and spring tour seasons. Each tour takes approximately two hours, with one additional hour of preparation and clean-up time. Tours are scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. during the months of March through May (spring season) and September through November (fall season).

Qualifications: Must enjoy working with elementary-age students and must be available to work at least one morning per week during spring and fall. An appreciation for nature, wildlife, gardens, and education is required and knowledge about biodiversity, public gardens, and/or wildlife habitat in California is helpful. An enthusiastic attitude and willingness to motivate children is essential.

Benefits of Volunteering

Being a volunteer at the Arboretum has many benefits. In addition to your initial training, you have the opportunity to attend continuing education classes, lectures, and field trips and to develop friendships with others who share similar interests.

Additional benefits include: