More than 525 Volunteers Make Statewide Volunteer Day a Success

This year’s Statewide Volunteer Day on Saturday, April 25, was the largest in more than five years. 546 volunteers came together at 19 sanctuaries from the Berkshires to the North Shore to the Cape and Islands to lend a hand to get our wildlife sanctuaries in the best shape for spring.

Volunteers Take on Different Projects Throughout the State

Here are just a few examples of some of the impactful work that was accomplished as part of 25+ projects across the state.

Joppa Flats Volunteers Clear Trash from Salt Marsh

At Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport, volunteers spent the day removing debris from the salt marsh that borders the education center. Some 47 volunteers pulled 96.3 pounds of debris from the marsh, an amount that broke all previous single day trash removal efforts by sanctuary volunteers! This work is crucial to maintaining this delicate ecosystem. When trash and litter accumulate in the salt marsh, wildlife are at risk of ingesting the debris.

Boston Nature Center Volunteers Remove Invasive Plants and Trash from Trails

In Mattapan, at Boston Nature Center, volunteers cleared a half-acre of invasive plants including garlic mustard and knotweed and collected and removed 34 bags of trash from the trails and around the property.

Pleasant Valley Volunteers Build Nature Play Structures and Maintain Trails

Further west in the Berkshires at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, volunteers worked to maintain a mile and a half of trail, removing litter and branches and other debris that came down over the winter. Three new nature play structures were built and installed, four large bags of invasive plants were removed, and a pollinator garden was cleaned and made ready for the spring and summer.

Thanks to Our Volunteers

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our volunteers across the state, we removed hundreds of pounds of invasive species and debris from our sanctuaries, spread 42 yards of woodchips and mulch, cleaned up 14 turtle gardens and nine animal enclosures, prepared over five miles of trail for the busy spring and summer, spruced up nature play areas for our youngest visitors, and got craft projects ready for summer festivals.

None of this work would have been possible without the efforts of our incredible volunteers. Thank you so much for your passion, time, and effort.

Interested in lending a hand? Volunteers support our sanctuaries year-round. Find an opportunity near you to help protect the nature of Massachusetts in the volunteer portal.

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