4 environmental volunteer opportunities in Birmingham to check out

Exciting news for all the nature lovers looking for volunteer opportunities in Birmingham—Alabama Wildlife Center (AWC), Freshwater Land Trust (FLT), Black Warrior Riverkeeper (BWR) and the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) are looking for volunteers. Here’s what you need to know.

1. AWC’s volunteer orientation is Sunday, August 14

AWC, Alabama’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation facility, recently announced that they are looking for volunteers to help provide care to orphaned and injured birds. Interested in joining the team? Don’t miss their volunteer orientation happening Sunday, August 14 from 2-4PM at Oak Mountain State Park.

Orientation will last 1-2 hours. Prepare to dress comfortably. The entrance fee is:

• Adults (age 12+): $5
• Children (age 6-11): $2
• Seniors (62+): $2

• Location: 100 Terrace Drive, Pelham, AL 35124
• Contact: 205-663-7930
• Email: aarnold@alabamawildlifecenter.org
• Hours: open daily 9AM-5PM

What to expect

This one-of-a-kind volunteer experience has many ways that you can get involved whether you plan to volunteer daily or weekly or help at the facility or out in the community. Volunteer opportunities include:

• Feeding patients in the nursery, solarium and raptor flight cages
• Maintaining a clean space for birds while they heal
• Assisting the clinic staff during animal exams
• More

You must be 18 years or older to volunteer. Learn more about AWC’s volunteer opportunities here.

2. Nonstop volunteer opportunities with BWR

Another environmental organization that has volunteer opportunities in Birmingham is BWR. According to their website, BWR’s mission is to protect and restore the Black Warrior River and its tributaries. A bonus is that they are always looking for new volunteers and have tons of projects fit for anyone looking to help.

Those projects include:

• Action alert response
• Cleanups
• Data entry
• Media
• Outreach
• Research

“Black Warrior Riverkeeper enthusiastically offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for folks of all ages, backgrounds and locations. From litter cleanups to pollution research to helping at public events, we have fun and rewarding ways for anyone to get involved in watershed stewardship.”

Charles Scribner, Executive Director, Black Warrior Riverkeeper

Want to join the cause? Email or call Charles Scribner. To get updates on volunteer opportunities, sign up for their monthly volunteer newsletter.

3. Fresh new opportunities with FLT

Interested in creating green spaces and trails for our community and future generations? We recommend getting involved with FLT. They pride themselves on conserving land and building trails to make our communities healthier and happier—through several volunteer opportunities.

You can volunteer with FLT individually or with a group. Potential group volunteer activities vary from litter cleanups to stream bank stabilization and more. Requirements for volunteer groups include:

• Placing an inquiry 30 days before intended start date
• Groups of at least 10 volunteers
• Each volunteer must complete a waiver

Individual volunteers can participate in three areas:

• Trail user counts and surveys
• Annual workdays
• Eagle scout & service projects

Start your volunteering journey by contacting sally.sperling@freshwaterlandtrust.org.

4. JCDH’s Valley Creek Clean-up | Saturday, Aug 13

JDCH is looking for participants to join them for the Vally Creek Clean-up happening Saturday, August 13 from 8:30-11AM. Participants can remove litter and trash items along the creek bank in five locations that include:

• Brighton- Brighton Fire Department | 4100 Main Street
• Fairfield- Fairfield City Hall | 4701 Gary Avenue
• Midfield- 545 B.Y. Williams Sr. Drive Midfield
• Hueytown- Hueytown High School | 4881 15th Street Road
• Pleasant Grove- Pleasant Grove Community Center | 501 Park Road

Clean-up supplies will be provided and participants 12-15 years old must be accompanied by an adult. To become a participant, email or call Scott Hofer.

Want to keep up with more environmental volunteer opportunities in Birmingham? Tag us @BhamNow on socials and let us know.