{"id":22406,"date":"2025-04-15T17:57:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T21:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vnps.org\/newriver\/?page_id=22406"},"modified":"2026-04-23T09:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:33:04","slug":"2025-volunteer-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vnps.org\/newriver\/2025-volunteer-opportunities\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Volunteer Opportunities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

2026 Volunteer Opportunities<\/h2>\nInvasive plant removal at the Town of Blacksburg Parks.<\/strong> This is a new volunteer strike team for invasive species removal, which will occur monthly and rotate through town parks. Please contact Dylan Vines at dvines@blacksburg.gov \u00a0(He is the parks and natural lands coordinator for the town of Blacksburg.) Note: This is different from the Heritage Park restoration project volunteer day and the Tree Rescuers program of the NRV.\n

 <\/p>\nInvasive\u00a0plant removal at VT Old Growth Forest\u00a0(formerly Stadium Woods)<\/b>\nSundays and Tuesdays from 3:00 to 5:00 pm <\/b>\nMeet at the VT Engage parking lot at the north end of Stadium Woods (417 Clay St. SW<\/a>).\u00a0Parking: VT Engage parking lot is restricted to F\/S 24\/7 which means you have to have a faculty\/staff parking permit.\u00a0There may be a parking space on Green Street. If not, you can park (on Sunday!) across the street from the VTPD and walk up the paved path. If you cannot find us, text or call 540-257-2489. If there is precipitation, high winds, or the temperature is higher than 90 degrees or lower than 38 degrees, we will cancel the event. Please bring work gloves, snacks, water, insect repellent and wear closed toe shoes.\u00a0 Contact person is Fred Umberger at 540-257-2489\u00a0<\/b>or fred915beth@gmail.com
\n\u00a0<\/b>\nTake care of native plants at the Montgomery Museum garden<\/b>\n300 Pepper St SE<\/a><\/b> in Christiansburg<\/b>\nWednesdays from 9 to 11 am and Saturdays from 9 to 11 am<\/strong>\nPark on the street or behind the museum in the Montgomery County Dept of Social Services parking lot. \u00a0Contact: Zari Moorehouse at zmoorehouse@gmail.com for more details. Be advised, there is no bathroom at the site.\u00a0<\/b>\n\u00a0<\/b>\nBlacksburg Heritage Park Restoration Project Volunteer Day\u00a0<\/b>\nGateway Trail Parking Lot, <\/b>2701 Meadowbrook Dr., Blacksburg<\/a><\/b>\nThe third Monday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 am<\/b>\nContact: Submit form at Sustainable Blacksburg website<\/a>, or via email to\u00a0sawdon@msn.com. Join us for monthly mechanical removal of Asian Bittersweet vines in a two-acre Town of Blacksburg stream and park restoration project at Heritage Community Park and Natural Area<\/a>. Autumn olive has been removed, and 900 native tree and shrub seedlings have been planted. Now we’re removing bittersweet from native trees. Our efforts will reduce the need for herbicides to control invasive regrowth.\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Arrive by 9 am or shortly before\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Bring your own hand tools (pruners, loppers, hand-saws, shovels) and gloves\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Wear closed-toed shoes\/boots and clothing to protect against sun, ticks and thorns\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Use sunscreen and tick repellant\n–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Bring your own water and snacks\n\u00a0<\/b>\n\u00a0<\/b>\nPulaski Heritage Park Pollinator Garden Volunteer Day<\/b>\nLocated at Heritage Park, <\/b>Dora Highway, Pulaski<\/a><\/b>\nTuesdays at 9:00 am<\/b>\nBEFORE\u00a0you come, please contact: Friends of Peak Creek at info@friendsofpeakcreek.org. Join us to help cultivate and maintain pollinator-friendly plant species. More details found here: https:\/\/www.friendsofpeakcreek.org\/our-work\/completed-projects\/pollinator-gardens<\/a>.\n\u00a0<\/b>\nPandapas Pond Pollinator Garden Adopt-a-Garden, or just come for the day and help<\/b>\nTuesdays<\/b> from 9:00 am to 11:00 am (instead of Wednesdays)<\/em><\/b>\nThe garden consists of plants all native to our area, to both support pollinators and educate the public about native plants. Work with the group or come on your own. Workdays vary based on season and weather. Contact person is Barb Walker at babayaya52@gmail.com\n\u00a0<\/b>\nInvasive plant removal and improvement of native plants at Historic Smithfield Plantation<\/b>\n1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd, Blacksburg<\/a><\/b>\nWednesdays from 1:00 to 3:00 pm<\/b>\nParking is free without the need for a VT parking permit. The group is generally between the main house and the pavilion. If you cannot find them, text or call (727) 488-7378. If weather conditions present precipitation, high winds, or temperature lower than 40 degrees (F) or higher than 90 degrees (F), the event will be canceled. Recommend gloves and closed toed shoes. Bring a shovel, if you want to help dig shrubs, or loppers if you want to cut English ivy. Contact person is David McEwen, (727) 488-7378 or dmcewen@davidmcewen.com\n\u00a0<\/b>\nTree Rescuers of the New River Valley<\/b>\nThe second (no longer third) Friday of the month from 3 to 5 pm<\/b>\nIf you want to rescue local trees on the town of Blacksburg land from killer invasive vines, check out the details at https:\/\/sustainableblacksburgva.org\/nrv-tree-rescuers\/<\/a>. Currently they are working at the Huckleberry Trail in Blacksburg. Wear gloves and closed toe shoes. Bring clippers or loppers if you have them. Will be cancelled in the event of precipitation, high winds or temperatures of 40 or below.\n\u00a0<\/b>\nPollinator Garden maintenance at SEEDS<\/b>\nBlacksburg Nature Center, 303 Wilson Ave at Wong Park (no longer at 107 Wharton St SE)<\/b>\nDays and hours are flexible and are either in groups or by yourself.\nNeeds help to weed, remove invasives and maintain several native planted pollinator beds there. <\/b>\u00a0Contact person is Rosemarie Sawdon at sawdon@msn.com\n\u00a0<\/b>\nHale Community Garden Volunteer Workday<\/b>\n215 Maywood St., Blacksburg<\/b>\nIrregular days of the month (listed individually in the monthly list of events)<\/b>\nContact is Emma Jensen at gardens@liveworkeatgrow.org. Live Work Eat Grow<\/a>\u00a0is seeking volunteers this year to help maintain the native plant propagation center at the Hale Community Garden<\/a>\u00a0in Blacksburg. Tasks include removing invasive species around the parking area, in the fences, and in the native and food forest plantings. Other opportunities include propagation from some of their native plant beds, weeding and mulching, and seed collection and division later in the season. Tools and gloves will be provided. Please fill out their form<\/a> to give them your contact information.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2026 Volunteer Opportunities Invasive plant removal at the Town of Blacksburg Parks. This is a new volunteer strike team for invasive species removal, which will occur monthly and rotate through town parks. Please contact Dylan Vines at dvines@blacksburg.gov \u00a0(He is the parks and natural lands coordinator for the town of Blacksburg.) Note: This is different…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18623,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-22406","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n2026 Volunteer Opportunities - New River<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vnps.org\/newriver\/2025-volunteer-opportunities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2026 Volunteer Opportunities - New River\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"2026 Volunteer Opportunities Invasive plant removal at the Town of Blacksburg Parks. This is a new volunteer strike team for invasive species removal, which will occur monthly and rotate through town parks. 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