volunteers walking in stream looking for reds

Current volunteer opportunities

Find the perfect fit

December 1, 2023

Here are the current volunteer opportunities at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Find the one that's right for you!

Learn more about volunteering with ODFW

Each year, ODFW volunteers donate over 200,000 hours to protect, restore and teach about Oregon's fish and wildlife. Their enthusiasm and commitment has been invaluable to the ODFW mission.

Below are all the ways you can join us.

TEACH
OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
Hunter Education event support specialist	Continuous	Help with education workshops, classes and events.	SIGN ME UP
Angler Education event support specialist	Continuous	Help with education workshops and classes. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
Hunter Education Instructor	Continuous	Train to become a certified Hunter Education Instructor and help with curriculum and field day activities. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
Hunter Education Junior Instructor (must be between ages of 14-20 to apply)	Continuous	Under the supervision of a Certified Hunter Education Instructor, help with classroom and field day logistics. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
Shooting sports instructor	Continuous	Teach participants how safely operate firearms. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
Dog handler	Continuous	Teach the basics of bird hunting with dogs. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
Angler Education Instructor	Continuous	Teach the basics of fishing, promote sportfishing and the enhancement, conservation and stewardship of Oregon's aquatic resources. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
RESTORE
OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
ODFW/RMEF Volunteer Days- Minam River Wildlife Area & Bear Creek Access Area	May 18th, 2024 & May 19th, 2024	• May 18, 2024, Minam River Wildlife Area Forest Thinning for Wildlife Benefit: Densely overstocked timber stands are prevalent throughout much of the Minam River Wildlife Area. Many of these timber stands are presenting closed canopy scenarios with stocking rates that prevent highly desired understory components (i.e., shrubs, grasses, and forbs) from establishment. Working with an Oregon Department of Forestry Forester, staff will identify multiple treatment units where prescriptions will be focused on wildlife benefits. Promoting early seral plant communities and increasing the quality and quantity of highly desirable forage on the land base is the goal. Volunteer crews will be responsible for hand thinning and the piling of materials to be burned later. Individuals with chainsaw certification, will be permitted to conduct thinning efforts and all other volunteers will be tasked with piling efforts. • May 19, 2024, Access & Habitat Project: Bear Creek Access Area Habitat Connectivity: Habitat connectivity issues are being addressed through the removal of 32 miles of interior fencing, helping to facilitate local wildlife movement, reducing habitat fragmentation, and promoting wildlife habitat corridor usage. With 32 miles of fencing needing to be removed, project planning has been aimed at utilizing several different resources to address needs. Due to high project costs, planning efforts will utilize a licensed fence contractor and several volunteer crews organized through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) to accomplish project goals. These coordinated efforts will occur over the life of the 3-year contract, with work schedule emphasis placed on years 1 and 2.	SIGN ME UP
STEP Volunteer- Gold Beach Level 3	Continuous	Duties for this Volunteer Service Description may include but not be limited to some or all of the following. Volunteers will help with Volunteer opportunities include a wide variety of work tasks to support the STEP program at Gold Beach. Volunteers may help with broodstock collection of salmon or steelhead. In addition, volunteers may sort fish to determine maturity levels, spawn fish, measure and collect other biological information, record data on data sheets. They may also assist with incubation of eggs, move fry to rearing troughs, feed fish, clean raceways/troughs, clean screens, remove fish from raceways, crowd fish with nets, fin clip. Volunteers may provide information to adults and youth from time to time. General tasks like trail clearing and minor cleaning and maintenance may be asked of these volunteers. Volunteers may be asked to drive on behalf of ODFW. To apply, please click on the link:	SIGN ME UP
STEP volunteer - Coquille Basin	Continuous	Volunteers will help with operating a fish traps to capture returning adult hatchery salmonids. Volunteers will check the trap of presence of fish, clean the weir/trap of debris, net fish, and haul them from the trap to a transport tank. Volunteers can also help under the oversite of ODFW with spawning the adult salmonids which might entail netting fish, determining sex of the fish, collecting gametes, collecting biological data from the fish, and disposing of the fish as directed by ODFW staff.- Volunteers of all ages encouraged to register.	SIGN ME UP
STEP volunteer - Coos Basin	October 2023 - June 2024	Volunteers will help with broodstock collection of salmon and steelhead in the Coos Basin. In addition, volunteers can sort fish to determine maturity levels, spawn fish, measure and collect other biological information, record data on data sheets. They can also assist with operating hatchboxes or other forms of incubation of eggs, move fry to rearing troughs, feed fish, clean raceways/troughs, clean screens, remove fish from raceways, crowd fish with nets, fin clip. - Volunteers of all ages encouraged to register.	SIGN ME UP
STEP Volunteer - Eel/ Tenmile Basin	January 2024 - April 2024	Volunteers have the opportunity to assist ODFW with operation of an adult fish trap and acclimating hatchery winter steelhead smolts in the Tenmile Basin. Help ODFW staff with collecting data, setting up fish traps, feed hatchery steelhead smolts, and more!	SIGN ME UP
STEP Volunteer Winter Steelhead Acclimation Site RV Host	January – April 2024	Great opportunity to work with steelhead in Canyonville - check adult fish trap daily, with minor facilities upkeep and fish culture work. 20 hrs per week. Site has electric, propane and septic provided.	SIGN ME UP
Juniper Thinning	January - December 2024	This is a great opportunity for volunteers to come out to Philip Schnider Wildlife Area, Dayville, OR and help reduce the amount of junipers trees that cause harm to the Wildlife Area.Volunteers will be thinning junipers trees by the means of lopping sheers or chainsaw.	SIGN ME UP
BCWA General Volunteer	Continuous	Volunteer/Volunteers will assist Wildlife Area staff with improving and maintaining the wildlife area. Tasks will all go towards improving wildlife habitat and maintaining public land for recreational opportunities. Location: Bridge Creek Wildlife Area	SIGN ME UP
CBWA General Volunteer	Continuous	The Volunteer/Volunteers will assist Wildlife Area staff with seasonal tasks, whenever available for improving and maintaining public land for recreation and improvement of wildlife habitat. Location: Columbia Basin Wildlife Areas	SIGN ME UP
Mid Coast STEP	Continuous	Volunteer opportunities include helping with fish monitoring, propagation, education and outreach, and restoration.	SIGN ME UP
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area Volunteer	Continuous	This is a weekly volunteer opportunity at the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. The group meets every Tuesday from 8am until approximately 3pm. Staff will create a project list prior to meeting and will try to match each volunteer with a task that they are comfortable doing. This is a low pressure environment with the opportunity to develop new relationships with a group of good people, while helping wildlife area staff complete a variety of worthwhile projects.	SIGN ME UP
STUDY
OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
Diamond Lake Creel Survey	April 27 May 11, 14, 23 June 3, 4, 15, 26 July 1, 3, 19, 21, 28 August 13, 14, 25 September 1, 3, 29 November 2, 4	Survey anglers at Diamond Lake. Harvest data from these surveys allows ODFW to determine the angling effort and catch rates.	SIGN ME UP
Lewis's woodpecker migration tracking	May through October 2024	ODFW and it partners are investigating a variety of questions about Lewis's woodpeckers in the East Cascades to improve understanding of habitat requirements of Lewis's woodpecker and how changes in the environment have affected migratory patterns across Oregon. This project is based out of Bend, OR but there are opportunities in different areas of the state as well. volunteer opportunities are available for various levels of skill and availability.	SIGN ME UP
Yellow rail habitat monitoring	May through October 2024	ODFW is recruiting volunteers to assist with yellow rail surveys. This is part of a collaborative project between ODFW and Oregon State University to map critical shallow wetland habitats in South Central OR. Biologists are conducting surveys and deploying automated recording units to collect auditory information to better understand distribution of this sensitive species. Volunteer opportunities are available for various levels of skill and availability.	SIGN ME UP
Red fox tracking in Oregon Cascades - Support Role	June through October 2024	ODFW is recruiting volunteers for Sierra Nevada red fox surveys. As part of a collaborative project between ODFW and Washington State University, biologists are collecting game camera wildlife observation data, genetic scat samples, and community science wildlife observation data for Sierra Nevada red fox in the Central Oregon Cascade Range. The project is based out of Bend, OR and volunteer opportunities are available for various levels of skill and availability.	SIGN ME UP
BUILD
Check back later
HOST
OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
RV host - hatcheries	Sites and availability list provided at sign up.	Live & work for a month or more at one of our hatcheries, wildlife areas or offices. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
RV host - wildlife areas/regional offices	Sites and availability list provided at sign up.	Live & work for a month or more at one of our hatcheries, wildlife areas or offices. Learn more.	SIGN ME UP
COMMUNICATE
OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
Guest speaker/subject matter expert	Continuous	Be a subject matter expert and give presentations in a variety of settings. Learn more.	Check back soon