Take a Volunteer Vacation!

 by Claire Martini, Citizen Science Volunteer Coordinator, Americorps

In honor of the release of our 2015 trip schedule, here are a few reasons you should volunteer with the Grand Canyon Trust:

1. Dirty hands are good for the soul

Get out - way out - with us this field season. Challenge yourself and work hard. “Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul,” wrote Cactus Ed. So practice caring for the places you love.

2. Get to know charismatic megafauna

Whether you’re surveying beaver dams with Mary O’Brien or wildlife camera trapping in June or August on the Kaibab Plateau, you’ll learn about the furry and feathered creatures that call these places home.

3. Befriend the veg!

Learn native species on Greenstrips trips, or venture out to White Mesa Cultural and Conservation Area and brush up on your botany by collecting baseline data. Or get involved with the SEGA project and learn how scientists are studying climate change adaptation. These new projects will be posted in upcoming weeks, so keep watching our website!

4. Learn about Native cultures

Learn more about our Native American Business Incubator Network and volunteer to help prepare for the annual Hopi Water is Life Run!

5. Embrace your inner nerd

Get to know the folks and critters that share your home. Author Ellen Meloy says it best:

“…in the desert there is everything and there is nothing. Stay curious. Know where you are - your biological address. Get to know your neighbors - plants, creatures, who lives there, who died there, who is blessed, cursed, what is absent or in danger or in need of your help.”

If you’ve been out with us before, you know that these conversations continue long after the trip.

The bottom line? Have fun, learn a lot, and take a volunteer vacation!

For more information, contact us at volunteernow@grandcanyontrust.org or 928-774-7488.