Volunteer Opportunities

SWMLC volunteers provide immeasurable assistance to our conservation efforts, allowing us to broaden our resources.  There are many different ways to volunteer, depending on your area of interest. 

Volunteers are needed for stewardship work at preserves and other areas.  Jobs include:  lopping brush, putting up signs, and pulling invasive plants; conducting species inventories; setting up and staffing information tables for events; archiving photographs at the SWMLC office; stuffing envelopes for mailings; and taking photographs at preserves, easements and at special events.

Volunteers also serve on committees such as Outreach Team, Stewardship Team, and Land Protection Team, or on our Board of Directors.

This is only a partial list of ongoing activities requiring volunteer assistance.  Your support as a volunteer will have a lasting impact on the natural and scenic features that make our region so unique.  Please contact us if you would like more information or complete our volunteer form and mail or fax it to SWMLC at 6851 S. Sprinkle Road, Portage, MI 49002, 269/324-9760.

Upcoming Workdays

All workdays occur on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to Noon.
Please let us know you're coming so that we have enough refreshments and tools for everyone. 
Please call the SWMLC office (269-324-1600) by the Thursday before the workday to let us know you're coming, join the carpool, or to get directions.  Or email us at ConserveLand@SWMLC.org.

May 18

Bow in the Clouds Preserve, Kalamazoo County

Picking up the Bluebirds’ Slack

The bluebirds have moved into the oak savanna restoration site and are great at catching grasshoppers — but lousy at pulling garlic mustard.  The oak savanna is really starting to take shape at Bow in the Clouds Preserve, but we need to keep the garlic mustard at bay while the native plants become established.  Enjoy a spring morning under the oaks and beside the stream as we weed out the invasive plants.

June 29

Spirit Springs Sanctuary, Cass County

Forest Floor Appreciation Day

With garlic mustard season finished, we can now take on invasive brush! By clearing the invasive brush, the under-appreciated sedges, mosses, ferns, and diminutive wildflowers of the preserve will have a fighting chance.  Enjoy the rolling hills of this Cass County gem of a preserve and help us open up the woodland for the sake of wildlife, forest health, and lovely views.

July 27

Sora Meadows, Van Buren County

Brand New Fresh Wetland — Act Now While Supplies Last!

Sora Meadows was transformed this past winter and spring as SWMLC completed its wetland restoration project with the Van Buren Conservation District and Ducks Unlimited.  Come see the recently re-wetted wetlands, and help cut back the autumn olive that persists along the edges.

August 10

KEKA Preserve, Kalamazoo County

Busier than the Beavers

We can only ask so much of the beavers, and then we need to do some management ourselves.  While the beavers have been busy in the wetlands, the oak woodlands of KEKA Preserve could use a hand.  The woods have responded nicely to previous selective woody species removal, and we’d like to expand our efforts with your help.