Volunteer

* We are excited to announce that volunteer opportunities, as per the provincial health guidelines, are once again allowed! Please do not attend if you are feeling sick or have a recent association with someone with symptoms of Covid-19. Our #1 priority is still the health and safety of our members, volunteers, and community. *

Do you enjoy the outdoors? Are you looking for a meaningful way to contribute to your community? Do you need to gain field experience to build your resume? If you answered yes to any of these questions, come volunteer with us. Our Community Stewardship Program will provide you with skills in ecological restoration, water quality monitoring, wildlife surveys, invasive species management, and facilities construction and maintenance as well as help you build meaningful connections within your community. Please note that all our volunteer activities are fully insured, and participants will need to sign the Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, and Indemnity Agreement before volunteering with us.

To sign up, complete our volunteer application & waiver. By returning the form you will be automatically added to our volunteer email list and receive invitations to upcoming exciting and important volunteer opportunities. You can also check our calendar where workshops will be posted as they are scheduled. Read below to learn more about the different volunteer activities that we offer.

“My time with [the SMWS] has expanded my appreciation for nature and has inspired me to take up biology in my future studies.” — Teresa Melchior, 2020

Ecological Restoration

When you join the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society ecological restoration volunteer team, you are signing up for a variety of activities throughout the watershed. We host regularly scheduled volunteer events that focus on ecological restoration of the riparian area that borders the tributaries flowing into Somenos Lake. Volunteer activities include planting plants that promote streambank stability, increase riparian area cover and diversity, and provide the shady microclimate required for the creeks to thrive. The work also includes the removal of common invasive species such as Himalayan blackberry, Scotch broom, and English hawthorn, and the enhancement of in-stream habitat for salmon (which can involve garbage pickup). By participating as an ecological restoration volunteer, you’ll learn about our local plants and plant communities and how they interact within the environment around them. You’ll also learn about the detrimental impacts of the many invasive species that have been introduced in the Cowichan Valley and what we can do to combat these unwelcome guests.

Water Health

Water quality monitoring on Somenos Lake has been successfully running since 2014, and has expanded to include Somenos, Bings, Richards, and Averill creek monitoring since 2020. Volunteers will take a boat out on Somenos Lake weekly during the summer, and monthly during the winter to collect water quality data. This includes recording temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, dissolved solids, specific conductivity, water clarity and lake levels. The same will be done on all the creeks at pre-determined locations. Additional nutrient samples will be collected and analyzed as well at each location. Volunteers will have the ability to experience using equipment such as a photometer, multi-probe, secchi disc, and data loggers to measure water chemistry. This program will teach you transferable skills about the basics of water quality monitoring, data collection and interpretation.

Fish Monitoring “Salmon Watch”

The purpose of this program is to monitor and keep records of salmon that migrate into the Somenos Watershed so we can identify the salmon species entering the system, locate spawning grounds, and determine timing of migration runs. As we work on restoring the riparian habitat of the creeks in the watershed, it will be important to see if our work improves annual salmon runs. Every fall, salmon migrate up Somenos Creek into the upper watershed tributaries to spawn. Therefore, volunteers will monitor for the presence of fish within Somenos Creek and the tributaries feeding Somenos Watershed - Bings, Richards, and Averill Creeks. Starting in November, volunteers will mark fish locations weekly using smartphone GPS software and take notes of any barriers to migration, or signs of wildlife predation.

Volunteers will learn how to identify salmon, how to use tracking technology, and the importance of protecting spawning habitat in their local community.

Facilities

The Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society operates two Wildlife Viewing facilities, the Open-Air Classroom (OAC) off the Trans-Canada highway, and the Drinkwater Dock at the end of Drinkwater Road at Somenos Lake. As a facilities volunteer, you’ll be on the front lines of ensuring the ecological and practical functionality of our OAC. This includes aiding in the management of unwanted plant species, the planting of new native plants, the maintenance of our boardwalk, tower, and fences, and the removal of litter that inevitably collects on the land. Being a public place, the OAC needs plenty of care and attention to keep it the shining gem that it is. The Drinkwater Dock is generally maintained by the Municipality of North Cowichan as it gets graffitied regularly and Marsh volunteers pick up the trash on a regular basis as it is a popular fast food snack spot.

Specialty

Many people have special skills that would be invaluable to us. Videographers, bookkeepers, merchandising, writing, researching, and building.  We have a space for everyone! Contact us to start the discussion.