volunteer & Internships
Join us at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Volunteer Team and help create vibrant outdoor experiences for our community, your time and passion can provide access to recreational trails, environmental education, and the beauty of the outdoors for all to enjoy through many different volunteer avenues and opportunities.
Make a difference in your community
Help us provide excellent environmental education!
The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities for individuals ages 16–100, whether you’d like to volunteer one time or for a set period of time. Opportunities include trail maintenance & restoration, teacher’s aids, event support, animal care, and more. We are flexible with schedules and individual needs, and also accept volunteers completing court-ordered community service or service-learning hours.
Volunteers under 16 must have a parent/guardian present at all times.
All volunteers must complete the form below. After submission, you will receive a confirmation email. This may take up to 72 hours. Please wait for email confirmation before arriving to volunteer.
Please fill out the waiver before the start of your shift.
Current volunteer opportunities
Indoor Opportunities
These are quick tasks that allow us to maintain our nature campus and make an immediate impact. Tasks can include: laminating, paper cutting, organizing, general cleaning, animal food prep, and more.
Outdoor Opportunities
Tasks can include: weeding, trimming, succulent pruning, watering, sweeping, and more.
Trail Restoration and Conservation
Spend a beautiful day of field work beside the Agua Hedionda Lagoon at our next trail event.
The scope of work varies depending on the season and current trail conditions. Projects include native planting, habitat restoration, building and installing oyster wattles, invasive species removal, brushing and trail maintenance, importing and hauling erosion control structure material, graffiti and trash removal, and trail sinkhole repairs.
We suggest wearing long pants, comfortable shoes, clothing you don't mind getting dirty, sunscreen, a hat, and packing water.
Algerian Sea Lavender Removal (Restoration and Conservation)
Get a behind the scenes look at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon by weeding out the invasive Algerian Sea Lavender in an area not accessible to the public! We suggest long pants, comfortable shoes you don't mind getting dirty (If you have your own pair of tall rain boots please bring them with you. We will have some available for those who do not have any of their own), sunscreen, a hat, and water.
Teacher’s Aids (Education Department)
If you like to work with kids, this is the opportunity for you! Help our teachers provide hands-on, excellent environmental education for school-aged kids. Tasks include setting up outdoor classrooms, passing out supplies, engaging with kids and parents, and more. Fill out the form below to get started.
Bingo Buddies (pig care)
Help us take care of our mini pig, Bingo! Become a weekly volunteer and provide her with walks, meals, habitat maintenance, and TLC. This is a long-term volunteer position and is not intended for those seeking to complete a short-term volunteer requirement. Contact volunteer@aguahedionda.org for availability.
Poultry Pals (Chicken Care)
Help us take care of our chicken flock! Become a weekly volunteer and provide our hens with meals, habitat maintenance, and TLC! TThis is a long-term volunteer position and is not intended for those seeking to complete a short-term volunteer requirement. Contact volunteer@aguahedionda.org for availability.
volunteer Forms
Volunteer Form Up To 20 Hours
Volunteer Form 21+ Hours
Business/Group Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Group Project #1: Trail/Exhibit Restoration - $1,000
- Flexible Dates Available
- Typically a 3 – 4 hour time period.
- We will purchase restorative materials such as DG, oyster wattles, sand bags, and other like materials to fill in some ruts on the most loved areas our trails and educational nature nodes around the center. This could include onsite restoration at the Discovery Campus or offsite at our many trails and public access easements.
- We will provide all tools
Volunteer Project #2: Native Garden Refurbishment - $1,000
- Flexible Dates Available
- Typically a 3 – 4 hour time period.
- We will purchase native plants and mulch and have your team plant and spread mulch following the plantings. This allows us to keep our replenish our gardens and keep this major attraction up to date.
- We will provide all tools.
- Includes tour of Discovery Campus and light snacks.
Volunteer Project #3: Exhibit Refurbishment - $500
- Flexible Dates Available
- Typically a 2 – 3 hour time period.
- We have a decent amount of picnic tables, wood structures and exhibits that constantly need re-staining, lacquering and painting. We would identify these and have your team tackle.
- We will provide all tools
- Includes tour of Discovery Campus and light snacks.
Volunteer Project #4: No Budget Required – Sign Up for a Pre-Established Trail or Algerian Sea Lavender Event
We always have needs in terms of projects and refurbishment here at the Discovery Campus and surrounding public access easements. We can curtail a specific project to your group, depending on what we have in the works. We can work with different budget sizes outside of these predefined ranges based on the project needs. We can provide t-shirts at an additional cost or work with you on catering options as well.