Volunteers are needed to assist with canoe excursions for high school and elementary students on select dates this school year.
If you’ve got a passion for the environment, experience working with students, and are comfortable in a canoe, ShoreRivers needs you! Healthy, fishable, swimmable waterways will not be possible without the next generation of clean water enthusiasts, so we strive to encourage in students an appreciation for our environment and a dedication to making a difference.
ShoreRivers’ Education Department is seeking volunteers to help monitor groups of 10–25 students on field trips at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Lab in Cambridge. Volunteers are needed on select school days from 9 am–1 pm between October and May. This is a unique opportunity to support students age 8–15 from all across the Eastern Shore—some of whom may be visiting the river for the first time. During the field trip, students learn about local water quality, study Bay creatures like the Eastern Oyster and Atlantic Sturgeon, and canoe in a cove off the Choptank River.
ShoreRivers leads a robust environmental education program that serves more than 2,500 third-grade and high school biology students every year throughout our watershed communities. We provide students with a Meaningful Watershed Education Experience, a Maryland State graduation requirement. ShoreRivers leads classroom lessons, field experiences, community-focused action projects, and teacher professional development.
Volunteers must have transportation to the site and be comfortable in and around canoes. For our elementary field trips, we are especially in need of experienced canoers who are comfortable paddling in a boat with two students. Responsibilities include: assisting students getting into and out of canoes, on-the-water monitoring of student safety while paddling, alerting ShoreRivers staff of any issues or concerns, and having fun! You will not be responsible for disciplining students, leading lessons on the water, or bringing your own canoe.
Anyone interested should fill out the volunteer application form at: shorerivers.org/volunteer and email Demetrio at dfinley@shorerivers.org for more details on dates and times.