Wildlife  •  Education  •  Planetarium
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volunteer

make a difference!

Share your time and talents with your community! You can team up with our staff as a volunteer in many ways! Our volunteers donate thousands of hours each year to the function of various programs and activities.

Find out how you can contribute to the mission of Lake Erie Nature & Science Center by reviewing current volunteer opportunities below and then click here to submit an appication.

A printable Volunteer Application is also available here.

Questions? Contact us daily by phone at 440-871-2900 or by email here.

current volunteer needs

education

Whether you enjoy sharing your knowledge with others or just having fun while you work, we need you! Activities in our Education Department range from assisting staff with programs for children, adults or both, serving food or leading participants as they make crafts at our Family Programs. Training may include handling our resident animals. Specific needs include:

activity and craft preparation (ages 18 & up)
Assist the education staff prepare activities and crafts for our preschool, summer camps and family programs. This volunteer task may be accomplished at home or at the Center and includes cutting and assembling materials for multiple participants.

telescope night volunteer (ages 18 & up)
Help operate and sight telescopes for the free viewing that follows evening Monthly SkyQuest planetarium programs. (1st and/or 3rd Saturday Evenings)

wild summer reading camp (ages 13 & up)
Returning again in July/August 2013! Read to and with children and to help summer campers with computer quizzes, games and journaling activities. Campers will be local children entering Grades 1 - 4. Volunteer training is provided and takes just 1 - 2 hours. Shifts: 8:30 –11:30 a.m. and/or 12:30–3:30 p.m. (Must commit to at least 4 shifts)

wildlife

animal care (ages 18 & up)
Help us care for and feed our collection of more than 100 live animals including birds of prey, mammals, reptiles and fish. Assist with daily maintenance of animal exhibits and education animals. Volunteers in this area work 2-3 hours/weekday morning, at least one day/week and must be able to offer year-round availability.

aquatics volunteer (ages 18 & up)
Seeking a dedicated person with significant aquarium experience to help clean and maintain our numerous aquatic exhibits on a semi-regular basis. Includes 150 and 300 gallon tanks (saltwater and freshwater) as well as a custom Tide Pool.

naturalist assistant program (ages 13 - 18)
Join our team of junior and senior high students working every third weekend to help care for our resident animals and exhibits, participate in public education activities and enjoy field trips on and off site. Program is Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 5 p. m. $45/year fee. Applications accepted from ages 12-16.

wildlife presenter (ages 18 & up)
Perform on-site and off-site animal presentations. You will have the opportunity to handle animals and interact with the public. (Note: Applicants for this position will be added to a lengthy waiting list )Also Available:

Pre-K Program Wildlife Presenter (Weekdays May - August with occasional weekends and fall/winter months) Seeking an energetic, enthusiastic person with an ease addressing Pre-K and elementary school age audiences (from 1 through 8 years old) and comfortable with handling live animals. Training provided in animal handling, animal information and presentation skills.

wildlife rehabilitation (ages 18 & up)
Assist wildlife coordinator and specialists with rehabilitating injured wildlife. Assist with daily cleaning, feeding, and medicating of rehab animals. Volunteers are asked to offer a consistent day and time of availability. (Note: Applicants for this position will be added to a lengthy waiting list .

special events

Annual Benefit (ages 21 & up)
Join us for an awesome autumn happening – our Annual Benefit! All proceeds from the Benefit support the mission and programs of Lake Erie Nature & Science Center. Benefit attendees enjoy an evening filled with great food and beverages, auctions, raffles, entertainment and all the fun that our Center has to offer!

Benefit Committee Member: You can help plan the theme, decorations, food, beverages, entertainment and logistics; create exciting auction packages; secure underwriting/sponsorships; and assist with marketing and publicity activities! The Benefit Committee meets February through October to make the Benefit a “can’t miss” annual event.

Night-of event Volunteer: We welcome your help with set-up and take-down, greeting guests, selling raffle tickets and much more! The Benefit always takes place on the second Saturday of September from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Lake Erie Family Fest (ages 13 & up)
Lake Erie Family Fest takes place annually on the first Sunday in June from Noon - 4 p.m. A day of wet, wild and out-of-this-world activities for the whole family. Have an up-close encounter with the Center's resident animals, spend some time under the stars in the Planetarium or grab a quick bite to eat. Take to the lake with kayaking and paddle-boarding, make a craft and practice your fly-fishing. Don't miss all the fun as over 1,000 rubber ducks racers hit Porter Creek for The Great Duck Race. On the day of the event, help with set-up, tear-down, ticket sales, visitor services and more!

The Great Duck Race – Part of Lake Erie Family Fest
A cornerstone of Lake Erie Family Fest, the Great Duck Race is a unique and exciting event for kids and adults of all ages! Sponsored ducks race down Porter Creek – which ducks will be the lucky winners? As a Duck Race Committee member you can create and package exciting prizes; assist with marketing and publicity activities; prepare all the ducks, signage and materials for the race; sell ducks the day of the race; help execute the race; and complete follow-up activities after the race is over. There is something for everyone, whether you have a lot of time to give or just want to help out for a specific period of time before, during or after the race! The Great Duck Race takes place at 2:30 p.m. during Lake Erie Family Fest. We welcome Committee members aged 18 and older; day-of-race volunteers aged 13 and over.

ongoing volunteer positions

administration (ages 21 & up)

Assist with accounting, data entry, filing and other administrative duties (interested parties should possess strong math skills and be proficient with accounting software). Flexible opportunities available, daytime Monday - Friday.

grounds and maintenance (ages 13 & up)

Calling all green thumbs, we need help with weeding, mulching, pruning, and planting in our garden areas. Also, if you are handy with a hammer, then we can use your assistance with small repairs, construction and building upkeep.

party host (ages 21 & up)

Host birthday parties and room rentals onsite for Center members. Position requires set-up/tear-down of tables and chairs and cleaning of party room(s) before and after each event.
This volunteer position requires completion of training course for the Wildlife Presenter position (see listing below).

For current High School Senior Volunteers:

2012-13 Snider Family Scholarship Application

2011-12 Snider Family Scholarship Award Recipients

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