Volunteers for Rural Watersheds

The Volunteers for Rural Watersheds Research Project, funded by the EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, is a 3-year study to develop volunteer management tools and resources for rural watershed groups.

Engaging volunteers in service to watershed organizations is essential to bringing about overtures of change and solving water quality issues in the United States. However, little empirical research has investigated the role that volunteers play in rural and under-resourced communities. This project seeks to identify and share approaches to volunteer recruitment, training and retention that have been successful in rural settings.

In the first two years of this project, we surveyed volunteers to develop a clear picture of rural volunteers. We also identified 25 different volunteer management practices that were being successfully employed at our sites to attract and retain volunteers. Next, we engaged in transplanting and testing these practices to assure they are truly replicable.  Currently, in our final year of research, we are striving to convert documented successes into usable tools and resources for rural volunteer managers.

Check out the Project Brief: Researching Rural Volunteers for a quick overview of research, key findings, and the future of the project.

Click here to read the 2.5-Year Progress Report with more information and research highlights from July 2010-January 2011.

Examples of trial practice case studies include:

Recruiting youth volunteers through the development of a Youth Advisory Board

Based in Hotchkiss, CO, the Kids' Pasta Project (KPP) engages youth in serving their community by having them prepare and serve freshly-made pasta dinners and donating profits to local causes. The adult board and volunteers, however, wanted to see the kids participate not only in the kitchen and dining room, but also in the board room. The formation of a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) has engaged kids in the inner workings of the organization. Since its creation, the YAB has elected their board, attended meetings of the adult board, discussed expanding the weekly menu and experimented with making lasagna and gluten-free pasta. Some of the members of KPP YAB have become more involved in behind-the-scenes operations and have had opportunities to express their opinions about management issues. They have also been involved in some outreach activities and gave a presentation to the local Rotary Club.  Though still working out the exact functions of the YAB, future possibilities include working with a local chef on expanding the menu, organizing a volunteer appreciation picnic, and beginning to take over some of the responsibilities of working with partner-recipient organizations.

General project support from community service volunteers

The Coal Creek Watershed Coalition (CCWC) wanted to work with community service volunteers to fill crucial needs in remediation work: the watering of re-vegetated slopes and maintaining other Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce erosion along Coal Creek.  CCWC secured status as a participating non-profit organization in Gunnison County's Alternative Services program.  The community service volunteers were crucial to the CCWC's ability to accomplish its BMP installation goals for the field season of 2010. Several volunteers were able to work during weekdays, which was especially helpful in supplementing the CCWC's staff and contractors and increase the efficiency of BMP installations. Over time, several volunteers developed an expertise and familiarity with the installation process, or came to the project with a background in construction or Rocky Mountain vegetation, and passed this knowledge on to other volunteers or members of the project.  CCWC hopes to transition to using community service volunteers for projects other than BMP installation, such as administrative or organizational projects, the creation of outreach or educational materials, or the utilization of skills the volunteers may bring with them to their service.