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Volunteering, it's a great way to give back to the woods, waters and wildlife.
Every wonder what it would be like to help stock fish, or to pass on fishing or hunting
skills to youngsters, or to learn how to improve habitat for Vermont's wildlife? Then
volunteering for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is your answer.
Every year, we seek volunteer help in a variety of projects aimed at conserving and
protecting the fish and wildlife resources of Vermont. Volunteering is one of the
best ways you can help preserve Vermont's rich and diverse wildlife resources.
Opportunities for volunteering include:
Salmon Fry Stocking
Here's a chance to get out on a spring day to help in a worthy Vermont conservation
project of restoring the salmon fishery to Lake Champlain. Each spring, usually in
May, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service stock
thousands of landlocked Atlantic salmon fry in the Lamoille and Winooski River
watersheds.
Volunteers, armed with buckets, stock the inch-long salmon fry into shallow areas of
the lake's tributaries. These young salmon will spend two to three years in these
waters before migrating out to Lake Champlain, maturing and eventually returning to
the rivers as adults.
For more information and stocking dates contact Nick Staats at 802-879-5679 or
e-mail by clicking here.
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Working for Wildlife
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On an early spring day, usually in April, volunteers across Vermont join with the
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department staff to help improve habitat for Vermont's wildlife.
This is a great opportunity to learn new skills and to understand the needs of our
different wildlife species.
There is a wide variety of habitat improvement projects to choose from, such as
planting trees, piling brush, cutting around apple trees to release them from
competition, and building and placing wood duck and bluebird boxes. There's a place,
too, for people to take pictures and hand out refreshments.
Participants of all ages are welcome. You do not need to be an expert-all you need
is a willingness to pitch in! Plus, volunteers will receive a packet of information
to supplement the skills learned that day, so you can carry out habitat improvement
projects on your own property.
Working for Wildlife was started by the department in 1998, with the help of fish and
game clubs throughout the state. Since then, hundreds of volunteers have worked at
many different sites around the state in a collaborative effort that does so much good
for wildlife.
If you are interested in learning more about "Working for Wildlife" day, contact the
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department at (802) 241-3700 or
e-mail by clicking here.
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LET'S GO FISHING Instructors
If you love to fish and want to pass on the fishing tradition to children and their
families, then become a volunteer "LET'S GO FISHING" Instructor. Instructors in
the "LET'S GO FISHING" Program organize fishing clinics in their communities or
schools to teach successful fish techniques and ethical attitudes to Vermont's next
generation of anglers.
Instructor training workshops for volunteers are now available. You will learn about
fishing techniques, ethics, fish ecology and management, and tackle craft. Classes
are informal, and it is not necessary to have a high level of fishing expertise to
become an instructor. Teachers of all grade levels are especially invited to learn
how to use "LET'S GO FISHING" across curriculum from elementary through high school.
We will provide instruction, assistance, and curriculum materials.
Last year, more than 1,000 Vermont children and their families took part
in "LET'S GO FISHING" clinics across the state. People just like you organized these
events in conjunction with community organizations and taught fishing to a whole new
generation.
Visit our Let's go Fishing WebPage
If you are interested in learning about becoming an instructor contact:
Trish Pelkey
Let's Go Fishing Program Coordinator
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
PO Box 6004
Rutland, VT 05702
802-747-7900 802-747-7989 fax
or e-mail by Trish Pelkey [trish@gwriters.com]
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Green Mountain Conservation Camp Work Weekend
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For more than a decade, hunters, anglers, trappers and their families have come
together at one of the department's two Green Mountain Conservation Camps for a
weekend in May to volunteer their time to spruce up the camps for the summer season.
Work is needed each spring on a variety of projects, including landscaping, painting,
general repairs and construction, cleaning, plumbing, and cutting firewood.
The Green Mountain Conservation Camps began in 1966. Each summer, the camps provide
boys and girls 12 -14 years of age the opportunity to gain an appreciation for Vermont's
fish and wildlife through a dynamic 'hand-on" curriculum. With the help of volunteers
each spring, these Conservation Camps are made ready for the young campers.
People of all abilities are welcome to volunteer. The Fish & Wildlife Department
provides free meals and lodging for anyone wishing to participate. The camps are
located at Buck Lake, in Woodbury and Lake Bomoseen, in Castleton.
Click here to view GMCC Response Form
For more information call Jessica Plouffe
at 802-241-3768 or print and mail in the
response form.
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Hunter Education Instructors
In 1959 Vermont adopted a formal Hunter Education Program. The following year, the
department game wardens and representatives from many sporting clubs participated in
instructor training to become certified Hunter Safety Instructors.
From this small group of pioneer educators, the Vermont Hunter Education Program has
grown to over 500 volunteer instructors teaching first-time hunters safe and ethical
hunting practices. When the Hunter Education Program first began, it was voluntary.
Today, all new hunters, bow hunters, and trappers must attend and pass our hunter safety
courses. The demand for courses is great and volunteer instructors are always needed.
As a volunteer instructor you will conduct the Hunter Education Program courses as a
representative of the Fish & Wildlife Department. The department provides new instructors
with training and materials to successfully run the Hunter Education Program courses.
Part of that training includes a weekend development workshop.
Becoming a Hunter Education Instructors takes commitment. But as an instructor you
are helping to pass on a hunting heritage that adds to Vermont's quality of life.
Through the efforts of our volunteers, hunting is one of the safest activities a person
can enjoy in the Vermont woods.
To learn more about becoming an instructor contact Chris Saunders at (802) 241-3700.
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