Volunteering is one of the best ways that you can help protect your lands and waters from the impacts of invasive species. SLELO PRISM and our partners offer volunteer opportunities seasonally and sometimes throughout the year depending on needs.
Check often as more opportunities will be added as they are received.
If you are a SLELO Partner and have a volunteer opportunity to list here contact megan.pistolese@tnc.org or submit them here.
Can’t make it to an event? No worries! SLELO PRISM and our partners offer volunteer opportunities seasonally and sometimes throughout the year depending on needs. Sign up to be a volunteer to get notifications on upcoming events.
Attending any of the events hosted by SLELO or our partners counts toward achieving our Volunteer Challenge!
SLELO PRISM Volunteer Opportunties
Learn to identify, survey, and report hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) through a unique learning series running from December 2025 to March 2026.
- Session 1: 12/5/25: HWA/iMap Webinar
- Session 2: 12/18/25: Field Trip to view HWA
- Session 3: Join guided HWA survey hikes held in the region.
December through March, you can help protect forests and win prizes by participating in the annual #VirtualHikeChallenge.
Participating is simple: sign up, take a hike, check hemlock trees for the white woolly masses of hemlock woolly adelgid, report observations, and share your experience on any social media channel.
Adopt a waterbody to survey for aquatic invasive species and report observations to NYiMapInvasives.org. Training will be held annually with a virtual ID session in May, followed by a hands-on workshop, and a guided paddle in June.
Volunteer Opportunities Offered by Our Parners
NYiMapInvasives is New York’s invasive species observation database. You can join state-wide early detection efforts for invasive species by becoming a member and reporting your observations.
Click the links below to become familiar with iMap
The New York Natural Heritage Program is collaborating with organizations in Great Lakes states to enhance knowledge of vernal pools by utilizing new mapping tools and community science, and recruiting volunteers for a new community science program called NY POOLS!
Do you love to watch birds? Sign up for the Tug Hill Bird Quest and learn more about them! This opportunity is open to school classrooms, homeschools, youth groups, families, or individuals interested in observing and learning about birds in the Tug Hill region.
The Indian River Lakes Conservancy (IRLC) maintains 28 miles of trails open to the public across 5 different land preserves. Learn of upcoming events and volunteer opportunities hosted by IRLC that you can get involved in, click the link above to view details on their website.
Save The River’s new Riverkeeper Volunteer Program trains volunteers to be our eyes and ears out on the River, by teaching the basics on assessing River health and identifying potential pollution problems.
Save the River Floating Classroom Camp Days
Events teach students about the St. Lawrence River ecosystem through hands-on activities and expert presentations, including insights from SLELO-PRISM on invasive species. Each session features guided boat tours with partners like the Antique Boat Museum and Clayton Island Tours. Camps run 9am-3:30pm, with beginner sessions for 1st-5th graders on July 28th and August 14th, and advanced sessions for older students on July 17th and August 4th.
Contact Dan Bellinger at education@savetheriver.org for details.
If you have a passion for the outdoors and love to show the world what you love about it, then becoming a Campground Ambassador could be for you! Ambassadors assist DEC campground staff in welcoming and serving the millions of visitors who camp in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks each year.
This is a great opportunity to help introduce new campers to DEC facilities and other outdoor activities like hiking and fishing.
Contact megan.pistolese@tnc.org to list your events on our events page or to share social media posts.
Partner meetings are held in the winter, spring, and fall; to receive partner meeting announcements, please fill out the form on our Partners Webpage or email brittney.rogers@tnc.org.
The PRISM Network hosts a monthly Speaker Series on the last Wednesday of each month (except July, August, and December). To receive invitations, please sign up for the SLELO PRISM listserv.
iMapInvasives holds training webinars after the PRISM Speaker Series from 1 pm-2 pm. Visit the iMap website for details and to register.
View Events Pages of the PRISM Network