Volunteer

For 32 years, volunteers managed ACRES Land Trust.

Today, this spirit of community service is alive and well here at ACRES. With only seven staff members supporting our work in 27 counties full time, we rely on volunteer support to serve our community.

Volunteers are essential to ACRES’ work managing land, sharing the trails and connecting with folks who choose to be a part of this living legacy.

UPDATE:

The health and safety of our ACRES family is paramount, as is the public health of our communities.

The ACRES office will be open in a limited capacity. Staff will be on hand to assist you from 9 am to 4 pm. Please wear a mask to enter the office. We have some available for use if you need one.

If you’re stopping by please ring the doorbell and someone will come out to help you.

• PLEASE STAY HOME IF YOU FEEL ILL or have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19
• Practice social distancing, keeping at least 6-feet of distance between individuals at all times
• Please wear a mask while inside the office

Thanks to member support, our trail systems remain open 7 days a week, from dawn to dusk, at no charge. It’s no secret that spending time in nature benefits us both physically and emotionally. Feeling cooped up and stressed out? Find fresh air, peace and renewal at an ACRES preserve near you. 

Drop-in volunteer opportunities

*Autumn olive project at Tom and Jane Dustin Nature Preserve

Can you help completely remove autumn olive from the Tom and Jane Dustin Nature Preserve? It’s a bold goal, but with many hands, we can beat this plant, helping natives and new trees grow. With a little training, you can set your own hours, making use of the office facilities for breaks as you need.

Your support will help reforest this place, leaving a legacy for years to come.

*UPDATE: this project is currently on-hold. Last year’s volunteers did such an amazing job that we need to pause this work for now!

Volunteer at workdays and cleanups

Check out the upcoming workdays and cleanups that take place at ACRES preserves. The events are updated every season and may include general trash pickup, invasive species workdays and or tire cleanups.

Cleanups and workdays are open to the public and do not require a volunteer application to join.

Join the volunteer team

You can become part of the volunteer team by completing our online application.  For more information, contact Natasha Manor at [email protected] or by calling 260-637-2273, extension 4.

Your application will help you find your fit with ACRES. You can choose from the following ongoing volunteer opportunities:

Preserve monitoring | Regularly walk a preserve, picking up trash, clearing light debris from the trails and letting staff know of hazardous conditions.

Event and program support | You can lend your customer-service skills to programs and events, such as open house events and booths.

Leaflet distribution and support | Join our quarterly party! On a seasonal basis, you can gather with a group of volunteers to place membership envelopes in our leaflet. You can also inquire about distributing the leaflet to shops and libraries in your area.

Preserve stewardship | You can actively participate in trail maintenance on your favorite preserve.

Native landscaping | You can help with the native plant beds at the ACRES Office.

Regular opportunities by email | With your application, you can also choose to receive periodic emails as one-time volunteer opportunities become available.

Are you an ACRES Volunteer? Thank you for your service! 

Thank you for your interest in investing your time, skills and energy in protecting land!