Volunteers
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
–Margaret Meade
Board of Directors
President: Amy Koch
Vice President: Daniel Dodge
Treasurer: Janice Lucas
Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator: Mindy Hellman
Director/Education: Kate Teaford
Director/Plants for Birds: Laurie Gilmore
Director: Eva Askew-Houser
Director: Jorge Buening
Director: Kevin Jordan
Citizen Science/ Conservation
Welaka Fish Hatchery Projects: Jorge Buening
Christmas Bird Count (St. Augustine): Bill McNee
Christmas Bird Count (Matanzas): Sue Killeen
EagleWatch Project: Amy Koch
Audubon Florida: Chris Farrell
Conservation Co-Chairs: Amy Koch, Mindy Hellman, Daniel Dodge
Education Coordinator: Kate Teaford
Plants for Birds: Laurie Gilmore
St. Johns Civic Roundtable Representative: James Hill
Additional Notable Volunteer Projects and Work
Fort Matanzas National Monument Bird Steward (14+ years): Peggy Cook
Northeast Florida Policy Associate for Audubon Florida: Chris Farrell
Bird Walk Leader, eBird teacher, CBC leader, and all-around birding mentor: Sue Killeen
Website Team: Mary Conte, Tamara Galbraith, Laura Winston
Education Volunteer: Besse Dawson Harris
Logo Designer: Kailey Boyd DiMonda
URGENT! Current Volunteer Needs
St. Johns Regional Audubon is excited to be building some partnerships that will expand our outreach into our local community.
While we are always looking for volunteers, we currently have two specific areas we need help with right now:
- We are currently developing an Education Committee and are specifically looking for volunteers who want to work with kids (retired teachers are especially needed!)
- We need volunteers to help at our event tables.
More Details on Educational Volunteer Opportunities…
St. Johns County Parks & Rec partnership
Bird walk leaders for children and families. Most walks are held at Alpine Groves and Vaill Point Parks and take about 1-1/4 hours of your time. It is not necessary to be a birding “expert,” as these are generally an introduction to birding types of events and may include a short activity such as a scavenger hunt or identification game. It can also be helpful to have two leaders working together.
Girl Scouts and Homeschool Groups
Lessons about birds for youth. Ages can vary from kindergarten through high school. These educational activities would generally take between 1 and 2 hours, but volunteers would also need some prep time to assemble materials and review resources. For the educational projects, we plan to have an in-person meeting for those interested in volunteering to review lesson plans, materials, and resources, possibly in January 2025.
If you have a preference in age ranges to work with, please include that in your email response:
- Early childhood through elementary school
- Middle and high school
- Adults
- General public
Tabling Events
We periodically set up an information table at community festivals and events. We are looking for members who enjoy meeting new people and sharing our topics of interest. We usually also have a game or activity for kids. Volunteers are needed for 2 to 6 hours. The ability to transport and help set up the table, display, and canopy tent would be particularly helpful.
St. Johns Regional Audubon Needs YOU!
St. Johns Regional Audubon is an all-volunteer organization, so we are always looking for new volunteers. We also have the following committees that you can join. If you are interested, please email volunteering@stjohnsaudubon.com or fill out our Volunteer Interest Form on this page. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Mindy Hellman, will pass your information along to the appropriate Committee Chair, who will contact you.
The Board has established the following committees for which we are seeking volunteers:
- Conservation Committee: This committee is responsible for the SJRA local advocacy projects, the Litter Gitter, Lights Out NE Florida, and other projects to protect bird habitat in St. Johns County. Amy Koch and Eva Askew-Houser are co-chairs.
- Plants for Birds Committee: This committee manages the planning, implementation, installation, and ongoing maintenance of our native garden project in St. Augustine. It will also create and implement educational opportunities for our community that will be held in our native garden once completed and will develop education programs for the public. Laurie Gilmore is the chair.
- Education Committee: This committee develops and delivers education programs and walks for birders of all ages, but particularly focuses on young birders. This committee works closely with our Young Birders Committee, chaired by Blair Clark. Kate Teaford is the chair of the Education Committee.
- Planning Committee: This committee is responsible for developing SJRA’s season events, which includes scheduling bird walk leaders and bird walk assistants and finding program speakers. Amy Koch and Sue Killeen are co-chairs.
- Social Media: This committee is responsible for maintenance of the SJRA webpage, FB page, and MeetUp page. It also creates the newsletter, SJRA flyers, stickers, etc. Experience with computers and computer programs is necessary for this committee. Amy Koch and Mary Conte are co-chairs.
If you would like further information about any of the committees and how you can help, please email us at volunteering@stjohnsaudubon.com or fill out the form below.