Does inspiring and educating young people to treasure FMR’s unique ecosystem sound rewarding to you? If so, you’re in luck, FFMR is now accepting applications for the 2027 FFMR Volunteer Naturalist Training Class. Seats are limited so apply today! Applications will be accepted through December 11th or until all seats are filled. The first class will begin on January 9th. If you have any questions, please see below for more details or email us at volunteer@fitzgeraldreserve.org.
Note: You must be at least 18 years old and comfortable traversing FMR’s uneven and slippery terrain.
Why Volunteer at FFMR?
Volunteering at FMR is fun, rewarding, educational, social, and deeply meaningful. If you enjoy exploring the natural world and sharing it with others, this role is for you. In every tidepool, surge channel, and crevice, natural wonders await. We’ll train you to find amazing critters hidden in plain sight and teach your tour participants how to do the same. We’ll also train you in interpretive skills and impart deep knowledge so you can help guests marvel at what they are finding and understand how it fits into the larger ocean environment. By the end of a tour, your guests, who will often be students from Title I schools located in underprivileged communities, will be inspired to enjoy and care for our natural world.
In addition, FFMR will introduce you to a community of fellow naturalists, rangers, educators, and scientists that work together to protect this delicate ecosystem and gather frequently for continuing education and social events.
Why now?
By adding volunteer naturalists like you, FFMR will be able to accept more tour requests from schools and accommodate more children. For many of these students, this will be their only school field trip all year. For some, this will be the only time they get to visit the ocean all year. But this is not just about them. It is also about you. Why delay by another year giving yourself the joy of sharing this magical place with excited and appreciative students.
What roles are available?
Our flagship volunteer role is the FFMR Intertidal Naturalist. These are the folks who proudly wear our distinctive blue navy FFMR jackets and lead small groups (5-8) of students on interpretive tours of the reef. This is our most impactful role because most of these students would not be able to visit FMR on their own and their schools can only visit FMR if we have sufficient naturalists to support them.
FFMR’s other volunteer roles include our Seal Ambassadors and Visitor Hut naturalists. The Ambassadors are interpretive naturalists who set up our two spotting scopes at the top of the bluff to share up close views of our resident harbor seals with the public. The Visitor Hut naturalists open the visitor hut to the public, interpret our amazing collection (including our real humpback whale skeleton in the picnic area), and answer questions about FMR.
What training is provided?
To prepare you to lead tours on the reef, FFMR provides you with robust training on the intertidal zone, interpretive techniques, and how to lead a small group. Please see full details on training class structure requirements and expectations below. Training will consist of classroom sessions, field training, and mentoring. The classroom sessions will be taught by area experts in marine ecosystems, marine mammals, invertebrates (e.g., sea stars, anemones, octopuses, and sea slugs), and plankton and algae at the base of the food chain. At least one class will cover creative ways to engage children, and how to partner with teachers, chaperones, and rangers to ensure the most rewarding experience possible for you and your student guests.
What Commitment is Needed?
FFMR makes a considerable financial and time investment in training our volunteers, so we ask that volunteers commit to 6 hours per month. More details regarding this are below.
What if I don’t own a car?
FFMR maintains an interactive carpooling map to help volunteers coordinate rides and minimize our carbon footprint.
How to sign up?
FFMR is now accepting applications for the 2027 FFMR Volunteer Naturalist Training Class. Seats are limited so apply today! Applications will be accepted through December 11th or until all seats are filled. The first class will begin on January 9th.
2027 FFMR Training Class
Structure, Requirements and Expectations
Dates: 8 Saturdays, beginning January 9, last day being March 6. February 13 (President’s Day weekend) is a day off.
Length of time: You should be available to attend class as early as 9AM, and stay as late as 5PM. The schedule will vary from week to week, due to the fluctuation of the time of the low tides. Plan on a minimum of 6 hours in class each session, and occasionally longer. The anticipated schedule will be posted on the FFMR website by December 1.
Fee: A $75 course fee will be collected after admittance to the class.
Fees are used for: Each participant receives a copy of the book “The Natural History of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve”, a tri-fold laminated guide to the tidepool organisms of FMR, digital access to the 2027 Training Manual, interpretation guides, and various supplemental materials. The fee also covers rental costs for our classroom sessions.
Expectations during the training class
Attendance: Attendance for the entirety of each session is mandatory. ONE absence will be permitted, but is not suggested. More than one absence will drop participants from the class, without a tuition refund.
Assigned readings: Assigned readings must be completed prior to class, or when indicated on the syllabus.
Research and Presentation: Each person is required to research one (or more) tidepool organisms and present the information, with interpretation, to the class. This will help each naturalist-in-training have ready-to-go engagements with the tour groups.
Pop quizzes and in-tidepool assessments of content interpretation may occur. This is to help provide more personalized attention to each participant.
Mentor Sessions: Requirements pre-graduation include at least three – 2 hours long shadowing sessions with an experienced volunteer, either on a tour or roving. Naturalists will graduate upon successful completion of the training class and mentoring sessions. After graduation, we are happy to offer more mentoring sessions, opportunities to double up with a fellow volunteer, and other means of support to ensure confidence and success as a tour guide.
Post-graduation expectations: Each volunteer is requested to complete 6 volunteer hours per month, through a combination of activities including: guiding tours, reef roving, being a “seal ambassador”, staffing the visitor center, participating in plankton/pier animal events, research surveys or other avenues. During the season, leading tours is to be prioritized. These opportunities will be explained during the course, and there will be training/mentoring available one-on-one for each activity.
Admittance to class. Priority will go to those available to conduct tours on weekdays since this is when the bulk of our tours are scheduled.
Admission notification: Applicants will be notified by December 18 of acceptance/waitlist status.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email us at volunteer@fitzgeraldreserve.org. A dedicated member of our volunteer team will respond within a few days.