Become a Volunteer!

Volunteer Opportunities to Protect and Preserve the Catawba River

If you have a skill or expertise, we probably have a way to utilize your skill or expertise.   We encourage you to call us up and talk to us about ways that you might be able to use your skills or expertise to support the work of Catawba Riverkeeper even if your idea is not on the list below.

Special current needs ...

We are looking for a volunteer with experience laying out a newsletter using simple software and getting it in a format that is printer ready.  We will write the articles.

Ongoing volunteer opportunities...

Individual activities

Clean Ups

• Organize or participate in lake / stream cleanups

• Adopt an island

• Adopt a stream

Protection

• Become an Islandkeeper - help keep islands in the Catawba lakes clean

• Become a Streamwatcher - monitor a specific creek in the Catawba watershed.

• Participate in Muddy Water Watch - identify and report violations of sedimentation and erosion control rules

• Become a Covekeeper, Cove Watcher or Water Watcher - patrol a portion of a lake or river or help us respond to reports of problems (Covekeeper Volunteer Program)

• Conduct Water Quality Monitoring

• Perform River Patrols - Air and Boat

• Conduct storm drain stenciling

• Help construct rain gardens

• Help restore natural vegetation in buffer areas around streams, rivers and lakes.

• Assist with water testing

Fundraising / Events

• Plan or host social and fundraising events (many of our members host relatively small house parties where they invite a few friends to hear about the work of Catawba Riverkeeper)

• Volunteer to staff a booth at events where we are invited to have a booth

• Assist in maintaining donor records

• Help identify potential members and develop prospect list

• Write letters to neighbors and other potential donors

• Assist with grant writing

• Help us cleanup and/or refurbish used boats donated to CRF

Educational

• Build informational kiosks with information about the Catawba River

• Write articles for our Newsletter

• Become a leader in an after-school program about the environment

• Become a leader or assistant in our youth kayak program

• Help us tow our kayak trailer to events and youth kayaking trips

• Lead an eco-tour

• Speak about environmental issues to groups on behalf of CRF

• Show a Catawba Riverkeeper video at an event

• Represent the Catawba Riverkeeper at meetings

• Update our website and/or social media sites

Advocacy

• Review documents and gather data for pending litigation

• Help us monitor compliance with past litigation judgments and settlements 

• Comment on proposed permits and requests for regulatory approvals

• Monitor and comment on proposed land-use plans

• Monitor meetings of commissions and councils, such as county commissions

• Circulate petitions

• Write articles or letters to the editor

• Contact elected officials about issues

• Recruit people to attend clean water lobby day

• Participate in Clean Water Lobby Day

Administrative

• Assist with adding new work stations to computer system, making backup system work, and setting up hardware and software

• Assist with keeping financial records

• Assist us in maintaining the boats that we use to patrol the River

• Help us tow our boats to different parts of the basin

Research

• Call businesses to get names of individuals at each business who are responsible for philanthropic giving

• Call state and local governments to get name and contact info for people responsible for various issues relating to the Catawba 

• Research issues affecting the Catawba River

Group activities

• Boy Scout service projects
• Fundraising phone bank
• Stream, island and river cleanups (click on the picture belowfor information on Ft. Mill's Adopt-A-Stream program)  

For more information, contact us at 704-679-9494 or crf@catawbariverkeeper.org.  Ready to volunteer? Just fill out the information below!