Volunteer opportunities in the outdoors for hikers in Houston

Volunteering in the Outdoors - Houston Hiking

For hikers, bikers, and paddlers who want to do some good for the community while working outdoors, check out the list of volunteer opportunities below:

• Memorial Park Conservancy – Dedicated to the preservation of the native habitat of Memorial Park and to its public use. Volunteer to remove invasive species, clean up the park, work the annual golf tournament, or work the fun run.

• Friends of Galveston Island State Park – Volunteer opportunities include birding programs, work day crews, and education programs. The Friends of Galveston Island State Park has been instrumental in restoring the park after Hurricane Ike in 2008.

• Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens – A 300-acre nature center along Cypress Creek in north Houston. Volunteer opportunities include working in the gardens and greenhouses, leading education tours, improving the Mercer library, and cataloguing plant specimens for the herbarium.

• Houston Arboretum and Nature Center – Located in Memorial Park, volunteer opportunities include guiding school tours, working in the Discovery Room, working on the trails, gardening, working in the nature shop and library, and working as an aquarist to help care for the live animals in the Discovery Room.

• Hermann Park Conservancy – Dedicated to the stewardship and improvement of Hermann Park. Volunteer opportunities include gardening, prepare and execute special projects, work in the Conservancy office, educate groups about the Park, remove invasive plants, clean litter, remove algae from the ponds, plant trees, and restore trails in Bayou Parkland.

• Houston Wilderness – An alliance of business, environmental, and government interests dedicated to protect, preserve, and promote the unique biodiversity of the area. Volunteer opportunities include bird management, trails management, building projects, and education.

• Buffalo Bayou Partnership – A group who is responsible for developing and facilitating improvements to the Buffalo Bayou greenway system. Volunteer opportunities include green team Saturdays, adopt-a spot program, special events, outreach projects, and bayou beautification.