Volunteering

Volunteers make a meaningful impact on the GEO mission! Volunteers often find joy in the quiet work of the herbarium. At GEO, our volunteers are encouraged to pursue their interests, contribute their skills and take advantage of the opportunities to learn about plants and natural history collections. We aim to offer each volunteer a productive and rewarding experience. Before beginning work in the herbarium, all volunteers receive training in the proper handling of specimens and common techniques used in our weekly workflow. Some activities that volunteers can assist us with include: sorting specimens, mounting specimens onto archival paper, imaging specimens with our digital image station, affixing labels and barcodes, and much more. Volunteers do not need to be “trained” botanists. Anyone with a love for plants and natural history collections is encouraged to apply!

We have several types of volunteer opportunities available. All volunteers are asked to dedicate a minimum of 7+ hours per week (divided into 3 hour blocks minimum) in the herbarium sometime during our open hours (8am-5pm, M-F). This ensures that the time taken dedicated to volunteer training is recuperated. Volunteers will always have the Collections Manager available in the herbarium to supervise activities and assist with any questions.