Does Volunteering with River Otter Ecology Project sound fun to you? Volunteer training happens in May and June. Please check out our Volunteer pages and put in your application!
We appreciate all our volunteers, who do important field and outreach work for us, and make community science deservedly respected. Here is just a little about Ganette and why we are so grateful to our volunteers.
Why Otters?
Otters started becoming really special to me when I saw them on the Santa Rosa Creek. It seemed like every time they “appeared” it was on a day that I was feeling down, and the time I saw the mom and her pup was at a pretty low point in my life, and each time seeing the otters just gave me an incredible boost and sense of hope that things would turn around and get better. I keep coming back to working with ROEP because it feels like I get a chance to not only enrich my life, but give back and show my appreciation to the otters that got me through those tough moments and provide me with beautiful memories that cut through some of the bleaker times of my life.
What do you seek in a volunteer opportunity?
I love any opportunity that gets me out in nature more and connecting with the earth and animals. I love learning and being able to pass that knowledge on as well. One of the things I really like about being a River Otter Ambassador is getting more practice with speaking to people and getting others excited about Otters and nature as well!
Tell us about your hopes and dreams for the future.
The more time I spend in nature the more hope I have that the future will be more joy-filled than sorrowful. Honestly my connection with nature is what has helped me believe again in the power of having dreams for the future and that those dreams are worth pursuing even when the path isn’t always clear. I would love to work outside in nature in a position where I can help others connect with nature in the way that I have because I truly believe its life changing and saving.
My favorite part about working with ROEP is definitely that everyone I’ve met is very enthusiastic about the project and incredibly knowledgeable. I learn something new every time and I also get connected with great resources for me to learn more about nature (like the CA Naturalist Program) and become more involved in environmental work.
What other volunteer work do you do? I am the Volunteer Commitee Lead for the Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic 2024! Last year I volunteered at the event and I had such a great time and even went on my first Hot Air Balloon flight. It was awesome getting to see my home town, Santa Rosa, from such a different view point! I also enjoy participating in creek and park cleanups throughout the year.