Volunteer opportunities with the Friends of the Wilderness Park

If you’re interested in volunteering or would like more information, please fill out our Contact form and check the box that says, “Please send me information about Friends’ volunteer activities.”

Please note that because of the ongoing pandemic, all volunteers for the Friends must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Volunteer T-shirts:

Anyone who volunteers more than once will receive a free “Friends of the Wilderness Park” T-shirt!

Current Volunteer Opportunities:

Second Saturday program

On the second Saturday of every month, Friends volunteer at the park to:

  • Greet park visitors
    • Provide a map of Park trails
    • Make sure hikers have water
    • Check that dogs are on leashes
    • Answer any questions about the Park
  • Pick up trash
    • Walk the trails and pick up trash
    • Trash bags, gloves, and pick-up tools are provided

For more information, please see the Second Saturday Program page.

Documentation of Park Flora and Fauna

Understanding what flora and fauna live in the Wilderness Park is essential for conservation management.  To start documenting the Park biota, we are using iNaturalist to collect observations of plants and animals in the Park. Observations are made by taking photographs in the Park with a camera or phone and uploading them to the iNaturalist website, where they are automatically added to our project, Biota of the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park.

For more information on this project and how to use iNaturalist, please see the Biota of the Wilderness Park page.

Mapping Invasive Plants in the Park

“Invasive plant species degrade native habitat and displace native plants and wildlife, increase wildfire potential, increase slope erosion potential, and degrade recreational opportunities. Therefore, invasive plant species control and management are important components to preserving the integrity of CHWP’s native habitat.”     — CHWP Master Plan

In order to help create an invasive plant species management strategy, Friends volunteers are currently mapping invasive plant species in the Park using the Calflora Observer Pro App.

For more information please see our Invasive Plants page.

Evaluation of Unauthorized Trails

The leaders of the Trails Working Group have had to step down for pandemic-related reasons, so this program is currently on hiatus. If you would be interested in coordinating the evaluation of unauthorized trails, please contact us at info@friendsofthewildernesspark.org.

In the Park you may have notice a number of small informal trails branching off from the mail trails (fire roads). The 2016 Master Plan noted that although many of these unauthorized trails are narrow, they represent a potentially serious threat to the CHWP’s natural environment by fragmenting habitat, causing erosion, and providing routes for spread of invasive species. They can, however, add to the user experience by providing beautiful views, thrilling rides, closer contact with nature, and short cuts between major trails. The Master Plan charged the Friends with evaluating these trails, recommending to the City which trails added sufficiently to the user experience to be integrated into the formal trail network and which should be closed.

If you are interested in helping evaluate these trails, and especially if you would be willing to be a leader for this project, please contact us at info@friendsofthewildernesspark.org.

Possible Future Volunteer Opportunities:

  • Helping to improve and maintain trails
  • Removing invasive plants
  • Becoming a Park docent

If you would be interested in helping to set one of these or another new program, please contact us at info@friendsofthewildernesspark.org