become a
volunteer

get involved: volunteer at SNCO

Volunteers are at the heart of Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory (SNCO), supporting our mission to foster curiosity and create educational experiences that inspire a deeper connection to space and the natural world. With opportunities ranging from wildlife care and environmental education to astronomy, native plant restoration, visitor services, and sustainable retail, there’s a meaningful role for everyone to make a difference. Read the volunteer role descriptions below, and if any pique your interest, we invite you to apply today to become part of our passionate community.

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Click on the volunteer titles below to read the role description, learn about schedules and note any age restrictions.

Our resident Animal Ambassadors act as representatives of their species. Birds of prey, ducks, quail, reptiles, and amphibians give visitors up-close opportunities to learn about wildlife and how to advocate for their conservation. If you can see yourself helping care for our ambassador wildlife, maintaining the cleanliness of enclosures, prepping diets, and interpreting their natural history facts for visitors, join us as an Animal Care volunteer.
Schedule: Any day of the week, 9am-12pm
Commitment: Must commit to at least one weekly three-hour shift.
Age: Must be 16+ and proximity to carnivorous animal ambassadors is reserved for volunteers over 18.
Educational programming is the heart of our mission at SNCO. Our Education staff are looking for volunteers to help kids engage in education activities for field trips, summer camps, and homeschool days with themes in a variety of natural science and astronomy curriculums. If you are passionate about helping to inspire the world’s future conservationists and astronomers, and you feel comfortable encouraging students to ask questions on nature walks, making crafts, and facilitating hands-on science, consider becoming an Education Program volunteer.
Schedule: Program offerings change throughout the year and sessions can last anywhere between 1-4 hours. They generally occur on week days.
Commitment: There is no minimum time commitment.
Age: 18+
Our nature center is full of opportunities to discover, explore, and connect with the natural world. Naturalist volunteers help bring these experiences to life by engaging with visitors, answering questions about local plants, wildlife, and landscapes, and helping visitors dive deeper into scientific inquiry regarding those observations. Preference for people with knowledge of local species and habitats. If you enjoy sharing your knowledge of the natural world, connecting with people, and sparking curiosity about the environment around us, consider joining us as a Naturalist volunteer.
Schedule: The Nature Center is open Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-3pm, with two 2.5-hour volunteer shifts available each day.
Commitment: Must commit to at least one weekly shift.
Age: All ages welcome, volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The front desk is the first point of contact for visitors exploring SNCO! Front Desk volunteers help create a welcoming experience by greeting guests, processing admissions, answering general questions, and orienting visitors to our campus and offerings. If you enjoy interacting with people, providing great customer service, and helping visitors make the most of their experience, consider joining us as a Front Desk volunteer. Basic money-handling skills and comfort using a point-of-sale (POS) system are required.
Schedule: The Nature Center is open Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-3pm, with two 2.5-hour volunteer shifts available each day.
Commitment: Must commit to at least one weekly shift.
Age: 18 +

Nature Center Volunteers

If you are passionate about astronomy education and would like to learn how to operate state-of-the-art telescopes to inspire guests to love the night sky, you might find a nocturnal home at the Observatory.
Our Observatory boasts one of the largest collections of telescopes available for public use in the country! Sunriver’s status as an International Dark Sky Community makes for ideal conditions for our Observatory staff and volunteers to guide visitors in viewing distant stars, planets, globular clusters, and galaxies. No previous telescope operating experience required, just a willingness to learn!
Schedule: Public observatory programs happen year-round Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights with more nights of operation in the summertime. Start times are dependent on sunset but range between 7pm and 9pm with shifts lasting 3 hours.
Commitment: Must commit to at least one weekly shift.
Age: 13+, volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
If you like to get your hands dirty tending to seedlings growing to create more biodiverse landscapes in our neighborhoods, join us at our native plant nursery, Project Ponderosa.
Project Ponderosa supports the restoration of native Ponderosa Pine trees and a multitude of other native trees and shrubs in the Sunriver community and the Upper Deschutes River ecosystem. Nursery volunteers help grow and care for seedlings that will contribute to forest health, habitat restoration, and greater forest diversity. If you enjoy working with plants and supporting local conservation efforts, consider joining us as a Project Ponderosa Nursery volunteer!
Schedule: Timing and day of the week are flexible.
Commitment: Must commit to at least one weekly shift.
Age: All ages welcome, volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Are you looking for a community of people focused on sustainability? Contribute your time at the Second Tern Thrift Store where we turn donated items into curated gems, with all proceeds benefiting SNCO!
The Second Tern Thrift Store hosts SNCO’s largest team of volunteers. From unloading and sorting donations, pricing items, organizing store displays, and assisting customers, volunteers work with staff to facilitate every aspect of the retail thrift store’s operations. Volunteer roles are organized by store departments such as clothing, linens, kitchen/décor, electronics, furniture, sporting goods, tools, books, jewelry, and more!
Schedule: The thrift store is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-3pm, with volunteer shifts from 9am-3pm. There are also volunteer workdays on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am-3pm.
Commitment: Must commit to at least one weekly three-hour shift.
Age: 16+

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