Volunteer
Join our great staff and other volunteers at the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy office or on one of our open space preserves. Lend your time and special talents to help with a project that we just couldn’t get done without you. Whether for just a few hours occasionally or on a regular schedule, every hour you can give truly makes a difference. Just let us know what you would like to do. You will find a wonderful group of people working together to protect the Ojai Valley’s natural open spaces. It takes a community, please join us!
Get Muddy Challenge!
Allen and Marilyn Camp have challenged you to give back by getting muddy. If 40 new volunteers join us in working on the trails in March, this generous donor will give OVLC $20,000. (That’s $500 per new volunteer!!)
Join Our Volunteer Adopter Program
Wish you could volunteer on your own schedule? Now you can!
Much like the broader society, our volunteer program has been stop-and-go since the pandemic began. Over the past year, thanks to funding from the Ojai Women’s Fund, we were able to start our Volunteer Adopter Program. The program has given volunteers the flexibility to help us maintain our 27 miles of trails and extensive oak restoration projects on their own time. Individuals have been able to take on responsibility for a section of trail on our various preserves (Trail Adopters) or several oak restoration circles on the Ventura River Preserve (Restoration Adopters)…
Learn More About the Volunteer Adopter Program »
How You Can Volunteer
Help Out at the Office
Experience the pulse of the Conservancy by working at our office with our staff and other volunteers on mailings and special projects. This includes writing thank you cards, preparing mailings and making thank you calls.
Restore Native Habitat by Planting and Weeding
Come plant a tree, or provide watering and basic care for newly planted native trees and plants on the preserves to help assure the success of ongoing ecologic restoration projects.
Preserve Maintenance and Cleanups
Help keep our trails and signage in good shape for the enjoyment and safety of all. Group trail maintenance days are scheduled several times each year, with some regular, on-going opportunities for those who like to get down and dirty.
Be a Preserve Tour Docent
Help guide nature walks of the preserves for small groups of all ages and experience. We provide all the training and support documents you’ll need. We try to have a team of 8-10 docents on call so that we can always find someone who is available to lead a tour when needed.
Help Us With Our Special Events
Throughout the year, OVLC hosts various events, ranging from small gatherings to large events like our annual member celebration and Telluride Mountainfilm On Tour. The success of each event depends on unique talents from our volunteers, before, during and after the event.
Informal Everyday Ways to Volunteer
Help grow our stock of beautiful Ojai Photographs
Do you have or like to take great landscape photos or pictures of people or wildlife out and about on our preserves or around the Ojai Valley? We would love to grow our stock of photos.
Help Keep the Preserves Beautiful
If you are interested in helping us keep our preserves clean and beautiful, please join us at your leisure by taking a walk with a trash bag. Just take a trash bag with you when you walk the preserves on your own and enjoy the rewards of carrying it out full. Every little bit helps!
Sign up today to receive volunteer opportunity notifications!
If you would like to help the Conservancy reach its goals through the generous contribution of your time, please fill out this form, call (805) 649-6852 ext. 2, or email us at info@ovlc.org.
