How do we protect over 33,000 acres and host 25 events per year?  Volunteers!  Our devoted corps does everything from clearing trails to organizing events.  Choose one of the volunteer types below and use the signup form!  Also see some volunteer stories.

Trailblazers

• Type of work:  Outdoor field work at our nature preserves.
• Ideal for:  Folks who feel physically able to clear trails, climb hills, and build stuff.
• More info: See “More About Trailblazers” at the bottom of this page
• Sign up: Use the online form here!

Trailblazer Signup Form

Educational Hike Leader

• Type of work:  Leading hikes in our “Talks & Treks” educational series.
• Ideal for:  Good speakers with knowledge of ecology, geology, plants, animals, etc.
• Sign up: Use the form below

Photographer/Videographer

• Type of work:  Visual media for outreach, fundraising, and promotion.
• Ideal for:  People with photography and videography skills (and own equipment).
• Signup: Use the form below

We need brilliant visuals to help tell the story of conservation in the Finger Lakes region.  Specifically we need imagery of:

• FLLT nature preserves  
• Go Finger Lakes locations
• Wildlife anywhere in the Finger Lakes region
• Toxic algae outbreaks on the Finger Lakes

How to engage:

• Photo submissions:  Email a few sample images to info@fllt.org, then we can arrange a Dropbox if needed.  Include your name and photo location.
• Video submissions:  Email a very short clip to info@fllt.org or send a link to hosted videos.  Include your name and video location.
• Specs:  Photos must be a minimum of 2,000 pixels wide (if horizontal image) or 2,000 pixels tall (if vertical image).  Horizontal images are preferred as the most flexible for various contexts.  Videos must be a minimum of 1,920 pixels wide (1080p, horizontal).
• Terms:  All media must be your own original work, to which you own the rights.  You retain your rights to your media; however, by submitting your media, you grant the Finger Lakes Land Trust (and those authorized by the Finger Lakes Land Trust) a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any Finger Lakes Land Trust purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion, on its web site, and in exhibitions, including but not limited to Land Trust publications.  Media reproduced will include a credit when feasible.  The Land Trust will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Signup Form: Hike Leaders & Photographers

Fields marked with * are required.

Signing up to be a volunteer will subscribe you to our monthly email newsletter, The Living Land, with the latest conservation news in the Finger Lakes (if you are not already subscribed).  You can unsubscribe from that at any time.

More About Trailblazers

The Finger Lakes Land Trust depends on a network of dedicated volunteers from the community, called Trailblazers, to help us accomplish good things at our network of nature preserves.

After you sign up for the Trailblazers, you will get an email from time to time asking if you can help with a variety of projects.  They may include:

• Establishing new trails and maintaining existing trails
• Building kiosks or bridges
• Collecting litter
• Controlling non-native invasive plants

These are typically group activities and a great way to meet other land trust supporters and outdoors people while also giving something back to the preserves.

We need Trailblazers more than anything else.  With dozens of publicly accessible nature preserves to maintain, there’s always lots to do. Please signup for “Trailblazers” in the form if you can give a couple days a year to the Trailblazer team.  It’s a great way to get outdoors with other good people.

Work days occur in different seasons, and locations vary around the Finger Lakes region.  You can feel free to sign up for whichever ones fit your schedule and abilities and interests.

Trailblazer Signup Form

Preserve Stewards

In addition to the Trailblazer list, we also engage volunteers as Stewards of a particular nature preserve.  Stewards are people who can commit to longer-term assistance and help to take care of our preserves by visiting them regularly throughout the year.  If you are interested in this type of volunteering, please email Jason Gorman, our Land Steward, and he can provide you with more details.

Internships

If you are interested in finding out about college internship opportunities with the Finger Lakes Land Trust, please email Jason Gorman.