Volunteers bring their enthusiasm to Sedgwick and make so much of what happens here possible! After training with experts in everything from Sedgwick history to ecology to geology, docents support public hikes, community events, community science initiatives, and land stewardship projects on the Reserve. Docents bring their own knowledge, talents, and interests to the Reserve, but the training and our wonderful community of docent naturalists will teach you everything you need to know!
Sedgwick Reserve runs a docent training course every other year. All volunteers must begin with docent training. The next docent training will begin in January 2027. We will meet two Saturdays a month January-May. Please fill out an application to be notified when registration opens for the next docent cohort. The class will be limited to 20 participants.
Volunteering provides a unique opportunity to hone your skills as a naturalist and support conservation and scientific research. For questions, email Outreach and Communications Specialist Nikki Evans at nevans@ucsb.edu or call us at 805-686-1941.
The primary role of docents are to support our public programs. The Reserve is open to the public on a managed basis only. Public hikes are offered on second Saturdays December-May with pop-up programs throughout the year. Docents also lead hikes for visiting classes, research groups, and nonprofits.
Besides leading educational hikes, volunteer opportunities include:
- Scouting and maintaining trails
- Helping with special events
- Phenology monitoring
- Bird Monitoring
- Observation Recording
- Maintaining building and grounds
- Planting and caring for oaks
- Cataloging archival documents
- Fundraising
- Assisting with office and computer tasks