Volunteer Opportunities
We have a variety of volunteer opportunities available throughout the year:
Trail Work Parties & Stewardship Hikes
No training required / One-time commitment / All Seasons
Once each season we host ACFL trail work parties doing a variety of tasks in partnership with Anacortes Parks and Recreation. Appropriate for volunteers ages 12 and up.
During the fall and winter, we also offer stewardship hikes learning about and removing invasive species along the trails.
These events do not require a volunteer application and will be listed on our upcoming events & activities calendar.
Forest Discovery Center Docent (New!)
Training session required / Minimum commitment of 3 shifts / June-September
Docents are the face of our Forest Discovery Center. Working in teams and supported by staff, they greet and answer visitor questions, sell merchandise, and provide a key function in running our small nature center in Downtown Anacortes to promote sustainable recreation in our beautiful forest lands.
Available shifts are Noon - 4pm on Fridays and Saturdays, officially starting the second weekend in June.
Required Training: Wednesday, April 23rd from 3pm-6pm (REGISTER HERE) OR Saturday, April 26 from 10am-1pm (REGISTER HERE)
Adult Community Hike Volunteer Assistant or Guest Educator
No training required / One-time commitment / All seasons
Assistants provide support to our Community Programs Coordinator on our community hikes.
Educators, if you have a special skill or knowledge set and would like to serve as a guest co-leader of a hike or at our Forest Discovery Center in a classroom setting to share ACFL-related knowledge.
Trail Ambassadors
Training session required / Multiple weekends in the summer / Applications Open March 1st
Trail ambassador teams are strategically stationed at the busiest trailheads during weekends throughout the summer. They are a resource for trail users situated at some of the ACFL’s busiest trailheads educating visitors on the wonders of our forest and how to recreate safely and respectfully.
Required Training: May 14 OR 17
Citizen Science Volunteer (Starting again soon!)
Some training required / Once every other month commitment / All seasons
Our team-based water quality monitoring projects help us track a variety of key indicators in various spots across the Little Cranberry Lake area. This information helps inform us and the Forest Advisory Board on the health of our forests.
Macroinvertebrates: 10am to 1pm on the second Tuesday of every other month a team collects samples and brings them back to the Forest Discovery Center where other volunteers join and sort and count macroinvertebrates.
Water quality: Teams collect and test water samples in the field.
Administrative and Event Volunteer
No training required / One-time commitment / All seasons
Throughout the year we would love an extra set of hands to help with some odd jobs like folding newsletters, posting flyers throughout town for our events, freshening up our space, staffing events such as our annual benefit, and more.
Learn more about the volunteer experience:
Don’t see what you are looking for on our schedule yet? Fill out the short volunteer application below to get on our volunteer list:
Ongoing Ways to Get Involved:
Meet
Attend our monthly Board meetings at 6:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Please email us at info@friendsoftheacfl.org for details.
Lead
Are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors? Contact board@friendsoftheacfl.org to learn more.
Join Together
On March 4th, 2025 at 7pm at The Depot Arts Center, join us at our annual meeting for an informative presentation, board elections, an update on Friends of the ACFL business, and socializing.
Show Up
Attend monthly Forest Advisory Board meetings (cityofanacortes.org). Share your opinions and observations with this appointed body that helps to set ACFL policy for the City. Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month at 6pm.
Speak Up
Write or call your City Councilor (cityofanacortes.org) about ACFL issues. Make sure your elected representatives know that you support the preservation and protection of the ACFL.
Your ideas are always welcome. If you’d like to get involved or have an idea for a Friends of the ACFL, contact us at info@friendsoftheacfl.org