The holidays usher in a period of goodwill and giving like no other time of the year. There are opportunities everywhere to add a donation to your holiday purchases, collect canned goods for a local food bank or donate your time at a homeless shelter. This year, turn that holiday spirit into a year-round commitment to giving back to the great outdoors.
Being a good steward of the environment has never seemed more urgent than now. Questions about climate change and natural disasters like wildfires and floods dominate the headlines with increasing regularity. Volunteering to conserve and protect our natural resources is not only an investment in the future of our planet, it’s a fun way to gather family and friends, give back and share the importance of our parks and public lands. Let’s roll up our sleeves and honor Mother Nature this holiday season.
Here are 13 ways you can give back to the outdoors.
1. Build a Hiking Trail
If you love to hike, consider volunteering on a work crew to build or repair a trail near you. Almost every trail in the country is lovingly tended by a local advocacy group, so a search of trails in your area should lead you to the park or “friends of” organization that hosts trail maintenance events. The physically demanding work is perfect for families with teens and energetic youth groups. Start here.
2. Keep Invasives in Check
A negative side effect of our global economy is the spread of plants outside their native habitat, sometimes with disastrous effects on local plants and wildlife. Organizations like Maryland’s Sierra Club are hosting events that train you to identify and remove harmful intruders. Elementary and middle school kids will love the sleuthing skills required to for this project. Start here.
3. Commit to a Clean-Up
One of the easiest ways to make an impact outdoors is by participating in a clean up day in your community. Sign up for an event or create your own to collect litter at your favorite park, beach, greenway or river. Over 8,000 volunteers turned out last year for Parks & Trails New York’s I Love My Park Day. You can make 2019 even bigger. Start here.
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4. Lend Financial Support
From national organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund to local advocacy groups like the Grand Canyon Conservancy, there’s plenty of environmental organizations doing important work, and they all need financial support. Set up a donation jar in the kitchen, so the whole family can toss in their spare change. Choose a group that’s close to your heart, like American Rivers, protecting America’s waterways for paddlers. Start here.
5. Do Your Part to Prevent Wildfires
Deadly wildfires have become one of the biggest issues facing rangers and firefighters across the country. Now’s a great time for your whole family to become reacquainted with Smokey the Bear. Brush up on campfire safety and wildfire prevention at home, then go on a family camping trip to practice extinguishing hot coals, preparing a campfire ring and other skills. Start here.
6. Conserve Water
You don’t even have to leave home to conserve one of our most precious natural resources. Repair leaky faucets, insulate water pipes and add drought-tolerant plants to your landscaping to make water conservation an everyday habit. There are hundreds of small changes you can make to be drought-ready. Start here.
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7. Restore Habitats
Human impact and environmental change are reshaping our natural spaces, especially in the Mississippi River Delta. Sea level rise, shipping and levees are just a few reasons that land is disappearing at an alarming rate. Volunteer to plant dune grasses and restore oyster reefs to preserve this fragile landscape. Start here.
8. Help Hurricane Recovery
The state parks of the Florida panhandle are rebounding from the pounding winds and storm surge of Hurricane Michael, but some are changed forever. If you’re considering a trip to Florida, check park conditions and volunteer opportunities before you travel. Start here.
9. Share the Leave No Trace Ethic
If you spend much time outdoors, you know the importance of leaving natural spaces as you found them. Teach Leave No Trace principles like respecting wildlife and proper waste disposal at community outreach events like festivals, trainings and service projects. Start here.
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10. Take a Buddy Outdoors
Share your passion for the outdoors with people who may not get the chance to enjoy America’s wild places on their own. Outdoors for All pairs skiers, cyclists, kayakers and hikers with people with disabilities and their families for adventures in the Pacific Northwest. Recreation programs get over 2,000 kids and adults with disabilities outside each year. Start here.
11. Become a Citizen Scientist
Connectivity, cameras and cell phones have paved the way for the nationwide citizen scientist movement. Your curiosity and observation skills are all you’ll need to gather environmental data that trained scientists use to solve issues in our public lands. Join Oregon Zoo’s Cascades Pika Watch to map pika populations and help researchers understand how climate is changing how and where these tiny mammals live. Start here.
12. Lead a Community Project
One way to make a big impact in your region is to organize support and participation around a project in your home state. Choose from over 150 national forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service and organize a group effort to inventory wildlife and plants or build hiking trails. If you’re volunteering solo or RVing, you can help out at a visitor center or RVers can manage a campground. Start here.
13. Protect Our Pollinators
Pollinators like bees, butterflies and bats are not only responsible for fertilizing most of the flowering plants on earth, they contribute billions of dollars to U.S. crop production. You can support these beleaguered workers by creating a pollinator pit stop or garden, like North Carolina’s Butterfly Highway. Create your pollinator-friendly space in a backyard or at a local school, senior center or community garden. Start here.