Students interested in learning about local ecology and volunteering their time for a good cause will find ample opportunities to get outside this spring with local conservation organizations.

Grasslands Heritage Foundation (GHF) and Native Lands Restoration Collaborative (NLRC) are two nonprofits that offer hands-on learning experiences and are always in need of volunteers. Both organizations are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of tallgrass prairie, a highly endangered ecosystem that once covered this part of the world.  

“GHF is a small nonprofit that focuses on tallgrass prairie primarily through education and stewardship opportunities,” said Nicole Stanton-Wilson, the program’s director and preserve manager.

GHF hosts its “Groundhogs” workdays every second Saturday of the month at Snyder Prairie, 30 miles north of Topeka. The focus of these workdays is invasive species removal, a labor-intensive process that requires a lot of hands-on work. GHF posts an online calendar dedicated to their volunteer days as well as numerous education opportunities.

NLRC also posts an online calendar of its events, and executive director Courtney Masterson said that personalized volunteer schedules can be made by reaching out to NLRC staff.

“If they don’t see an opportunity to engage in a community event,” Masterson said. “They can set up a unique schedule with our staff for their own gift of time to this important work. We try to make it easy to get involved.”

GHF is also looking for volunteers to help set up and run its annual native plant sale at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence on May 10. GHF and NLRC regularly partner for prairie restorations, such as current projects taking place at Prairie Park in east Lawrence and Blackjack Battlefield south of Lawrence. Workdays for those events will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tallgrass prairie is one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and also one of the most threatened. In Douglas County, only a fraction of a percent remains intact. These ecosystems are crucial for the health of birds and pollinators and for water quality. Conservationists face an uphill battle preserving what remains.

Signing up for volunteer email lists is the best way to stay involved with both organizations.

NLRC’s email sign-up may be found here and GHF’s sign-up is here.

Both Masterson and Stanton-Wilson encourage interested volunteers to email their respective organizations with any questions.

• Nativelandsks@gmail.com
• Grasslandheritage@gmail.com.