If your care about the sanctuary and want do more to protect this special place, consider volunteering! Volunteers help educate visitors about wildlife, collect important research data from sanctuary beaches and watersheds, and provide advice on key sanctuary management and protection issues. Time commitments vary for each opportunity—please check the specific program you are interested in.
Volunteer Opportunities:
Water Quality and Beach Monitoring Programs |
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Volunteers test water quality throughout the sanctuary's watersheds one day each spring. |
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Held during the first major storm of the year, volunteers analyze water quality to characterize "first flush" storm water runoff. |
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Volunteers collect urban runoff water samples from storm drains during the dry weather months that are analyzed for contaminants. |
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A beach monitoring study, utilizing volunteers to sample selected sections of beach for stranded marine birds and mammals. |
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Interpretive Guide and Docent Programs |
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Volunteers learn the basics of kayaking and are trained as naturalists to educate other kayakers about the sanctuary and to promote respectful wildlife viewing. |
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Bay Net Volunteer Naturalists engage the public by introducing the sanctuary and local wildlife easily seen from shore with binoculars and spotting scopes. |
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Volunteers assist with programs and operations of the Coastal Discovery Center located in San Simeon. |
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Volunteers guide visitors through exhibits, help with events and programs, or assist with daily operations. |
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Additional Programs Supported by MBNMS |
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Volunteers come together annually in September to pick up trash and debris from California's coastal beaches and watersheds. |
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The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Volunteer of the Year Award is our way of saying thank you to these volunteers who take time out of their lives to make the Sanctuary a better place. |
Volunteer of the Year