Volunteering Cleveland
Volunteer Top Slider
THE NATURE CENTER AT SHAKER LAKES
VOLUNTEER WITH US

Volunteers play a vital role here, helping us to achieve our goals of conserving the land, connecting people to nature and inspiring environmental stewardship.

VOLUNTEER ABOUT

CONSERVE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.

BECOMING A VOLUNTEER

Thank you for your interest in volunteering! We appreciate those who dedicate their time, energy and skills to our mission. Achieving our goals would not be possible without the generosity of our volunteers. We will not be accepting individual volunteer applications through the month of March as we convert to a new Volunteer Management System.  Please return to our website in April. 

Teen volunteers who would like to register for summer youth programs may still do so by visiting the youth volunteer opportunities page. Group volunteers are also welcome and should click on the Group Volunteer Opportunities box below to get started.

The first step to becoming a volunteer is to complete the volunteer application. We will then schedule an interview. Your application and interview help us get to know you and connect you with the best opportunities to suit your interests and availability. You will then complete a profile in order to sign up for volunteer opportunities via the online Volunteer Calendar.

Image is not available
Volunteer Opportunities
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
SPECIAL EVENT VOLUNTEERING
Stewardship Saturdays
March - October
Youth Volunteering
ONGOING
Teens make an impact volunteering with our camps and with land management efforts.
Group Volunteer Opportunities
Opportunities available April – October

To learn more about these opportunities, please email volunteer@shakerlakes.org

VOY 2022
2023 VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
Our 2023 volunteers gave 10,656+ hours of time and energy in support of our mission. With much gratitude, we thank them all and recognize our Volunteer of the Year Recipients.
Dick Obermanns

Jenna Loveman

Jenna Loveman began volunteering as a Summer Youth Steward in 2021 and has returned each summer since. Jenna started volunteering at the Nature Center because she was looking for a way to get involved in her community and protect the environment. Throughout Jenna’s summers at the Nature Center, she has assisted in removing countless invasive plants and planting native plants. She has thoroughly enjoyed being able to learn about ecology, making connections with people of all ages interested in nature, and doing her part to conserve the local land. Jenna has also volunteered with bird banding, and she volunteered at the Nature Center for her Senior Project. She is a freshman at Skidmore College and is majoring in Environmental Science.

Dick Obermanns

Tom Prior

Tom Prior retired in 2022 after 32 years as the Director of the Molecular Genetics Labs at Ohio State University and then at Case Western medical centers. Tom pursued several volunteer possibilities and through good fortune found a perfect opportunity at the Nature Center. He has been involved in a diverse number of volunteer roles including: Trail Ambassador, Project FeederWatch, painting the interior of the Nature Center, Welcome desk volunteering, chaperoning summer field trips, and numerous data processing functions. Tom appreciates the diversity of these activities because he was concerned about the possibility of too much spare time and overall redundancy of activities during retirement.

Thank you to the many volunteers who gave their time and energy in support of our mission. We are extremely appreciative of your service!

Image is not available