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Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Volunteers are important members of the Brooklyn Bridge Park community and are critical to the success of the Conservancy's programs.

New Volunteers
New to volunteering with Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy? Start your journey by telling us about yourself.
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Returning Volunteers
Thank you to all our returning volunteers. Welcome back!
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Corporate Opportunities
Get your team or place of work involved in Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.
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More Information

  • TIDES

      To learn more about TIDES (Teens Interested in & Dedicated to Environmental Stewardship) click here.

  • Green Team

      • Green Team volunteers beautify the park every week. The Green Team provides essential horticultural care to the park.
      • Volunteers help with mulching or removing invasive plants for two hours. Volunteers must be willing to follow directions and work with the group at all times.
      • Children are welcome to volunteer with a parent or guardian.
      • Locations vary each week, will be emailed to registered participants. Date/times announced each season.
      • Minimum age: 16
  • Coastal Cleanup

      • Coastal Cleanup Volunteers give back to the community while helping remove hundreds of pounds of trash from Brooklyn Bridge Park salt marshes and beaches.  This opportunity requires climbing rocks.
      • Volunteer opportunities are available according to low tides, from April – October.
      • Time commitment: two hours.
      • Children are welcome to help with a parent or guardian present.
      • Minimum age: 16
  • Spring Spruce Up & Cutback

      • Spring Spruce Up & Cutback volunteers help us prepare for the arrival of spring by cutting back overwintered grasses, remove winter debris and tidy up the planting beds in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
      • Volunteers have an opportunity to help out in the park while connecting with others and observing the first signs of spring!
      • Time commitment: two hours.
      • Children are welcome to help with a parent or guardian present.
      • Minimum age: 16
  • Education Volunteers

      • Volunteers help the Education staff with School Programs and the Environmental Education Center Open Hours, and Seining. Programs take place in the north section of the park and last approximately 2-3 hours.
      • Prospective volunteers for this position must attend an orientation and complete training.
      • Time commitment depend on the activities.
      • Minimum age: 16
  • Zone Volunteers

      • Zone Volunteers work alongside Horticulture staff to care for the park’s diverse landscapes and habitats. Volunteers commit to working 3-4 hours per week.
      • Prospective applicants should be prepared for work that may be physically demanding.
      • Volunteers must have some previous horticultural experience.
      • Volunteers with weekday availability will be given priority shifts.
      • Minimum age: 18
  • Park Greeters, Tour Guides, and Park User Survey Volunteers

      • Park Greeters: share with visitors all things Brooklyn Bridge Park. They engage the public, answer their questions and distribute park maps, literature, event calendars, and more.
      • Prospective volunteers for this position must attend an orientation and complete training. Volunteers must have strong customer service and communication skills, be comfortable working outdoors, and willing to represent Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.
      • Volunteers commit two hours per month for a season, April – October.
      • Minimum age: 18
      • Docents/tour guides: lead public park tours on weekends and to groups during scheduled visits. Tours take place throughout the park and last approximately 60 minutes. Docents represent BBP and The Conservancy to visitors and play a crucial role in educating the public about Brooklyn Bridge Park’s unique design, history, and ecology.
      • Prospective volunteers for this position must attend an interview and complete training.
      • Minimum age: 18
      • Park User Survey: Volunteers assist the Conservancy by administering surveys to the Public. They can take place during special events (i.e. Movies with a View, Harvest Festival) or other days throughout the summer, when needed.
      • Minimum age: 16
  • Festival Volunteers

      • Public Program Volunteers greet and provide information to the public, assist in the set-up and break down of equipment, administer park surveys, and distribute park-related materials. Shifts generally last 2-3 hours.
      • Volunteers must attend an orientation prior to signing up for shifts.
      • Minimum age: 18
  • Photographers

      • Photographers produce a collection of photographs that represent Brooklyn Bridge Park and its programs.
      • Must attend an orientation. Prospective photographers must send examples of their work before they receive an assignment. Volunteer photographers will be credited for their work.
      • Minimum age: 18
  • Park Peers

      • A program dedicated to volunteers living with disabilities, while helping to keep the park beautiful and vibrant through their work each season.
      • The goal of Park Peers is to provide volunteers with skills that can be used in a professional setting; to that end, their hours can be used for job or college applications.
      • Check back for more information.
  • Fishing Programs (Seining, Rod & Reel)

      • Seining Volunteers help with fishing activities at Brooklyn Bridge Park, allowing the public to discover the underwater world of the East River and learn more about the amazing creatures living in this unique estuarine habitat.  This is a catch and release program.
      • Volunteers responsibilities include, but are not limited to, helping Education staff drag a 20-foot seine net along the bottom of the river bed to catch, identifying and releasing fish and invertebrates, and assisting with crowd control at the shoreline.
      • Please note: Volunteers must be 16 or older to enter the water.
      • Rod & Reel Volunteers assist Conservancy staff with Rod & Reel fishing programs off Pier 5. Knowledge of fishing/angling is important, but not required. This is a catch and release program.
      • Minimum age: 16
      • Volunteers must attend a training to participate. Training takes place once a year in May.
  • Kayaking Volunteers

      Support the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse during the kayaking season, by volunteering directly with them! Opportunities include check-in volunteers, dock volunteers, safety boaters, and program leaders. Learn more here.

2023 Volunteer Orientations

Attend a volunteer orientation and learn how to give back to the park!  Volunteers help us with in-person horticulture/maintenance, recreational, educational, and cultural programs all season long.  At Volunteer Orientations, you will learn about park history, volunteer opportunities, schedules, and any trainings needed. Orientations will take place in the park in 2023 unless otherwise noted-location will be sent closer to the event date.

Upcoming Volunteer Orientation Dates:
Tuesday, February 7
Tuesday, February 21
Tuesday, March 7
Tuesday, March 21
Tuesday, April 4
Wednesday May 10
Wednesday, June 21
Tuesday July 18
Tuesday August 1
Tuesday August 15

All take place 6:00-7:00 PM unless noted.

Please register for your preferred date through your Volunteer Profile, or make a new one here.

Note: Orientations do not count towards total volunteer hours.

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