Be a Wild Ones ambassador at our educational tables for the following events:
CONNECTICUT FLOWER & GARDEN SHOW, Feb 19-22 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Wild Ones will host a table in the educational section. Volunteering to take a 2-3 hour shift will give you an opportunity to meet Connecticut residents passionate about their gardens and interested in learning more about native plants and what the Wild Ones organization can offer them.
In addition, on any day that you volunteer you will receive a complimentary pass for that day (a saving of $17-$20.70) and can attend lectures and demonstrations, visit vendor booths and collect information from other organizations both before and after your shift. The intent is to have 2 people at the table during the shift so don’t let the fact that you may not have volunteered in this way before hold you back.
Doug Tallamy is the featured speaker on Thursday at 2pm, and there are many other excellent speakers Thursday – Sunday addressing gardening with natives, eradicating invasives, site preparation, water gardens, gardening for Monarchs and many more topics. Learn more about the scheduled speakers and topics at: https://ctflowershow.com/ Use that information to decide the day(s) you want to attend, then send a note to: [email protected] to let us know which days you are interested in volunteering.
Attending the Flower and Garden Show is great fun and this is a wonderful way to help the organization, save money and get a taste of Spring in the middle of February. If interested, email [email protected].
GROTON EARTH DAY EXPO, April 25, 11 AM-4 PM at the Groton Public Library. This is a family-friendly, activity-focused event that has gotten hundreds of visitors. We will have an interactive exhibit to teach about native plants and pollinators in addition to all of our usual information, so it would be great to have at least 2 volunteers at the table at all times. Contact Lydia [email protected] if you’d like to help.
YOU CAN HELP OUR CHAPTER IN MANY WAYS:
The Mountain Laurel Chapter is an all-volunteer, member-driven arm of Wild Ones in CT. There are many ways to volunteer, whether for one time only or in an ongoing manner. Use your skills, passion and creativity to help the chapter better serve its members and the public at large. Reach out to any Chapter Board member or email [email protected] if you’d like to help.
- BECOME A MEMBER: Join Wild Ones: https://members.wildones.org/join and affiliate with the Mountain Laurel chapter
- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Help staff a Wild Ones information table at a community event. Email [email protected] if you need Wild Ones literature or chapter/ecoregion-specific resources to do outreach at an event near you.
- COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH: Help us reach people of all ages more effectively with news and events from our chapter through print or digital (social) media platforms. Your writing, design, video or marketing skills can help us develop new materials for education and outreach about the Wild Ones mission in CT.
- SPEAKER’S BUREAU: We receive requests from garden clubs, libraries, schools and others for programs related to the importance of native plants in our landscapes, propagating native plants from seed, habitat gardening, landscaping for birds and butterflies, managing invasive plants, etc. Wild Ones has an introductory slide presentation that can be customized by any member or for any chapter. Your personal stories of gardening with nature, including both successes and failures, often serve as the most compelling arguments to encourage others to embark on their own native gardening journey.
- SHARE PLANTS AND SEEDS: If you propagate native plants from seed or have surplus from your garden, consider setting some aside for our Fall Native Plant sale or Native Seed Exchange. See Guidelines for Plant Donations: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QEoK0UygueFB7tFWXFv_8_jhJ8QyPJSq/view?usp=sharing
- FALL PLANT SALE: This is our sole fundraising event, typically timed to coincide with the fall planting season. It is also one of the ways that we encourage people to make their landscapes more ecologically functional. Many volunteers are needed each year to make this event a success.
- HABITAT IMPACT: In addition to being a good steward of your own property, help to establish or maintain habitat gardens in your community by removing invasive plants and replacing non-natives with native plants for beauty and ecological function. Contact us to learn about projects that are seeking volunteers.
- CHAPTER OPERATIONS: Interested in helping but not sure how? Speak with a Board member or attend a Board meeting to learn how our chapter is run.
Email [email protected] to let us know you are interested in helping out and a Board member will get in touch!