Volunteer
Volunteer with Us:
Are you passionate about nature, conservation and making a positive impact in your community? Join our wonderful community of volunteers at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary.
How to get involved:
For Scheduled Volunteer Roles
(Visitor Services, Garden Stewards, Cookie Bakers, Plant Sale Volunteers and more)
Please complete our Swan Lake Volunteer Programs Application Form.
Sign-up Option for Drop-in Restoration Meet-ups:
For Drop-in Restoration Meet-ups (Tuesdays & Saturdays): Complete our Restoration Sign-Up Form* to join an upcoming session.
*Youth volunteers (under 18)
All youth are asked to complete the Volunteer Programs Application Form, including those interested in Restoration Meet-ups.
Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion:
The Sanctuary is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We centre human dignity and growing our connections to each other and to our environment. We believe that each of us is responsible for addressing discrimination and that we co-create peace and good relationships.
Volunteer Opportunities
Board Members
The Nature Sanctuary Society’s Board of Directors follows leading governance practices and supports our Executive Director and staff members to meet our mission to: Conserve and restore Nature Sanctuary lands and waters while inspiring stewardship through community engagement and collaboration.
To learn more and apply, visit the Volunteer Board Members section here: https://swanlake.bc.ca/job-postings/
Photo by Karissa Chandrakate
Nature Ambassadors
Swan Lake Nature Ambassadors (SNAP) provide important visitor experience and monitoring support, including:
- Walking Swan Lake and Christmas Hill trails and welcoming visitors while offering educational information
- Monitoring and reporting any safety concerns to staff
- Tracking the number of visitors and various types of visitor interactions
- Sharing experiences and ideas to improve the visitor and volunteer experience
SNAP observations are a critical part of our site evaluation that is written into our Environment and Climate Change Canada grant 'Rare Species Recovery in an Urban Greenspace through Community Stewardship.'
Ecosystem Restoration Opportunities
Join our fun and friendly environmental restoration programs to remove invasive plant species and act as land stewards at the Nature Sanctuary.
Volunteers can join this program by filling in our Restoration Sign-Up Form.
Tuesday and Saturday Restoration Meet-up volunteers work as a team to remove invasive species, improve trail quality, and protect the ecosystems at Swan Lake and Christmas Hill. Tea, coffee and cookies provided. Weekly on Tuesdays: 9-11am or Saturdays 9-10:30am (1st and 3rd Saturday of each month).
Adopt A Patch
In this program, volunteer groups rehabilitate a designated plot of land at the Nature Sanctuary that they steward over time. This program is ideal for families, schools, organizations, or other community service groups as a team building, learning and restoration activity. Contact info@swanlake.bc.ca for more info.
Custom Group Restoration Projects
Make tangible impact on the environment while fostering team spirit and social responsibility. Custom group restoration projects offer community and business organizations a unique chance to engage in meaningful single day restoration projects.
This individualized program is a pay for fee service. Please contact info@swanlake.bc.ca for more information.
Native Plant Garden Stewards
This program is now fully subscribed.
Native Plant Stewards help tend and care for the native plant demonstration garden and seed orchards at the Nature Sanctuary.
The gardens showcase the diversity, beauty, and cultural significance of native plants, while the seed orchard areas produce locally adapted seed stock for restoration and community propagation.
Photo by Cara Gibson
Nature House Visitor Services
Visitor Services Volunteers help create a welcoming atmosphere for all visitors. This position greets guests, shares interpretive information about the Nature Sanctuary, and assists with gift shop sales.
- This role has direct interaction with children and vulnerable populations: a CRIMINAL RECORD check is required.
Native Plant Sale Volunteers
We are recruiting volunteers for our annual Native Plant Sale, taking place Saturday May 2 and Sunday May 3.
Roles range from cashiers and set up volunteers to plant talliers and greeters.
This is one of our most anticipated community events of the year. The sale supports local habitat restoration and helps gardeners grow resilient, pollinator-friendly landscapes using native plants. Proceeds directly support restoration and education programs at the Nature Sanctuary.
Photo by Karissa Chandrakate
Cookie Bakers
Cookie Baker volunteers provide homemade treats for Nature Sanctuary restoration and plant sale volunteers. You can help by cooking up delicious treats at home and dropping them off at the Nature House to be shared with hungry and happy volunteers. In-kind tax receipts are available.
Seed Sowers
Seed Sower volunteers cultivate native plants at their home gardens and deliver them back to site for restoration projects as well as for sale in the Nature Sanctuary’s annual Native Plant Sale Fundraiser. This is wonderful opportunity to join a community of native plant enthusiasts and support local biodiversity projects.
- Program training provided by Nature Sanctuary Site Director, Jay Rastogi
- Soil, containers, seedlings/cuttings provided as needed
Photographers
Share your gift of photography by capturing special events, activities, and nature images throughout the seasons.
Your photos will help us raise awareness of community programs and connect people to Sanctuary lands and waters.
Why Volunteer?
By volunteering with us, you are contributing to our mission of conserving Nature Sanctuary lands and waters and inspiring stewardship through community engagement and collaboration.
- Connect with community: Join a diverse community of volunteers and staff that share your passion for nature and the environment
- Support education: Assist in delivering hands-on environmental education programs that inspire connection and responsibility to the natural world
- Preserve and restore natural areas: Contribute to conserving and restoring Nature Sanctuary lands and waters
- Foster community engagement: Support community partnerships and visitor experience by contributing to a welcoming and accessible urban greenspace
- Fulfill school requirements: Students gain hands-on experience while fulfilling volunteer hour requirements
These hours are an essential in-kind contribution to our organization each year.
In 2025, our volunteers contributed nearly 12,000 hours across Nature Sanctuary programs.
We are so grateful for our community's huge support!