I want to help out!
There are many opportunities to help out at the TRWA. Stop by this page often to see where you can plug yourself in and become part of the team of concerned citizens working to help protect and preserve the unique natural resources of the Taunton River Watershed.
Become a Member! Yes, just by simply becoming a member you can help support the TRWA. Numbers count! It gives us validity in our advocacy as we “speak for the river.” It gives us more workers when we clean river banks, do water quality testing, and fish counting. Join today by filling out the application.
Be Informed: Sign up for news and email updates; Attend a monthly board meeting. Learn what’s going on and see where you can plug in!
Environmental Advocate: Ideally, it would be a volunteer with some environmental background (on laws and regulations) that has a keen interest in advocating for the Taunton River and its watershed. That person should be able to give some of his/her time to monitoring projects (industrial, commercial and residential) that could impact water quality and flow, wetlands, wildlife, stormwater, etc. and can act as eyes and ears to the Board and advocate on their behalf.
Water Quality Monitoring Tester: We have a team of volunteers that regularly test 20 sites in the watershed for water quality the second Tuesday morning of each month, April through October. Samples must be collected and then driven to the Taunton Wastewater Treatment Plant by 8:30 a.m. in the morning. We train at the beginning of the new year (usually on the last Saturday morning in March). Most of our current 20 testing sites already have a volunteer(s) assigned to perform the monthly tests. Our greatest need right now is for additional team members and back up testers for each site who would be willing to cover for the regular testers when there are vacations, appointments or last minute vehicle emergencies. We try to match up volunteers with sites in their geographic area. Currently, we are testing in Berkley, Bridgewater, Dighton, Middleboro, Raynham, and Taunton. Check out our website or Google Map (red teardrops) for a complete list of the sites. Regular team members sample once a month. There may also be opportunities to be an an on-call/”as-needed” fill in for when a regular tester cannot test a site. Email our office for more information and visit the monitoring tab on the website. Sign up here!
Nutrient Pollution Photographic Survey: We are looking for a few volunteers to photograph key areas along the Taunton River for nutrient pollution. We are hoping for photographs of the same area three or four times throughout the summer. Email our office for more information. We also ask our water quality monitors and TRWA members to snap a picture of algae blooms or river problems anytime and forward them to us. Sign up here!
Event helpers: We host various events each year and could use a little help setting up, manning tables, cleaning up, launching boats, etc. Sign up here and mention the event you’d like to help with.
- Taunton River Festival- held the 2nd Sunday of June at the Weir Village Riverfront Park in Taunton
- Bruce Spooner Education Center- various programs held throughout the year for adults and children
- TRWA Paddling Trips
- TRWA Annual Meeting- held each fall
Photography: A picture is worth a thousand words, support the TRWA with your photography of the watershed. Help us spread the word about how beautiful the Taunton River Watershed really is or contribute shots of problem areas to help advocate for the river. Contact our office for more information. Sign up here!
Fundraising/Development & Event Coordinators: We are currently looking for help in the office with fundraising and development. If you have some experience and would like to volunteer to help out, we’d love to hear from you. Sign up here!
River Clearing Crews: We would love to have some help with overgrown brush enclosing in on some of the rivers. If you have a saw, pole or regular pruners and a willingness to help we’d love to have you join us. This could be a corporate community event, boy scout event, church event or any other group willing to volunteer time. Arborists and landscapers are definitely welcome! Sign up here!
Legal Support: We are looking for an attorney or local law firm that could volunteer legal support from time to time. Sign up here!