The Seymour Center depends upon support from the community in many ways--and our wonderful volunteers contribute daily. From leading tours to cleaning tanks--from staffing the bookstore to assisting with school programs-- volunteers are the heart of the Seymour Center. Applications are currently being accepted and reviewed for Seymour Center Docents. See below for more information and apply today! Docent Training begins Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Volunteer Positions:  Seymour Center docent guides serve as the lab's major contact with the public and enhance visitor's understanding of the world of a working research laboratory. After a comprehensive training course, docents serve as guides in the Seymour Center, give special presentations and lead tours of the lab's research and visitor areas including stops at the whale skeleton, and marine mammal overlook. Docents also help with community outreach events. The minimum commitment is one year after course completion. Docents work one, four-hour shift, every other week. Docent training is offered each winter. Call Shauna Potocky at (831) 459-3854 for program details. Training is held each Winter beginning in January. Applications are currently being accpted and reviewed for Docent training which begins Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Apply Today! Apprentice guides are people who can't wait to get their hands wet. Apprentice guides come on board throughout the year and assist visitors at the seawater table (touch tank) and help with visitor programs in the aquarium and exhibit hall. Working alongside experienced docents, apprentice guides increase their knowledge of marine science, gain valuable public speaking skills, and provide important volunteer support during the Center's busy summer season. During the fall, winter and spring, apprentice guides work a minimum of one, four-hour shift every other week. Participants in our summer apprentice program, generally work one, four-hour, shift every week. Teens (ages 15 and up) and adults may apply for this program. School program volunteers help with the Seymour Center’s on-site school field trip programs. Teams of volunteers, interns, and staff work together to teach hands-on marine science activity stations as part of thematic Discovery Lab & Tours to visiting school groups (grades K-Community College). School volunteers also lead interpretive tours of the marine lab, giving students the opportunity to observe and learn about research involving Long Marine Lab’s dolphins, sea lions, seals, and the world's largest displayed whale skeleton. The minimum commitment is one, three-hour shift, every week during the school year (mid-October through May). In collaboration with Long Marine Lab’s Seymour Center, raptor observers support the work of the Predatory Bird Research Group (also located at Long Marine Lab) by staffing release programs for salvaged peregrine falcons, monitoring hack or nest sites of peregrine falcons, and voluntarily assisting as other opportunities present themselves. Volunteers will interpret falcon behaviors for interested members of the public based on a thorough understanding of peregrine falcon natural history, safeguard young falcons during their transition to wild independence by making careful observations and taking action when needed. Volunteers will observe peregrine falcons using SCPBRG protocol and report findings in a useful format. Qualifications include completion of Predatory Bird Research Group training curriculum, Seymour Center interpretive training, ability to hike over uneven or remote terrain, patience to conduct hack and nest site observations over the duration of several hours, the ability to use radio telemetry successfully (training provided), and ability to interact with members of the public either individually or in small groups. Working with the Aquarium Curator, volunteer aquarists prepare food and feed the aquarium animals, clean aquarium tanks, repair and maintain equipment, and monitor animal behavior. Volunteer aquarists are scheduled for one, 3.5-hour shift per week on either a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday morning. The minimum commitment is six months and training is on the job. Some heavy lifting (up to 40 pounds) and use of a stepladder is required. Garden volunteers help maintain the coastal native plant garden and landscaping that surrounds the Seymour Center. Tasks include weeding, mulching, planting, watering, pruning, and occasional landscape planning. Garden volunteers meet once a week during the growing season, early spring to late fall, and as needed during the fallow season, late fall through winter, typically Wednesday mornings. Garden training is on the job. The minimum commitment is eight hours per month for six months. Working with the Friends of Long Marine Lab Director, special event volunteers assist with a variety of tasks in support of fund raising efforts, special events, marketing programs, and facility rentals. Events vary and can include gourmet dinners, weddings, conferences, meetings, and public lectures. Volunteers assist with the development, planning, and implementation of events, which may include decorations, set-up/clean-up, event operations and logistics, food and beverage service, selling tickets and cash handling, taking photographs and operating audio-visual equipment. Most events involve weekend and evening hours with an occasional pre-event meeting. Event volunteers often help in other areas (i.e. whalers and mailers, garden) to fulfill their volunteer commitment of an average of eight hours per month for six months, as volunteer needs in this category tend to vary seasonally. Administrative volunteers perform a variety of office duties that may include data entry, library maintenance, filing, archival maintenance, interpretive materials research, correspondence with school children, and general computer support. Participants are asked to contribute eight hours per month, for a minimum of six months. Training is on the job. Skeleton crew and maintenance volunteers are needed. This crew of skilled volunteers will perform special assignments for the Seymour Center which are vital for the completion of small and not-so-small projects. These tasks and projects may include exhibit repairs, whale skeleton maintenance, small technical repairs, refurbishing signage, creating display models, assisting with placement of art exhibits and more. If you are handy and good with tools, and you enjoy working with your hands and with great people, we need you! The volunteer commitment is an average of eight hours per month, for six months. Whalers and mailers are on-call volunteers who assist with mass mailings, run errands, serve on a phone tree, and assist with newsletter production, Volunteers are asked to contribute and average of eight hours a month, for six months. These volunteers often help in other areas (i.e. special events, front desk) to fulfill their volunteer commitment of an average of eight hours per month for six months, as volunteer needs in this category tend to vary. Volunteer Benefits Contribute to the community Explore the ocean and its life Learn about exciting research, firsthand from the experts Receive discounts in the Ocean Discovery Shop Attend special field trips, seminars and lectures Make new friends Share knowledge with children and visitors from around the world Enjoy social events and potlucks Earn membership in the Friends of Long Marine Lab Receive the volunteer newsletter, Tidelines Receive the Seymour Center newsletter, Discovery UCSC student interns can receive academic credit (up to 5 units) by assisting with visitor and school programs as well as helping to develop projects for public displays, programs, and exhibits. Seymour Center volunteers have the unique opportunity to get the inside scoop on marine science in the Monterey Bay. Become a Seymour Center volunteer. You'll have the time of your life! Please contact Shauna Potocky at (831) 459-3854 if you are interested in joining the volunteer team at the Seymour Center, part of Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz! Click here to download an application. Mail completed Applications to: Volunteer Program, Attn: Shauna Potocky Seymour Center at Long Marine Laboratory 100 Shaffer Road Santa Cruz, CA 95060 All applications will be reviewed and selected candidates will be contacted for an interview. Student/Internship Opportunities There are many opportunities for students interested in marine science. For more information about internships with the Seymour Center click here. For information about other opportunities within the Institute of Marine Sciences go to: http://ims.ucsc.edu/news/resources.html