Since 1985, Earth Team volunteers have provided a valued source of talent to NRCS. These dedicated volunteers work with conservation professionals on private lands to improve soil quality, conserve water, improve air quality and enhance wildlife habitat.
What is the Earth Team?
The Earth Team is the volunteer workforce of NRCS, and we are making a difference in every county in the nation.
NRCS partners with conservation groups and others to ensure private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges like climate change. Working side-by-side with farmers and ranchers, the NRCS identifies natural resource concerns, such as soil erosion and water quality issues, and develops unique conservation plans for restoring and protecting resources.
Earth Team volunteers are an integral part of the conservation partnership, and each member takes pride in the fact that they maintain and improve our natural resources and environment on private lands.
Whether serving your community, gaining professional experience, or contributing your professional knowledge after retirement, there are plenty of great reasons to become a NRCS volunteer.
How can I volunteer?
Volunteers must be 14 years of age or older to join our Earth Team Volunteer Program. Those who are interested in conserving and protecting our precious natural resources can join. As a volunteer, you can work part-time or full-time, evenings or weekends, outdoors or indoors, or you can volunteer as an individual or in a group!
As an Earth Team volunteer, you will work with professionals on conservation activities in your community. Whatever your talents or interests, there is a volunteer opportunity for you.
The opportunities are endless! Click on the links below for more information about the different types of opportunities.
On the Land
You can help professional conservationists who are working directly with farmers and ranchers to:
- Plan, lay out, and design conservation practices
- Establish and improve wildlife habitat
- Plant trees
- Generate natural resource inventories
- Map soils
In the Community
If you like being out in the community, you can assist elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities, and help them understand the importance of conservation. Through cooperative Earth Team conservation efforts, you can help educate and solve many natural resource problems in your area by:
- Organizing special conservation tours and fairs
- Planning conservation activities
- Taking photographs
- Writing articles
- Speaking to community groups and organizations
- Producing artwork and publications
In the Office
If you like an office setting, NRCS seeks your talents and clerical assistance in many ways, including:
- Computer data entry and programming
- Typing, filing, and answering phones
- Copying documents
- Social media
- Educating others about natural resource conservation