If you have an enthusiasm for the environment, we can use your skills! From bandaging wings to building new aviaries to greeting visitors in the gift shop, our dedicated volunteers do it all. Click here to visit our volunteer section and learn all about the many different ways you can get involved at Carolina Raptor Center.

If you have questions, please forward them to Louise Bhavnani, Director of Volunteer Services 704-875-6521 ext. 102 or lbhavnani@carolinaraptorcenter.org

Over 25,000 visitors come through the front doors each year, so if you love talking to people about Carolina Raptor Center this is the place for you! The main entrance brings visitors directly into the gift shop, Eagles' Landing, and they leave through the same doors. This means the gift shop is a critical part of visitors' impression of Carolina Raptor Center, and we need your help to make sure it's a good one!

Volunteer duties include greeting visitors when they come in the front door, answering questions, directing people to the nature trail and restrooms, and ringing up purchases on the cash register. Volunteers will be provided a "cheat sheet" of the most frequently asked questions, and most volunteers are surprised how quickly they pick up basic facts about birds.

Gift shop volunteers work in an air-conditioned/heated space and are not required to spend an entire day. Volunteer for a few hours a month and you'll spend a pleasant afternoon helping a good cause! Weekday shifts are from 11am-2 pm and 2-5pm, Weekend shifts are from noon-3pm and 2-5pm.

We have a great need for support in this area since it is critical to the daily operation of the facility and care of the birds. There is a constant need for help with landscaping – mulching, mowing, removing weeds; as well as general maintenance work – fixing broken aviaries, building perches, setting up for exhibits. In addition, we need volunteers in this area that will help lead groups during Clean Up Days where we invite individuals and groups to help with projects around the center.

Grounds & Maintenance volunteers can work a flexible schedule and sign up to handle one specific job or help with the items on our never ending To-Do List.

Like any busy office, Carolina Raptor Center always needs organized individuals to help out administratively. From filing patient charts to helping stuff a mailing to entering names into the mailing list database, there is always plenty of work for an additional pair of hands!

Administrative volunteers can work a set schedule or sign up to help with certain projects or in a specific area.

Carolina Raptor Center visits festivals all over the Charlotte area such as Festival in the Park and the Southern Christmas Show. Our exhibits are staffed by at least two people- a Lead is certified to handle birds, and the Assistants are there to talk to the public, answer questions and hand out literature.

These exhibits are crucial exposure because we get the opportunity to interact with people who have never visited or perhaps even heard of Carolina Raptor Center. You might be surprised to learn that many $500 donors made their donation after talking with volunteers at an exhibit. People are fascinated by live birds, and love to share their own raptor sightings.

Training is provided to become an Assistant and a Lead on exhibits. When considering helping in this area, please keep in mind that most all the exhibits are held on the weekend.

If you are a natural teacher or simply love raptors and want to share your enthusiasm with our visitors, consider becoming a docent. Docents are lecturers or teachers at museums or universities, or in this case nature preserves! Docents may be stationed along the trail to answer visitors' questions, or may lead Trail Trivia or Behind-the-Scenes Tours. The primary responsibility of a docent is to give accurate, interesting information to visitors, and to convey enthusiasm and positive energy about the environment.

Docents are trained on the natural history of raptors, Carolina Raptor Center’s history, biographies of all resident birds and basic raptor anatomy. In addition, volunteers are provided with interpretive training to do On-site Programs.

Docents are scheduled on the weekend and can cover one program or several in one day.

Carolina Raptor Center has more than 100 birds that live permanently at the center: birds on the public display trail and birds that travel to exhibits and education programs. Resident bird care volunteers feed the birds and clean the aviaries. Volunteers also help with the weekly check of the birds weight, keel and equipment.

Resident Bird Care Volunteers must commit to working a minimum of once a week or once every other week.

Injured birds of prey come to Carolina Raptor Center from all over the region. To get them into the hands of medical experts, volunteers must be willing to pick up the birds and bring them to Carolina Raptor Center or transfer them to another rehabilitation facility. People need to be available to transport birds within the Carolinas. This sometimes involves a bit of driving, but being a "raptor ambulance" is a necessary and rewarding part of the rehabilitation process. Training is provided on how to capture and secure a bird that might be injured. Transport volunteering is a good area for people who work from home, because availability and dependability are important traits for drivers.

We offer full and part-time internships to qualified applicants on a regular basis. Some of our interns are students; others are adults looking to gain new experiences. All of our internships are unpaid, and require a commitment of 150 hours to be completed in a 6-month period.

Qualified applicants will:

• »Have an enthusiasm for working in the environmental sector
• »Be deadline oriented
• »Have the ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• »Have the ability to complete projects independently
• »Have the flexibility to work with a variety of people

A minimum of 12 hours per week is required.

Would you like to work closely with injured birds of prey, learn to care for them, and even have the opportunity to return some of them back into the wild? Then the rehabilitation internship may be for you. Our interns participate in almost all aspects of the rehabilitation process, from admission through release.

Activities include:

• »Preparing food for both critical care and recovering patients
• »Administering medications and fluids
• »Safe handling and restraint of patients while treatments are performed
• »Learning to perform an examination on an injured raptor
• »Cleaning and watering of kennels and cages
• »Taking calls from the public and dispatching transport volunteers to pick up injured birds
• »The opportunity to work with a staff with over 60 years combined rehabilitation experience
• »The satisfaction of knowing you have helped save the lives of these beautiful birds

Applicants should be self-motivated and be willing to both learn and teach skills, be able to work with a variety of staff and volunteers, and be able to adjust to somewhat unpredictable and often long hours. Because of the nature of the position, this internship has extensive bird handling.

A minimum commitment of 12 hours per week (150 hours total) is required.

If interested, please contact Elaine Corvidae.