Volunteer for a Work Party
One of the simplest and most rewarding ways to spend some time improving a Seattle park is by going out into the park and getting your hands dirty. Below is a list of resources to help volunteers connect with work parties maintaining green space all around the city. The Seattle Parks & Recreation volunteer page is a great place to start.

  • Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation: A great starting place that contains links to a number of different opportunities and resources including:
    • Seattle Parks Department Volunteer Calendar: where individuals can view upcoming work parties organized across the city and rsvp to work party organizers. Because the Seattle Parks Department allows other groups to list their work parties here, it is a great resource for finding smaller neighborhood groups to volunteer with.
    • Trails Program Webpage: The trails program offers volunteer opportunities for those seeking to work on trail maintenance throughout Seattle parks.  There is a volunteer sign-up form here.  The trails program is part of the Green Seattle Partnership.
    • Volunteer directly with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation by filling out a form here to volunteer on green space enhancement or here to volunteer for recreation activities.
  • Green Seattle Partnership (GSP): GSP is a public/private partnership between city agencies and non-profits committed to restoring Seattle's urban forests.  Their focus is on healthy urban forests and they organize many work parties across the city for willing volunteers:
  • The Nature Consortium is a grassroots, community-based organization whose mission is to connect people, arts and nature.  Part of their program menu includes regular work parties in the West Duwamish Greenbelt on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am -2pm for which you can RSVP online up to 24 hours before the event.
  • EarthCorps is a non-profit that provides one-year intensive programs for young adults to learn best practices in conservation techniques and develop skills in leading volunteers.  Their core expertise is community-based restoration and and they lead and organize many restoration oriented work parties and volunteer events.  Their website also has a Volunteer Calendar where interested individuals can sign up for work parties.
  • University of Washington Botanical Gardens is part of the University of Washington’s School of Forest Resources and they manage the Washington Park Arboretum and Center for Urban Horticulture.  They offer many opportunities for regular volunteer work as well as one-off work parties on their beautiful grounds.
  • Duwamish River Alive is a partnership of non-profits, government agencies, community groups and local business engaged in restoring the Duwamish River.  Their website offers a number of different sites along the Duwamish in which to participate in work parties.
    • Seattle Tilth has gardens at a few of Seattle’s parks and community centers where they educate people on how to garden organically, conserve natural resources and support local food systems.  They have a number of volunteer opportunities for people interested in gardening related tasks.

    Do you know of any other great parks volunteering opportunities that are not on this list? If so, please contact Program Coordinator Lee Warnecke.