Eight Ways to Volunteer Outside

How you can build, garden, lead tours, and more with TART Trails, the Botanic Gardens, and Grass River Natural Area

By Drew VanDrie | July 5, 2025

Summer in northern Michigan is the pinnacle season—the three-month-long golden stint that all Michiganders pine for while enduring (or enjoying!) the long frigid winter. And while getting outside for recreation is always top of mind, the fair weather also affords ample opportunity to get involved in the community.

Northern Express had the chance to connect with three nonprofit organizations to highlight eight ways you can volunteer, get involved, and make a difference in our beautiful outdoor spaces.

TART Trails

First up, we connected with Jonny Tornga, Outreach Coordinator with TART Trails for some opportunities where those looking to give back can pitch in.

1. Trail Maintenance
Keeping trails clear and accessible is a major undertaking and one that relies heavily on volunteer effort. “One of our big ways to volunteer with our trails is to help out with our trail crew maintenance,” says Tornga. Each trail system has a designated group that meets twice a month to conduct clean-up. Volunteers can coordinate with a volunteer group and work on a trail they use or have a connection with, like the Boardman Lake Loop or Buffalo Ridge.

Work tasks can take a variety of forms from trimming bushes to removing invasive species and more. “We have a lot of volunteers,” says Tornga, “and we’re always looking for more volunteers to help build brochure boxes, bird houses, benches. Things that make the trail extra special and easier to navigate.”

2. Work Bees
Tornga notes that TART Trails also puts on several work bees throughout the year to complete specific projects or objectives. These work days can be an excellent opportunity to develop teamwork with coworkers. “Maybe you are the HR of a company and you are looking for some sort of team-building exercise for your organization—you can call me,” says Tornga. “We can set up a special day for you and your employees to hit the trail and make a difference in the community by keeping the trails in good working order.”

3. Tour de Tart & Special Events
TART Trails also hosts numerous events throughout the year that make full use of the trail system. “We have a ton of events,” says Tornga, such as the recent Smart Commute Week and the Rainbow Run on the Boardman Lake Loop. He adds that these events are always in need of volunteers for set up, tear-down, aid stations, and more.

The biggest event for the org is the Tour de Tart taking place on July 18. “Tour de Tart is our big blowout fundraiser for TART Trail,” he says. A family-friendly ride (no racing!) that traverses from Traverse City to Suttons Bay, the event attracts close to 600 riders each year.

All that distance, riders, and logistics requires plenty of assistance. “We need a lot of volunteers to make sure people stay safe on the trail. We’re looking for crossing guards on each side of the road, all the way from Traverse to Suttons Bay. It takes about 120 volunteers to pull that event off.”

traversetrails.org/current-volunteer-opportunities

The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park

Next we spoke with Karen Schmidt, board chair of the Botanic Garden. An inaugural member of the org, Schmidt has seen the garden transform to its current splendor and has plenty of suggestions on how to help these beautiful botanicals to continue to bloom.

4. Volunteer Docent
“We have a lot of different ways people can volunteer,” says Schmidt. One way to participate is by becoming a docent. “That’s where a volunteer learns a lot about the garden and then leads tours,” she says. These docents provide free tours throughout the six days a week the garden operates to individuals or groups, via walking or golf cart. “You can be a docent and tell the history of the site as the asylum farm, and then the actual evolution of the site as a garden and all the gardens within it,” Schmidt adds.

5. Gardener
It may be stating the obvious but the botanic gardens require, well, gardeners! “We have about 12 main gardens,” says Schmidt. All these are in need of some green thumbs, and volunteers have the option to choose the gardens of their preference. “You can pick your favorite garden to work on,” she says. Team captains coordinate with a horticulturist to determine the gardening goals for the week, and the captain then messages the team. Volunteers can show up during the week any time during operating hours that works within their schedule.

6. Playing Possum
Lastly, Schmidt highlights that the botanic gardens are always in need of possums! “That’s our grounds and maintenance crew, ‘The Possum Garage gang,’” she says with a laugh. An homage to the Canadian program, The Red Green Show, the Possum Garage gang moniker spawned from a sign left by a previous service department. When the Botanic Garden organization took over the garage space, the sign and the name stuck.

The possums manage the heavy duty work, Schmidt explains. “They drive tractors, haul mulch and composite, and build fences, and do all kinds of really fun stuff. So you could be a possum!”

thebotanicgarden.org/volunteer

Grass River Natural Area

Lastly, we reached out to Jenn Wright, executive director of Grass River Natural Area, for her take on ways volunteers can promote, protect, and improve the sensitive ecosystem around the important Antrim County waterway.

7. Planting and Pruning
Much like the TART trail system, the walkways, boardwalks and paths throughout the Grass River Natural area require tending. “We offer Wednesday Workbees,” says Wright. “Sometimes it’s tree trimming, or if you have chainsaw experience, it could be cutting fallen trees.” Tasks can include work around buildings, spreading wood chips, repairing items, or pulling invasive plants.

Along with plant removal, participants can also be a part of upkeep of the serenity garden, native plant garden, and front garden near the Grass River facility building. Wright also hints at a new garden project in the making. “We’re working on a new project with the health department about healthy septic plantings. So, it’s a fun group of individuals that get together!” she says.

8. River Ambassador Program
Individuals looking to be on the water will be excited about the recently initiated River Ambassador Program. Headed by Emma Fitzgerald, conservation director, and supported by two summer interns, the ambassador program is centered around educating and informing users of the Grass River area. “One of them [the interns], is actually being on the river in kayaks during the summer, talking with people, encouraging people to go no-wake and just trying to get the word out about why Grass River is so special,” says Wright, “We would love to have volunteers join them for that.”

Along with paddling and promoting, there’s also a need for volunteers to support several community events centered around the advocacy program. Wright highlights being present at Evening on River Street in Elk Rapids along with other events around the Bellaire area as well. “All opportunities to get out and talk about the importance of Grass River and help our interns out.”

grassriver.org/volunteer-opportunities.html