Current volunteer opportunities

Each year, ODFW volunteers donate over 200,000 hours to protect, restore and teach about Oregon's fish and wildlife. Their enthusiasm and commitment has been invaluable to the ODFW mission.

Below are all the ways you can join us. Bilingual encouraged to apply.

Explore current Hunter Safety Education opportunities

Explore current Hunter Recruitment Program opportunities

TEACH

OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
Hunter Education Event Support Specialist	Continuous	Support education workshops, classes and events.	SIGN ME UP
Hunter Education Junior Instructor	Continuous	Must be between ages 14-20 to apply - Under the supervision of a Certified Hunter Safety Education Instructor: assist with classroom and field day logistics.	SIGN ME UP
Hunter Education Instructor	Continuous	Train to become a certified Hunter Safety Education Instructor, lead and assist with curriculum and field day activities.	SIGN ME UP
Shooting sports instructor	Continuous	Train to become a certified Coach, instructing participants to safely operate firearms and bows.	SIGN ME UP
Dog handler	Continuous	Mentor new and returning hunters in the field by teaching the basics of bird hunting with dogs. Learn more.	Inquire by email
Angler Education event support specialist	Continuous	Support education workshops, classes and events.	SIGN ME UP
Angler Education Instructor	Continuous	Train to become a certified Angler Education Instructor, lead and assist with the basics of sportfishing; conservation and stewardship of Oregon's aquatic resources.	SIGN ME UP

RESTORE

OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area Standard Non-Driver Volunteer	Continuous	Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area Standard Non-Driver Volunteer Join us at Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area and play a vital role in maintaining critical habitat for deer, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, upland birds, and other native species in this non-driver opportunity. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area Standard Volunteer with Driving Privileges	Continuous	Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area Standard Volunteer with Driving Privileges. Join us at Phillip Schneider Wildlife Area and play a vital role in maintaining critical habitat for deer, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, upland birds, and other native species. Driving may be included. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Mid-Coast STEP Standard Volunteer (Youth or Adult)	Continuous	Volunteer opportunities include helping with fish monitoring, propagation, education and outreach, and restoration. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Mid-Coast STEP Standard Driver Volunteer	Continuous	Volunteer opportunities include helping with fish monitoring, propagation, education and outreach, and restoration. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Denman Wildlife Area Standard Support and Driver Volunteer	Continuous	Volunteer work is a very valuable asset on The Denman Wildlife Area. The DWA staff welcome and appreciate all volunteers who are eager to assist and who are passionate about the outdoors. Duties may include but are not limited to the removal of invasive and overgrown weeds with hand and power tools, minor infrastructure repairs of foot bridges along hiking trails, litter patrol, bird and bat box inventory checks, construction of bird and bat boxes, and landscape maintenance. Location: The Denman Wildlife Area, 1495 E Gregory Rd., Central Point, OR 97502 Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
STEP Volunteer- Gold Beach Level 3	Continuous	Duties for this Volunteer Service Description may include but not be limited to some or all of the following. Volunteers will help with Volunteer opportunities include a wide variety of work tasks to support the STEP program at Gold Beach. Volunteers may help with broodstock collection of salmon or steelhead. In addition, volunteers may sort fish to determine maturity levels, spawn fish, measure and collect other biological information, record data on data sheets. They may also assist with incubation of eggs, move fry to rearing troughs, feed fish, clean raceways/troughs, clean screens, remove fish from raceways, crowd fish with nets, fin clip. Volunteers may provide information to adults and youth from time to time. General tasks like trail clearing and minor cleaning and maintenance may be asked of these volunteers. Volunteers may be asked to drive on behalf of ODFW. To apply, please click on the link. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
STEP volunteer - Coquille Basin	Continuous	Volunteers will help with operating a fish traps to capture returning adult hatchery salmonids. Volunteers will check the trap of presence of fish, clean the weir/trap of debris, net fish, and haul them from the trap to a transport tank. Volunteers can also help under the oversite of ODFW with spawning the adult salmonids which might entail netting fish, determining sex of the fish, collecting gametes, collecting biological data from the fish, and disposing of the fish as directed by ODFW staff.- Volunteers of all ages encouraged to register. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Big Creek Hatchery Standard Non-Driver Volunteer	Continuous	October – December: Volunteers assist with spawning at Big Creek Hatchery, which includes measuring fish, collecting biological samples, and recording data. Volunteers would also help with transporting Chum Salmon to nearby streams, which requires the safe handling and release of fish. Volunteers would be working outside or in a covered, open-air building in cold, often wet weather. Work is physical and includes standing, stooping, crouching, and lifting (25 lbs. max). Days can be long and depend on the number of fish that need to be processed and other working conditions. Bilingual encouraged to apply. January – June: Volunteers would assist with smolt trap operations, which includes counting and measuring fish, collecting biological samples, and recording data. Volunteers would also help with monitoring a remote site incubator, which requires water quality checks and debris removal. Volunteers would also have the opportunity to learn more about Chum Salmon life history, their importance to the ecosystem, and how PROCS uses science to manage the species. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
STEP volunteer - Coos Basin	October - June	Volunteers will help with broodstock collection of salmon and steelhead in the Coos Basin. In addition, volunteers can sort fish to determine maturity levels, spawn fish, measure and collect other biological information, record data on data sheets. They can also assist with operating hatch boxes or other forms of incubation of eggs, move fry to rearing troughs, feed fish, clean raceways/troughs, clean screens, remove fish from raceways, crowd fish with nets, fin clip. - Volunteers of all ages encouraged to register. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
STEP Volunteer - Eel/ Tenmile Basin	January - April	Volunteers assist ODFW with operation of an adult fish trap and acclimating hatchery winter steelhead smolts in the Tenmile Basin. Help ODFW staff with collecting data, setting up fish traps, feed hatchery steelhead smolts, and more! Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
STEP Volunteer Winter Steelhead Acclimation Site RV Host	January – April	Great opportunity to work with steelhead in Canyonville - check adult fish trap daily, with minor facilities upkeep and fish culture work. 20 hours per week. Site has electric, propane and septic provided. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Juniper Thinning	Continuous	This is a great opportunity for volunteers to come out to Philip Schneider Wildlife Area, Dayville, OR and help reduce the amount of junipers trees that cause harm to the Wildlife Area. Volunteers will be thinning junipers trees by the means of lopping sheers or chainsaw. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
BCWA General Volunteer	Continuous	Volunteer/Volunteers will assist Wildlife Area staff with improving and maintaining the wildlife area. Tasks will all go towards improving wildlife habitat and maintaining public land for recreational opportunities. Location: Bridge Creek Wildlife Area Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
CBWA General Volunteer	Continuous	The Volunteer/Volunteers will assist Wildlife Area staff with seasonal tasks, whenever available for improving and maintaining public land for recreation and improvement of wildlife habitat. Location: Columbia Basin Wildlife Area. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area Volunteer	Continuous	This is a weekly volunteer opportunity at the Fern Ridge Wildlife Area. The group meets every Tuesday from 8am until approximately 3pm. Staff will create a project list prior to meeting and will try to match each volunteer with a task that they are comfortable doing. This environment provides the opportunity to develop new relationships with a group of good people, while helping wildlife area staff complete a variety of worthwhile projects. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Regional Fishing Standard Volunteer Age 18+ North Coast District	Ongoing	Assist the North Coast district with a wide variety of projects, including fish trapping, fish surveys, stream enrichment, access site maintenance, broodstock collection, fish stocking, or other fish management tasks. Use of equipment including ATV may be needed. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP

STUDY

OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
Yellow Rail Habitat Monitoring Sunriver Opportunity limited to Sunriver Community Only	Registering now for May through October	ODFW is recruiting entry level volunteers to assist with yellow rail surveys within the Sunriver Community Only . This is part of a collaborative project between ODFW and Oregon State University to map critical shallow wetland habitats in South Central OR. Biologists are conducting surveys and deploying automated recording units to collect auditory information to better understand distribution of this sensitive species. Volunteer opportunities are available for various levels of skill and availability. Please note: In order for Yellow Rail Habitat Monitoring Sunriver Volunteers to participate in the broader work being conducted outside Sunriver, you must first apply via this link: I would like to be a Yellow Rail Driver subject to DMV check. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Diamond Lake Creel Survey	April 27 May 11, 14, 23 June 3, 4, 15, 26 July 1, 3, 19, 21, 28 August 13, 14, 25 September 1, 3, 29 November 2, 4	Survey anglers at Diamond Lake. Harvest data from these surveys allows ODFW to determine the angling effort and catch rates. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Red fox tracking in Oregon Cascades - Support Role	June through October	ODFW is recruiting volunteers for Sierra Nevada red fox surveys. As part of a collaborative project between ODFW and Washington State University, biologists are collecting game camera wildlife observation data, genetic scat samples, and community science wildlife observation data for Sierra Nevada red fox in the Central Oregon Cascade Range. The project is based out of Bend, OR and volunteer opportunities are available for various levels of skill and availability. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
American Pika Monitoring in the Oregon Cascades Opportunity throughout Central Oregon	Registering now for May through October	The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is a climate-sensitive mammal that largely occurs in alpine and sub-alpine habitat in western North America. Volunteers will help address data gaps on the distribution of pikas and improve monitoring efforts by systematically searching for pikas across an elevational gradient in the central Oregon Cascades. We are seeking volunteers to assist with data collection by conducting observational surveys at randomly selected survey points. Surveys consist of observing, listening, and actively searching for signs of recent pika activity (e.g., pika sightings, pika calls, fecal pellets and hay piles). A community volunteer training will be held in Bend for those who are interested in participating. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
Oregon Porcupine Monitoring in Central/Eastern Oregon	Registration Open July, 2025 - Ongoing	ODFW is recruiting volunteers for porcupine surveys in the Deschutes Watershed as part of a pilot research study for ODFW. There is currently minimal recent research published in Oregon regarding porcupine general life history, habitat use, and sources of mortality. Due to this and other reasons, this species will be added to the list of Species of Greatest Information Need in 2026. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are far fewer porcupines in the western U.S. states now compared to the recent past. Volunteers will conduct scat surveys and utilize trail cameras to identify areas of use in the Deschutes Watershed. This will help improve monitoring efforts in the watershed and aid in the development of future survey efforts to be continued throughout the eastern portion of the state. Community volunteer training opportunities will be held in Central Oregon for those who are interested in participating in the project. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP

HOST

OPPORTUNITY	DATES	DESCRIPTION	REGISTER
RV host - hatcheries	Sites and availability list provided at sign up.	Live & work for a month or more at one of our hatcheries, wildlife areas or offices. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP
RV host - wildlife areas/regional offices	Sites and availability list provided at sign up.	Live & work for a month or more at one of our hatcheries, wildlife areas or offices. Bilingual encouraged to apply.	SIGN ME UP

Have questions? Contact the ODFW Volunteer Program at 503-947-6413 or ODFW.VolunteerProgram@odfw.oregon.gov