Volunteer
Make a Difference
Join our Volunteer Team today!
Our volunteers inspire the next generation of Earth stewards, take data to bring about environmental protections, connect nature to visitors around the world, and more.
We offer over ten volunteer programs to bring you closer to nature in the way you enjoy most. Our programs are accessible for all ages from high school students to full-time workers and retirees. We look forward to having you on our volunteer team!
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Share you passion for the natural world with our Museum volunteer programs, available year-round during Museum opening hours. Click on each link to learn more.
Museum Docent
Inspire Museum visitors to conserve the natural and cultural wonders of the Central Coast.Garden Volunteer
Work with a skilled team to keep our Native Plant Garden blooming.Science Saturday
Lead fun activities, connect to community partners, and more with this monthly Museum-wide program.
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Enjoy the beauty of butterflies with our Monarch Sanctuary volunteer programs, available October - March. Click on each link to learn more.
Monarch Docent
Inspire Monarch Sanctuary visitors to take action to protect the beautiful and threatened Western Monarch Butterfly.Sanctuary Field Trip
Lead students through the Monarch Sanctuary to discover the wonder of the magnificent and threatened Western Monarch Butterfly.Western Monarch Count
Track the population of the threatened Western Monarch Butterfly, both at the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary and at sites across Monterey County.
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Inspire environmental stewardship in students, from pre-K through college. These programs are available from Sept - May. Click on each link to learn more.
Museum Field Trips
Guide young students (grades pre-K - 5) through field trips with special scavenger hunts and topics including pollinators, ocean animals, and cultural history.LiMPETS
Take students (grades 6 - college) to the shore to conduct community science for local rocky shore and sandy beach habitats.Watershed Guardians
Assist students (grades 6 - college) with real-time water quality analysis with local watersheds at sites along the Carmel and Salinas Rivers.
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Connect to the community with night events and outreach, available year-round with evening and weekend availability. Click on each link to learn more.
General Events
Represent the Museum with a wide range of events at the Museum: birthday parties, community partner meetings, First Fridays, and more.Outreach Programs
Bring the natural world across the county, helping to inspire visitors at libraries, community markets, and local events.Summer & Holiday Camps
Facilitate the joy of science to young visitors with Museum summer and school holiday camps.
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Community science is a rapidly growing field that engages the entire community for scientific research. Anyone can engage in community science to collect or analyze data used by researchers or policy makers. There is no academic prerequisites, just training for individual programs.
The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is partnered with several community science projects that align with our mission of discovery, wonder, and stewardship of the natural world.
Black Oystercatcher Monitoring Project
The Black Oystercatcher Monitoring (BLOY) Project studies a charismatic seabird to understand the health of the rocky shore environment.
This program is seasonal, running from May - September. Recruitment for the BLOY Project will begin in March, 2026.Western Monarch Count
The Western Monarch Count (WMC) tracks the population of the beautiful and endangered Western monarch butterfly as it overwinters along the California Coast. Volunteers choose sites along Monterey County to scout for butterflies.
This program is seasonal, running from October - March. Recruitment will begin in September 2026.LiMPETS
This is a student community service project. Volunteers assist with community science field trips to assess the health of rocky and sandy shore habitats. This program is available August - May.iNaturalist Projects
We regularly partner on projects that use the iNaturalist app to track wildlife. Some projects are bioblitzes on specific days, others are programs that focus on specific habitats during certain periods. This is a year-round community science program.
Resources for Current Volunteers
Naturalists in Training
An internship for high school students
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The Naturalists in Training is an internship for high school students. Interns hone their skills in science communication, natural history, and conservation. They use their knowledge and skills to work with Museum visitors of all ages.
There are 2 internship tracks: a summer-only program and a school-year program. Students may choose to apply for one or both, depending on the student’s interests and availability. Students can receive either community service or a stipend for their work.
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The summer track is recommended for students with summer availability and who would like to gain professional experience in the education field. To apply, students must be entering grade 10 or higher.
Summer track participants must be able to attend two all-day workshops (Saturday, May 23 and Saturday June 6), a half-day workshop (Saturday, August 1) and must have enough availability for at least 2 weeks of summer camp (Mon-Fri from June-July, 8:15 am - 4:15 pm).
Read the full program description linked here.
Applications for summer 2026 are open! Submit both the NITs application and send the reference form to someone who knows you well, like a teacher, mentor, or supervisor.
All applications are due by April 5, 2026.
Questions? Email the Volunteer Coordinator.
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The school year program is recommended for students with school year weekend availability and who would like to gain experience in the environmental sciences and conservation fields. To apply, students must be entering Grade 9 or higher.
Participants must be able to attend an all-day workshop (Saturday, June 6) and a half-day workshop (Saturday, August 1). They must have enough availability to participate in 6 Science Saturday shifts (last Saturday of the month, 6-hour shifts) and 6 flexible volunteer shifts throughout the school year.
Students can participate in optional enrichments engaging in local field science and conservation. They gain experience, mentoring, and can receive either community service or a stipend.
Read the full program description linked here.
Applications for the 2026-2027 school year are now open!
Submit both the NITs application and send the reference form to someone who knows you well, like a teacher, mentor, or supervisor.
All applications are due by April 5, 2026.
Questions? Email the Volunteer Coordinator.
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For the summer program, any current high school student (going into grades 10 or above) may apply.
For the school year program, any student going into grades 9 - 12 may apply.
A Naturalist in Training needs to enjoy working with children and the public, have an appreciation for science and nature, and be willing to learn new things. Look at the descriptions of the summer and school year tracks to see which ones most closely match your interests and availability.
NITs are required to follow safety safety guidelines, show up on-time to all assigned shifts, and prepared for trainings and volunteer shifts. See the descriptions of the summer and school year programs for availability requirements.
Questions? Email the Volunteer Coordinator.
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Applications for both the summer 2026 and the school year 2026-2027 programs are now open!
You can read the full program description linked here.
To apply for either program, fill out a NITs application. Send the reference form to a professional who knows you well, like a teacher, mentor, or supervisor.
All application materials are due by April 5, 2026.
Questions? Email the Volunteer Coordinator.