Organization: Boone County Arboretum

Summary

REGISTRATION NOW REQUIRED. See link for other procedural changes. Volunteers join up with Arboretum staff every Tuesday morning through October to help with our plant collection maintenance needs.

Full Description

A staff member will guide volunteers from our initial meeting site to various areas around the Arboretum, and lead them through the day's project depending on season and maintenance needs. Projects typically include installing new plants, light pruning, and planting bed maintenance but can also consist of other needs such as plant label assembly or off-site plant/seed collection trips.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM COVID-19 CHANGES

New safety procedures have been established to protect staff, volunteers, and public visitors alike - the following is a summary of the procedures directly relating to the volunteer program:

• Volunteers must pre-register for EACH volunteer event to ensure a max number of participants is not exceeded, and so staff can be prepared with appropriate amount of PPE, sanitizer, and clean equipment.
• Volunteers are encouraged to bring and use their own hand tools if possible (preferably labeled with the volunteer's name). Typically useful are hand pruners, garden trowel, weeding tools, shovel/spade, pitch fork. The Arboretum will also have tools available, but proper sanitization is required between each person using it. (Thus why it is easier if most people just bring their own.)
• Volunteers must conduct safety self-checks (just as staff do every morning) prior to arrival at the Arboretum --- confirm to yourself you are NEGATIVE for ALL of these symptoms (not related to a chronic/ preexisting condition): ♦ Fever ♦ Repeated shaking with chills ♦ Sudden onset of aches/ pains ♦ Headache ♦ Recent loss of taste/ smell ♦ Chills ♦ Cough ♦ Shortness of Breath ♦ Sore throat ♦ Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea ♦ Tested positive for Covid-19, had known exposure to Covid-19, or been in contact with someone who is being evaluated for Covid-19 within the previous 14 days.
• We will still meet at our usual starting spot -- the first parking lot to the left just inside the Arboretum's driveway entrance (look for the flagpole).
• Before starting their shift, volunteers will sign an agreement form indicating they are negative for every point of the safety self-check (see above) as administered on that particular day.
• Staff and volunteers must wear face masks/ coverings ("N95" not required) over their mouth and nose while in close proximity to each other. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own masks, but the Arboretum will provide masks for volunteers without their own.
• Hands will be washed or sanitized as frequently as realistically possible; tool handles sanitized before and after each shift, and between use by different people.
• Limit the amount of time spent in close proximity -- instructional periods are fine (with masks and appropriate distancing), but no unnecessary congregating.
• No volunteer transport in county- or staff-owned vehicles, golf carts, etc. (Specific new procedures must be followed if more than one person is in a vehicle, even among staff.)
• Volunteers may wish to drive their own vehicle (rather than walk) from our initial meeting site to the particular work site of the day, but carpooling is strongly discouraged.
• At least for now, our usual lunches at the end of Tuesday volunteer shifts are cancelled, pending further guidance on this specific matter.