Volunteering at Island Nature Trust

If you prefer to contribute your time to planning and governance, we always appreciate the input of fellow conservationists to our board and committees. New board members are elected at our September Annual General Meeting. There are also a number of Committees that make recommendations to the board on matters related to policy, land management, land acquisition, investments and more. These committees are often a mix of board and non-board members of Island Nature Trust.

The Bennett is a fundraiser and a significant birding event taking place every Fall. Teams with four to six members gather pledges and head out in the wee hours of the morning to find as many species of birds as possible in one 24-hour period.

Young birders ages 5–12 are invited to join INT staff in a guided birding walk for the “youth Bennett” held on the same day.

First started in 1995 as the Autumn Birding Classic, it was and continues to be both a fundraiser and citizen science event. Shortly after Neil Bennett’s death in 2000, the event was renamed the Neil Bennett Autumn Birding Classic to celebrate his contributions to INT and Nature PEI. The event documents the species seen during autumn migration. The results are published in the Island Naturalist for researchers to help explore species change over the decades in PEI.

Submit your details below and we will alert you via email when registration for the coming year is open. Proceeds raised support conservation of natural areas on PEI.

Conservation Guardian volunteers are our eyes and ears on the ground in our natural areas. Their dedication is what keeps our stewardship mission alive.

With a small staff and over 100 natural areas across PEI, it can be challenging for us to monitor all of our properties on a regular basis. That’s why we rely on local volunteers to monitor our properties and report their observations to us.

Conservation Guardians report on human use and disturbance of natural areas, wildlife sightings, and rare and invasive species observed. Regular training events are offered to our volunteers to help them build and improve their plant and wildlife identification and other outdoor skills.

Our Land Stewardship team is responsible for training events that typically happen during the summer months when we can gather outside. Conservation Guardian volunteers are asked to commit to monitoring their natural area at least once per year but are encouraged to visit as often as they wish.

Do you enjoy long walks on the beach? Do you love talking to people about healthy ecosystems and wildlife conservation? If you answered yes to both questions, you might make a great Coastal Guardian!

The Island Nature Trust species-at-risk team monitors at-risk birds in several Island landscapes. Our successes depend on the help of our incredible volunteers. Volunteering as a Coastal Guardian is an excellent way to explore PEI’s beautiful coastline while helping two of our endearing species-at-risk. As a Coastal Guardian, you can survey for and report your sightings of piping plover and bank swallow.

Training for Coastal Guardians will occur in early spring, where you will learn how to carry out shorebird and swallow surveys and how to inspire and motivate others to be good hosts to breeding birds along our coast.