Our Mission at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center (EOWBC) is to educate students and visitors on the importance of biodiversity, to promote sustainability, and encourage conservation, preservation and restoration of ecosystems. We do this by teaching STEM lessons that highlight the beauty and importance of local biodiversity to the 5 surrounding counties of 4th and 7th graders. Our amazing volunteers help bring this mission to life.
Why Volunteer at EOWBC?
The experience you gain from your immersion into the worlds of animal care and environmental education is extremely beneficial to those who are contemplating careers in the fields of environmental education, animal keeper/care technician, environmental science, general positions of a nonprofit, and more! Volunteers will receive documentation of the hours of service performed. Participation in the EOWBC volunteer program may also meet the requirements of your college or university, and you may be able to receive school credit from your institution for your invested time with the EOWBC. EOWBC completes this requested paperwork on an individual basis. EOWBC staff will act as references for future jobs or college.
Time Commitment
The minimum volunteer time commitment is 1 day per week or 3 weekdays per month. The center is open from September through May, 5 days a week from 8 am – 4:30 pm, and typically has 1 Saturday event per month. June through August are summer hours which includes summer camps, private groups, and public days from 9am-1pm. School year weekdays are for animal care and education of students, while Saturday events are open to public fundraisers. Typically, these events include several opportunities for volunteers to operate: animal ambassador chats, the reptile room holding, visitor check-in, children’s game supervision, docent stations, and gift shop sales.
Our Ambassador Animals
EOWBC’s Ambassador Animals are here with permission from FWC and USDA. The EOWBC maintains multiple permits, regulating the size of enclosures to details of their care (cleaning, feeding, etc.). These animals are not pets, and we do not treat them as such. They deserve respect and it is expected that all volunteers keep this in mind. All of the animals we have are deemed non-releasable, meaning they would not survive in the wild due to their history, injury, or imprinting on humans. We believe that all healthy wild animals belong in their natural habitat. We may not be able to recreate the experiences wild animals have exactly with the animals in our care, but we can try to offer them enrichment with these natural goals in mind, and provide a more stimulating environment.
Education & Outreach Volunteering
Required Qualifications:
Age Limit: 18 or Older
Time Commitment: Weekdays 8:30am-1pm, since this is when students are typically here.
September through May: At least one weekday per week or three weekdays per month.
June through August: At least 2 days a week or six weekdays per month.
Keep in Mind: Education and Outreach primarily happens outdoors, you should be willing to work outdoors in a variety of Florida weather, heat, and insect prevalence.
While an existing knowledge base and experience is appreciated, it is never expected. More important than existing knowledge is your willingness to learn!
There is one required orientation and various resources provided by the EOWBC to prepare you for educating.
Helpful Traits: Eager, dependable, able to work independently and as a team player
Possible Opportunities: Leading tours at the center, teaching students lessons, tabling at community events, assisting with fundraisers, working on-site events, and more!
Animal Care Volunteering
Required Qualifications:
Age Limit: 18 or Older
Time Commitment: At least one weekday per week or three weekdays per month. Preferred availability is 1pm - 4pm. Animal Care requires more time commitment to build trust between human and animal, as well as there is more information to learn in order to perform tasks.
Keep in Mind: Animal Care primarily happens outdoors, you should be willing to work outdoors in a variety of Florida weather and heat, work around foul odors, be comfortable preparing meat based diets, and being exposed to typical Florida levels of insects.
While an existing knowledge base and experience is appreciated, it is never expected. More important than existing knowledge is your willingness to learn!
There is one required orientation and various resources provided by the EOWBC to prepare you for the various opportunities available with this department.
Helpful Traits: Eager, dependable, takes initiative.
Possible Opportunities: Participate in animal training, assist with animal healthcare, learn husbandry standards, develop animal training plan, present educational animal chat to public, implement enrichment, and more!
One-Time Volunteer Opportunities
Community Support Days are the perfect short-term opportunity for families and individuals to earn some extra volunteering hours. There's no requirements to be able to participate, other than signing up ahead of time. Our community work day teams typically take on projects such as habitat builds, habitat maintenance, and general maintenance and beautification.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Events are typically held once a month on a Saturday throughout the school year, 9am-1pm but this can vary depending on the type of event. These events are for fundraising purposes, so every bit of help makes a world of difference!
Group Volunteer Days: If you're interested in scheduling a volunteer day with your company, organization, or other group (including Eagle Scout Projects), please contact our Community Engagement Coordinator at: sarmbruster@eowilsoncenter.org
Homeschool students are required to have additional documentation for approval at the state level prior to volunteering, to ensure adherence to child labor laws. We are also able to offer volunteer opportunities that are off-site, like making animal enrichment, bird houses, activity sheets, and more.