- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Public Works
- Parks and Open Space Division of DPW
- Parks
- Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
UPDATE: SPRING 2020 - All Volunteer Projects in the Brookline Parks are currently on hold due to COVID-19-related concerns.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering in the Brookline Parks. The following is a list of current opportunities for groups to get active and involved in their community. Brookline Parks and Open Space can provide tools and supplies as necessary. Find a site and project that interest you, and think of a date and time frame that will work for your group, or look at our Featured Projects for already scheduled projects in which you can participate. Then click on “Sign up Now”, and fill out an application, including any questions, concerns or special needs you may have. If you have a different project or idea you are interested in organizing, please let us know!
Make sure to check back regularly, as more projects will become available over time, and different seasons bring different challenges.
We look forward to seeing you in the parks!
Other Projects
Group Project Details
Invasive Plant Removal
Group Size: 4-50
Ages: 7+
Time: 2-5 Hours
What to Bring: Please bring water, and wear long sleeves and pants. Work gloves and tools will be provided. If choosing a longer project, consider a snack or light lunch.
Invasive species are non-native plants or animals whose widespread presence and potential for overgrowth threatens natural areas or ecosystems. These species are often introduced to a region by human activity, either intentionally or not, and they may come to dominate certain habitats and wilderness areas.
In Brookline, the most problematic invasive plants in our parks are Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard, and multiflora rose. Considered one of the worst exotic species in the Eastern United States, Japanese knotweed is incredibly resilient and hard to eradicate, and fast-growing colonies crowd out all natural vegetation. Garlic mustard, a European species introduced to North America as a cooking herb, can establish itself as the dominant undergrowth in New England forests, producing chemicals which inhibit growth of other nearby species. Initially brought to the United States as a decorative vine, Asiatic or Oriental bittersweet can quickly encompass large areas and if allowed to grow unchecked, may wrap and encircle trees, killing them over time. Multiflora rose, while beautiful, spreads rapidly and prevents native species from thriving.
These species represent a threat to Brookline’s parks and sanctuaries. As a volunteer for Brookline Parks and Open Space, you will work with a park ranger to help remove and manage invasive species and help protect and preserve our parks for you and other visitors to appreciate and enjoy.
This project will involve using hand tools such as pruners, loppers, rakes and hand saws.
Trail Maintenance
Group Size: 4-25
Ages: 6+
Time: 2 Hours
What to Bring: Please bring water, and wear long sleeves and pants. Work gloves and tools will be provided. If choosing a longer project, consider a snack or light lunch.
The Brookline parks are natural spaces for all visitors to explore and enjoy. In order to keep the parks safe and accessible and the plants and environment healthy, we can always use some helping hands to clean along the walkways and paths, especially along wooded areas.
Underneath the 50,000 trees in the Parks and Open Space system are seasonal debris, litter, and non-native, invasive plant species which can threaten the quality and integrity of the town’s parks. In this volunteer project, you’ll work with a park ranger to patrol the grounds of a park and clean up the walkways and understory along the path and beneath the trees, allowing visitors better access and helping maintain a healthy understory of native shrubs and low-lying plants. Come help your community and keep the Brookline Parks a clean, green space for everyone to enjoy.
This project will involve using hand tools such as pruners, loppers, rakes and hand saws.
Waterway Cleanup
Group Size: 4-15
Ages: 10+
Time: 2 Hours
What to Bring: Please bring water, and wear long sleeves and pants. Work gloves and tools will be provided. If choosing a longer project, consider a snack or light lunch.
The wetlands and waterways of Brookline are a precious resource, and home to countless plants and animals. Unfortunately, the wet areas of our parks and sanctuaries occasionally need a helping hand. Streams and brooks can become blocked or clogged with debris from previous seasons, and refuse littered in wetlands can present a threat to the species that call those spaces home.
This project will consist of cleaning up the streams and wetland areas in one of Brookline’s wildlife sanctuaries. As a volunteer, you will work with a park ranger to carefully and appropriately clean these sensitive areas. Work may consist of dredging out dead plant material, cleaning debris from brooks and streams, and cleaning trash and refuse from bodies of water and surrounding areas. All of these actions are huge steps toward protecting our natural areas for future generations to explore and enjoy.