Become a Park Docent
Our popular Wednesday-night walks in the woods typically runs from June to September, visiting a different regional park each week. Docents familiar with the parks and their neighborhoods provide a tour that touches on the history, ecology, and improvements to the parks over the years.
We are always looking for volunteers to lead walks! If you are interested in being trained as a park docent, contact Melissa McMasters at the Parks Conservancy at 412-682-7275, ext. 214 or mmcmasters@pittsburghparks.org. We would like to grow our docent program so that each park has several trained tour leaders who are available to lead periodic walks. The time commitment is only about an hour and a half each month, and we will provide training and materials to assist you.
Upcoming Events
Spring volunteer work days start up in March. Check out the schedule and help keep our parks beautiful.
See photos of the restoration progress at Mellon Square on our Flickr site.
Stay up-to-date with our current projects on our blog.
Info for Volunteers
What to bring: Long pants, closed-toe shoes with good tread, all-weather clothing, a reusable water bottle (if you have one).
What will be provided: All necessary tools, gloves, materials, snacks, and instruction.
What to expect: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy volunteer work days are typically 4 hours long, rain or shine, and involve some type of ecological restoration work such as planting trees or wildflowers, controlling erosion, building trails, managing invasive species, or cleaning up dumpsites. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about safety and technique, provide you with tools and materials, and help you make a difference in our amazing parks. Expect to have fun, meet people who love the outdoors, and get dirty!