Volunteer Program

Are you interested in volunteering with SCRA? We’d love to have you join our team! Here is a brief overview in a few areas where we are currently looking for help:

Land Use Monitoring

There are countless zoning authorities in the St. Croix watershed. The authorities make land use decisions that may affect the quality of the St. Croix River and its watershed. SCRA needs volunteers to monitor the zoning activities in each jurisdiction, as it would require too much staff time to keep track of them. Volunteers will be taught how zoning proceedings work, and duties could include:

Keep track of zoning activities in your chosen area (town, county, or village).
Find out the subject of each variance and conditional use hearing. If possible, join mail lists to receive advance notice of hearings.
Decide whether a matter needs close attention by SCRA.
For potentially important matters, contact the volunteer zoning coordinator.
Maintain copies of local zoning ordinances and state laws regarding zoning.
Respond promptly when contacted by a zoning monitor.
For potentially important zoning activities, find out what the proposed activity is, where it is in the zoning process, whether and when a hearing is scheduled, where the activity is to be located, and the permit applicant’s name.
Decide how the proposed activity would affect the watershed and whether SCRA should get involved. Contact Staff if a matter might warrant SCRA involvement.
Attend hearings and keep in touch with zoning administrators on potentially important zoning activities

On the Water Volunteer Opportunities:

Ranger Guided River Programs: One volunteer is needed to assist a NPS ranger for each paddle program. The programs run from May-August and are on both the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers. Kayaking experience is required and a training session will be required. A listing of the programs with dates and times is available at www.scrapaddle.org.
Project RED: The St. Croix River Association, River Alliance of Wisconsin and National Park Service (NPS) will be training citizens to become Riverine Early Detectors. Volunteers will assist in detecting invasive species early, when it is still possible to isolate or eradicate the infestation. Enjoy paddling and protecting your river at the same time!
Algae Alert Network: Contribute to citizen science and public safety by helping monitor the St. Croix River for algal blooms and collecting water samples. Volunteers are needed on a regular and on-call basis between July and September from Wild River State Park to Stillwater. In partnership with the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

River Awareness Week: River Clean-Up

For more than a decade, SCRA has facilitated river bank clean ups on public land abutting the St. Croix River. At first it was one day in June. Now St. Croix River Awareness Week covers the whole basin and starts the second full weekend after the 4th.

SCRA encourages others to organize their own clean-up efforts and provides a public summary of clean-up events during River Awareness Week. You can either volunteer to organize your own clean-up, or you can volunteer to help SCRA promote River Awareness Week, track the clean-up groups, distribute trash bags to clean-up groups and assist in the final report.

Watershed Law Compilation

The federal, Minnesota, and Wisconsin governments have laws and regulations relevant to water quality and protection of watershed resources. A reference to such authorities would help SCRA more fully understand the extent of watershed protections and legal options as they arise.

Tasks may include:

Identify all relevant federal, state, and local laws regarding water quality and watershed resources.
Evaluate whether local governments within the St. Croix watershed are meeting their state-mandated obligations.
Identify local provisions that have been adopted by communities elsewhere that should be considered by local governments in the St. Croix watershed.
Summarize briefly caselaw that involves conservation, water quality, status, or similar topics related to the St. Croix River or its watershed.
Describe gaps, redundancies, and inconsistencies in the laws identified.

SCRA Booth Staffing

SCRA has a booth presence at numerous community events and fairs throughout the year. SCRA is seeking volunteers to staff the booth. This could also include setting up and/or disassembling the display. You will receive training from experienced booth staffers until you are comfortable enough staff the display on your own, or you may choose to work alongside another volunteer.

Office Assistance

General office assistance is always welcome. Duties could include any of the following: