Volunteer Opportunities for Youth and Adults
Looking for outdoor volunteer opportunities in Seattle? Join DNDA in West Seattle and Delridge to help restore forests, plant native trees, and care for local parks. These hands-on volunteer events are open to individuals, families, and groups, and no experience is required. It’s a great way to earn community service hours while making a real environmental impact!
DNDA is a long-standing provider of outdoor volunteer opportunities in Seattle, especially in West Seattle and the Delridge neighborhood. Check out our calendar for details!
What to Expect
You’ll join guided outdoor volunteer events in West Seattle led by DNDA Nature staff.
Learn about urban forests, local ecosystems, and environmental restoration in Seattle.
Help with hands-on work like removing invasive plants, planting native trees, and restoring greenspaces.
Ready to get started? Join a volunteer event.
What to Bring
Working out in the elements requires the right apparel. Long pants and closed-toed shoes are required, even in the summer.
Bring any water or snacks you might want during the volunteer event.
If you have your own pair of work gloves, you are encouraged to bring them. If not that’s ok, we will provide some for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I volunteer outdoors in Seattle?
DNDA offers outdoor volunteer opportunities in West Seattle and the Delridge neighborhood focused on forest and nature restoration, including tree planting, invasive plant removal, and other habitat restoration tasks.
Do I need experience to volunteer?
No experience is needed. All training and tools are provided by DNDA Nature staff.
What kind of work will I be doing?
Volunteer activities include removing invasive plants, planting native trees, and helping restore local forest and greenspaces.
Can I earn community service hours?
Yes, volunteer hours can be tracked for school, work, or court-ordered community service requirements.
Who can participate?
Everyone is welcome, including individuals, classes, families, and groups.
Where do volunteer events take place?
Events take place in West Seattle and the Delridge neighborhood, often in local parks and forested natural areas.
When do volunteer events take place?
Events take place most Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the year. Additional days may be available for group or corporate volunteer events.
What other nature programs does DNDA offer?
In addition to forest restoration, DNDA offers a variety of nature programs, including environmental education, youth programming, and community initiatives. Learn more about our nature programs.
Urban Forest Restoration
DNDA’s Urban Forest Restoration Program is committed to restoring forests and other important natural areas throughout our community. Important ecological resources like the West Duwamish Greenbelt, Longfellow Creek, and Roxhill Bog provide many benefits for the environment and people around them.
Since 2003, our restoration program has brought volunteers and community members together to help restore habitat in the forest by removing invasive weeds, amending soil, addressing erosion issues, and planting new native trees and shrubs.
We work in more than a dozen sites throughout Delridge and West Seattle, hosting individuals and groups ranging in size from 5 to 150. Volunteer events are held Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the year!
Corporate Group Volunteering
Are you looking for an opportunity to engage your organization, students, or community group in a team building experience that gives back to your community? DNDA offers expert-led customizable volunteer and sponsorship opportunities for groups of any age or size.
Groups can choose from a combination of activities, including:
- Urban forest restoration
- A guided hike
- Outdoor art activities
- And more!
Partnering with DNDA
By partnering with DNDA, you are investing in the health of Seattle’s remaining urban forests, like the West Duwamish Greenbelt and Longfellow Creek Watershed greenspaces. These essential ecological resources span hundreds of acres across West Seattle and include miles of maintained trail systems.
DNDA is a 501c3 organization, and we are qualified to corporate match through Benevity. If you are interested in partnering with DNDA to support the communities most affected by environmental inequities, we offer a variety of private group outings that can be tailored to your organization’s goals and philanthropic priorities. Ready to learn more about how to partner with DNDA?
The History
Nature Consortium
Nature Consortium was founded in 1998 as a grassroots, community-based organization whose mission was to connect people, arts and nature. The Urban Forest Restoration Program has its roots 15 years ago, when the organization’s founding director Nancy Whitlock walked through the West Duwamish Greenbelt for the first time. She was inspired by the serenity of this forested location within the city, but realized that the Greenbelt was overgrown with non-native vegetation, and received very few visitors. Once an old-growth evergreen forest, it had suffered clear-cutting by pioneers and had subsequently been developed by industry.
Thus, in 2003 Nature Consortium’s Urban Forest Restoration program was formed. Over the course of our history, we have mobilized our community to bring about extraordinary change in this essential urban forest. Since 2003, more than 30,000 volunteers have joined in helping to restore the largest contiguous forest in Seattle. Over 2 million square feet have been cleared of non-native vegetation and kept under maintenance. Our volunteer-based program has planted 60,000 native trees, shrubs, and ground cover plants. This tremendous amount of work has also contributed to the overall goals of the Green Seattle Partnership, a citywide program of which Nature Consortium has been a partner of since its creation in 2005.
Before merging with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association in 2016, Nature Consortium’s Urban Forest Restoration program expanded into the Longfellow Creek watershed. Today, as a program of DNDA, we work in several parks and natural areas adjacent to Longfellow Creek and continue our commitment to the West Duwamish Greenbelt.
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