Volunteer Resources

Trail Volunteers

Track and Report hours with www.trackitforward.com  

Orientation would need to be completed before being able to carry out the service.

• A walking/cycling orientation with a NTTSW member familiar with the neighborhood trail is required to participate
• Read relevant information from Neighborhoods to Trails SW website on the Trail chosen as well as the NTTSW Vision, Mission and Milestones

On the Trail “Eyes on the Ground “

Trail Ambassador: Serve as the key contact person for a neighborhood trail.

• One Ambassador per Trail
• Provide an orientation including the history of the trail, when feasible. for trail monitors, maintenance, Adopt a Spot volunteers and other trail volunteer positions.
• Graffiti abatement needs to be reported to 311.Houstontx.gov/311 (713) 837-0311
  •  Share the service request number – with the case number with the neighborhood COH District.

Report issues to neighborhood Districts  

District J  https://districtjpatrol.com/report

• Use Report Forms found on Brays Oaks Management District
  • Graffiti https://www.braysoaksmd.org/graffiti-report-form/ 
  • Other Issues https://www.braysoaksmd.org/report-an-issue/ 

Trail Monitors: Frequent users of the Trail will serve as reporters to the Ambassador.

• Several Monitors may report needs or activities on a Trail or segments of the Trail.
• This may be monthly, weekly or on occasion.
• If there is a day of the week or a weekly routine, report the schedule to the Ambassador to avoid duplication of volunteer efforts.

Trail Maintenance: Provides assistance with litter removal and reports other issues requiring maintenance to the Trail Ambassador for coordination with agencies responsible for the issues..

• Litter Patrol on the Trail: bring a small trash bag, gloves and perhaps a grabber pick up tool to safely collect litter from the trail. Report the frequency to the Trail Ambassador to avoid duplication of days.
• Remove debris after flooding or other events

Adopt a Spot: Volunteers who choose a specific area on the trail to monitor and maintain

• For example, on Keegans Bayou Trail: Adopt any of the four park bench seating areas each a mile apart with 2 benches, litter receptacle and a bike rack.
• Once a month inspect the Spot for litter, maintenance or beautification improvements

Citizen Science for Environmental Tracking

IMPORTANT – You do NOT need to know how to identify what you are documenting. The apps help with identifying! Just need you to document the natural world around you!

• Experience with iNaturalist and eBird is a plus!
• Approximately 30 min to an hour to learn the app 
• Join a team project, to be named per Trail
• Volunteers will document as many plants and animals in their designated area as possible
• Volunteers will upload their observations to iNaturalist 

Document a Master Nature List for a Trail: Build on your area of interest in birds, wildlife, grasses, plants, water etc. 

• Create a nature checklist for each trail
• Good with Microsoft Word and Excel
• Collaborative documents can be shared via Google Docs or email
• Knowledge of pollinators, native/adapted plants would be helpful

iNaturalist – A citizen science crowd-sourcing online program for reporting and identifying wildlife.  A link has been created for Keegans Bayou Trail from South Gessner to Highway 59. Please add photos.  

• https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/keegan-s-bayou-trail

eBird –  An online database of bird observations.  Helps provide scientists and others who study birds and their habitat important information about behavior and abundance.

• eBird https://ebird.org/home 

Coordinate Guided Walks or Cycling on the Trail

• One hour on a easy cement, off-street trail
• Provide nature interpretation on the trail, if able as a team or with an app 
• Such as options for weekly Saturday mornings during any month, but especially during wildflower season in March, April, May, June
• Such as monthly on the 1^st Saturday morning in the fall and winter
• Coordinate with a social stop, perhaps a coffee shop, bakery or more

Outreach: Provide in person or virtual outreach

• Maintain a contact spreadsheet and email list of persons who request information during outreach events 
• Outreach Booth Coordinator
  • Willow Waterhole Music Fest and similar community events
• Design Flyers for Special Events
  • Graphic Design or Photoshop experience a plus
• Design a survey to indicate interest in specific trails
• Volunteer Coordination Team to recruit, track and report hours with software tracker (www.trackitforward.com ) 

Photograph or Video the Trail

Join a team of people to help produce social media content for Facebook, Instagram, Website and those yet to be known

• We do have photo releases for individuals if necessary..
• As a volunteer program it is necessary to have more individuals able to publicize the trails through virtual means
• Producing social media content will include taking photos, short videos (less than 3 minutes) and with a team provide entertaining interpretive facts
• Plants, trees, animals, birds, fish, turtles, water, activity, construction. Do not photo the identity of walkers.  
• The photographer or another team volunteer would write a 25-50 word observation as a caption for the social media post 
• The goal is to post social media posts weekly from a number of individuals for the various media outlets
• For Publishing in print media, it is good to have 300 dpi photos. If not they can be converted.

Media Distribution

• As available.
• Volunteer Weekly
• Volunteer Monthly: One post per month
• Volunteer Quarterly: Site visits 4 times per year to observe seasonal changes
• Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Meet Up, Newspaper, Next Door, WhatsApp

Video and Video Editing: This goal of this project is to expand the reach of the trail into a broader digital community

• Publish short (less than 3 minutes) informative videos using volunteer-contributed digital content
• Individuals with videography experience will collect raw footage video and audio material of wildlife and landscape to use to create video clips
• With contributed videos from others edit from raw footage
• The service can be carried out using a smartphone or technology. The final product may be as mp4 format for videos

Website Contributors for each of the NTTSW Trails

• Contributors may submit a draft to the Administrators 
• The content will be uploaded by the web Administrators or Editor within 10 days

WordPress Website Technical Support

• NOAA Weather
• Experience with WordPress is required or helpful
• Add free plug-ins such as
• Events Manager
• Donation Thermometer
• Basic Google Maps Placemarks
• Image Mapper

Organizational Volunteer Positions