Why volunteer in your Olmsted Parks?
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy began as an all-volunteer organization in 1978 called the “Buffalo Friends of Olmsted Parks.” Every garden, every pathway, every building, every open lawn, every tree, and every waters edge has been touched by a volunteer at some point in the Buffalo Olmsted Park System history.
- Volunteers are central to keeping our parks operating at the highest possible standard.
- Volunteers ensure that we can deliver the cleanest, safest, and most beautiful parks to the city.
- Volunteers allow us to do more with less!
For any questions, please reach out to Kristie Munson, Volunteer Coordinator, at Kristie@bfloparks.org.
Sign up to volunteer here
Upcoming Community Volunteer Events
Upcoming Volunteer Events (One-Time)
- August 22: 9 AM -12 PM at South Park
- August 25: 9 AM – 12 PM at South Park
- September 7: 1 PM -4 PM at South Park
- September 11: 9 AM – 12 PM at Rose Garden (Day of Service)
- September 16: 9 AM -3 PM at Rose Garden
- September 23: 9 AM – 12 PM at Japanese Garden
Upcoming Volunteer Events (Recurring)
- Riverside Park every other Thursday 9 AM – 12 PM
- Every Monday in the Rose Garden; 9 AM – 12 PM
- Every other Tuesday in the Meadow/Ring Road Gardens starting July 11; 9 AM – 12 PM
- Japanese Garden Clean-up; every Wednesday; 9 AM – 12 PM
- Every other Friday in the Cazenovia Park Gardens starting July 14; 9 AM – 12 PM
Sign up to volunteer here
Join a Volunteer Taskforce
Rose Garden Taskforce | Led by Madeleine McGrady
The Rose Garden is undergoing a multi-phase restoration in 2023 through 2024. Volunteer your time to support this effort by reaching out to Madeleine@bfloparks.org
Japanese Garden Taskforce | Led by Madeleine McGrady
Do you enjoy visiting the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park? Volunteer your time to help maintain and care for the Japanese Garden alongside special gardens manager, Madeleine McGrady! For more information, reach out to Madeleine@bfloparks.org
Invasive Species Eradication Taskforce (ISET) | Led by Kristie Munson
Learn about invasive species identification and management in the Olmsted parks alongside volunteer coordinator, Kristie Munson! ISET meets on the 4th Thursday of every month. For more information, reach out to Kristie@bfloparks.org
Upcoming ISET Meetings and Events:
- Upcoming Monthly ISET Team Meeting: Thursday, Aug 24, 6pm-8pm, Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park
- Invasive Species Walk & Talk at Cazenovia Park: Aug 30, 5:30pm-7pm. Sign up here!
Ways to Volunteer in your Olmsted Parks
Individual Volunteer (Outdoors)
Any time you can spare is greatly appreciated by us, so if you’d be interested in a one off volunteer opportunity to help out in Buffalo’s historic park system follow the link below. Gardening experience and a green-thumb not necessary!
Apply here
Recurring Volunteer (Outdoors)
The Recurring Volunteer program provides an opportunity for dedicated individuals to help out in Buffalo’s historic park system on a regular basis. All you need is patience and the willingness to learn. Gardening experience and a green-thumb would be a plus, but not necessary.
Apply here
Volunteer Groups
If you are looking for a great way to give back to you community with a group of co-workers, classmates, or friends, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy can help lead the charge! BOPC is continuously in need of volunteer groups to contribute to our many outdoor park projects. Volunteer groups from schools, local clubs, and various organizations make up the majority of the work accomplished by our dedicated community volunteers.
If you are interested to learn more about Volunteer Groups, please complete the form below and Kristie will be in touch!
Apply here
Community Outreach Volunteer
Throughout the year there are many opportunities to get the word out about our organization and what we do. This includes staffing a table with our merch at our cities many festivals and events, or providing assistance at community events, outdoor family movie nights and more!
If you are interested to help out as a Community Outreach Volunteer, please complete the form below and Kristie will be in touch!
Share your photos
Don’t have time to volunteer? Sharing your pictures and videos of our beautiful parks helps too! This can be as simple as uploading a picture and tagging us in it @bFLOParks and using #bFLOParks or coming to photograph one of the many events that take place in the parks. You can also send them directly to Kristie@bfloparks.org
Would you like to be contacted on opportunities for Groups, Community Outreach and/or Media volunteers? Please complete this form below.
If you have issues with this form, please contact Kristie Munson, Volunteer Coordinator, at Kristie@bfloparks.org or call (716) 316-2797.
