Volunteer

WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS

WMEAC relies on caring volunteers like you to carry out our mission of leading environmental protection. We are all part of West Michigan’s environment, so we must work together to protect and positively influence our natural surroundings. WMEAC volunteers average 10,000 hours every year for various programs, professional, and maintenance needs! We need you to volunteer West Michigan to protect our environment!

Volunteers remove trash from the bank of the Grand River during the 2022 Mayors' Grand River Cleanup.

Volunteer Opportunities

  • Annual Mayors' Grand River Cleanup
  • Stream Keepers Macroinvertebrate Monitoring
  • Teach for the Watershed Mentorship
  • Rain Garden & Green Roof Planting

WMEAC hosts our largest volunteer event of the year: The Mayors’ Grand River Cleanup during the second week of September. We host over 700 volunteers who visit locations along the Grand River and its tributaries to remove trash and debris. 

The 20th Annual Mayor’s Grand River Cleanup will be held on Saturday, September 9th, 2023 through Saturday, September 16th, 2023. For more information please visit this page!

Are you interested in learning about the hidden world of our streams and freshwater insects? Well what are you “wading” for? Join WMEAC’s Stream Keepers today!

We host a network of volunteers who record information on streamside habitats, physical characteristics and the aquatic macroinvertebrate populations living in our local waterways.

For more information and sign up please visit this page.

Do you have an interest in working with students? WMEAC’s premier environmental education program, Teach for the Watershed, recruits volunteers to deliver our outdoor field program to sixth grade students. Visit this page for more information on our Teach for the Watershed program.

If you are interested in getting involved please contact Kyle Hart at T4Watershed@wmeac.org or fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

Did you know the WMEAC office is a “zero-stormwater site“? We have an extensive green rooftop an several rain gardens on our property that prevent pollution from our parking lot from entering our local streams. Maintaining the green roof and rain gardens requires annual maintenance and planting. 

Maintenance and planting days are usually held biannually in the spring and fall. Specific dates and times will be sent via our volunteer e-newsletter. If you are interested in helping us out please use the form at the bottom of this page.

Event Committees

WMEAC hosts a lot of events throughout the year to keep residents in West Michigan engaged with their environment. If you are interested in getting involved with the planning and execution of our events please reach out!

I Want To Volunteer!

Thanks for requesting to volunteer for WMEAC! We will reach out to you and come up with a plan to get you involved.
  • *By filling out this form you will be added to WMEAC's volunteer opportunities email list. We will not send you additional information other than volunteer information.
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