2023 Earth Week Naperville Volunteer Opportunities

APRIL

Habitat Management Mornings

Forest Preserve District of Will County

When:            Sat. April 22, 9 am - 12 pm
Where:           Riverview Farmstead
Who:              Ages 10 and older; 

What:             Removing invasive brush with loppers and saws
How:              Registration required and space is limited; Start with completing a waiver and put "4/22 HMM @ Riverview"                                                         in the OPPORTUNITY Box.

Invasive Species Removal

Naperville Park District

When:            To be completed by April 21
Where:           Various parks within Naperville (park will be assigned once a date/time are solidified)
Who:              Ages 14 and up; younger children must be accompanied by guardians/parents

What:             Hand pull Garlic Mustard and Dames Rocket at select parks with guidance from Park District staff.                                                                         Work gloves and closed-toe shoes required.
How:              Contact Becca Krzyszkowski at 630-848-3606 or at rkrzyszkowski@napervilleparks.org

Planting Plugs & Shrubs

Spring Clean-Up

Tree Ring Mulching

See below

MAY

32nd Annual DuPage River Sweep

The Conservation Foundation

When:            Saturday, May 20, 9 am - 12 pm
Where:           County-wide
What:             Self-coordinated stream cleanup held each spring
How:              Register your group here

Planting Plugs & Shrubs

Naperville Park District

When:            To be completed by May 29
Where:           Various parks within Naperville (park will be assigned once a date/time are determined)
Who:              Ages 14 and up; younger children must be accompanied by guardians/parents                                                                        What:             Help beautify our parks by planting new trees, shrubs and flowers. Guidance and materials provided onsite.
How:              Contact Becca Krzyszkowski at 630-848-3606 or at rkrzyszkowski@napervilleparks.org

Spring Clean-Up

Naperville Park District

When:            To be completed by May 29
Where:           Various parks within Naperville (park will be assigned once a date/time are determined)
Who:              Ages 14 and up; younger children must be accompanied by guardians/parents                                                                        What:             Help keep our parks clean by picking up litter throughout our parks and along trails.                                                                                               Volunteers will be provided with the necessary materials including trash bags, sanitary gloves and litter pickers.
How:              Contact Becca Krzyszkowski at 630-848-3606 or at rkrzyszkowski@napervilleparks.org

Tree Ring Mulching

Naperville Park District

When:            To be completed by May 29
Where:           Various parks within Naperville (park will be assigned once a date/time are determined)
Who:              Ages 14 and up; younger children must be accompanied by guardians/parents                                                                        What:             Learn and practice the proper mulching technique as you mulch around park trees.                                                                                                 All equipment and supplies provided - mulch, shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows. Volunteers should be able to lift 10 pounds.
How:              Contact Becca Krzyszkowski at 630-848-3606 or at rkrzyszkowski@napervilleparks.org

ONGOING

Adopt A Park, Adopt a Trail and Adopt a Field   

Our adopt programs have been developed by the Naperville Park District to recruit and train residents and business community members who wish to assist in the general care and maintenance of parks and park amenities by selecting a specific location to adopt.

Adopt a Park HandbookAdopt a Park ApplicationAdopt a Park Waivers

Citizen Science Projects

Collecting and reporting data

  • Budburst, make observations about when plants are flowering and help answer important questions about climate change
  • Bumble Bee Watch, track and photograph bumblebees.
  • Celebrate Urban Birds, bilingual bird project for underserved urban and rural residents.
  • City Nature Challenge, friendly competition to see which city, world-wide, can observe and find the most species and engage with their community.
  • Crowd the Tap, help "identify areas for tap water testing and infrastructure replacement."
  • Debris Tracker, National Geographic campaign to help scientists track plastic pollution in our waterways.
  • Firefly Watch, combine an annual summer ritual with scientific research.
  • Calling Frog Survey, learn about wetlands and report data on the calls of local frogs and toads.
  • Globe at Night, "international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness about the impact of light pollution. Citizen-scientists measure & submit their night sky brightness observations."  
  • Great Backyard Bird Count, count birds at home; first citizen-science program to collect and display data online.
  • The Great Sunflower Project, identify pollinators to help improve their habitat
  • Hummingbird Migration, take part in spotting and tracking the Ruby-throated hummingbird migration.
  • Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network, collect data on local butterfly populations.
  • iNaturalist, Record your observations, share with others and discuss what you've found all while contributing to science.t
  • I See Change, national climate change reporting project
  • Monarch Watch, raise, tag and release monarchs.
  • Journey North, Track the spring and fall migration of monarchs.
  • Nature's Notebook, "record observations of plants and animals online to generate long-term datasets used in science and policymaking."
  • Nest Watch, help scientists track the success/failure of nesting birds.
  • Never Home Along: The Wild Life of Homes, global project to observe and note the insect species found in your home
  • Project FeederWatch, count birds that visit your feeder
  • Project Squirrel, become a squirrel monitor.
  • Seek by iNaturalist, app designed specifically for kids. Provides lists of common plants and animals, take photos of what you find, get badges for correct identifications and more.