Volunteer Opportunities
Santa Catalina Volunteer Patrol (SCVP)
Serving as a member of the volunteer patrol is fun and provides a real opportunity to meet and assist the public. We patrol in uniform, which acts like a magnet attracting the public to approach with questions. Typically, we provide trail location information, trail heads, distances on the various trails, and answers to other concerns the visitor may have. Time requirements are modest, we ask for a minimum of 6 hours per month. Many of our members are out in the canyon 2 to 4 days per week. Members can download and print a copy of the SCVP Patrol Manual from the Members Only page.
SCVP Application Form
If you have an interest in becoming a member of the Volunteer Patrol, click here to download and print the SCVP Application form. Specific requirements, submission schedule, and training dates are included in the form. It is in pdf format to facilitate printing.
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Bike Patrol
If you are a biker, you may be interested in the Bike Patrol. Biking, while permitted in the Recreation Area, is quite restricted. It is not allowed on Wednesdays and Saturdays at all, and is only allowed the other days until 9 am and after 5 pm. Bike are restricted to a maximum of 15 mph, so a speedometer or gps is essential so the rider knows how fast he or she is traveling. Biking is not permitted on trails in the Wilderness areas anywhere in the Santa Catalinas. This essentially means that biking is restricted to the paved roads in the Recreation area, since most trails pass through wilderness areas. Check in the visitor center if you want to know where the wilderness areas are located. The Catalina highway is a favorite of bikers and riders are common all the way to Summerhaven.
Members of the Bike Patrol, as members of the Volunteer Patrol, are in uniform, which must be purchased by the individuals and must wear a standard helmit, so there are costs. Members can download and print a copy of the Bike Patrol Guide from the Members Only page. Duties of members of the Bike Patrol can be found here. If you are interested in joining the Bike Patrol you can view and print a copy of the application form here. It is in pdf format to facilitate printing.
Emergency procedures and guidelines can be reviewed by reading and/or printing the Tort Agreement and Good Samaritan rules by downloading the document here.
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN)
Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) help others to enjoy and appreciate the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona. This unique riparian area in the Sonoran Desert is under the jurisdiction of the Santa Catalina Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest. SCVN is a non-profit community group which contracts with the Forest Service to provide environmental education activities in the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.
The Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists are members of the community who enjoy nature and are specially trained to interpret the natural history of the Sonoran Desert and the riparian area surrounding Sabino Creek.
Why do people become Volunteer Naturalists?
Volunteers realize many benefits from working at Sabino Canyon. In helping visitors, both children and adults, to enjoy and appreciate the Canyon, we share our pleasure as well as a desire to protect this unique environment. As urban Tucson expands, the natural wonders of places like Sabino Canyon become more important to the quality of life of its residents.
Many Volunteers find their interpretive duties both challenging and fulfilling, as old talents are employed and new skills and knowledge acquired. To most of us, however, the motive is enjoyment as well as satisfaction; volunteer work at Sabino Canyon often is just plain fun. You can visit their website here. SCVN
Friends of Sabino Canyon
Friends of Sabino Canyon works to protect, preserve and enhance Sabino Canyon by funding and supporting projects, inspiring and educating the public, and partnering with the U.S. Forest Service and other key stakeholders.
Since 1993, FRIENDS OF SABINO CANYON, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, has raised more than one million dollars for projects in the canyon. These include trail maintenance and repairs, facilities enhancements, water wells, interpretive exhibits, educational activities, restoration work and funding for research and invasive species management. The Arizona Office of Tourism recognized Friends of Sabino Canyon with an Outstanding Volunteer Service Award on August 3, 2001 at a luncheon at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. In July 2002, we received the Volunteer of the Year Award presented by Forest Chief Dale Bosworth in Washington, DC. In 2003, we received a "Windows on the Past" National Award for Excellence for the Rehabilitation of the Lowell Adminstrative Site.
For more information, please visit their website FOSC