Opportunities to Volunteer in New Orleans

SSWR has compiled the following list of organizations that have expressed interest in conference attendees volunteering for them before and/or after the conference. Please contact the organization(s) directly for additional information. Please note that SSWR is providing this list for information purposes only.

The following organizations have expressed interest in conference attendees volunteering for them before and/or after the conference:

Bayou Rebirth

Bayou Rebirth is a new program that has the mission of matching volunteers to wetlands restoration projects in the Southeast Louisiana. Healthy wetlands once surrounded the greater New Orleans area and protected it from hurricane storm surge, but various human activities have led to their degradation and disappearance. The State of Louisiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among others, are trying to address the rapid wetlands loss along the Louisiana coast through a number of programs, some of which call for planting wetlands plants in various locations. Bayou Rebirth seeks to build a volunteer base for these programs as well as help build capacity for restoring the National Wildlife Refuges near the city. In addition to instilling stewardship for our environmental resources, such plantings offer visitors from around the country an opportunity to see the beautiful ecosystem that is the Mississippi River delta.

Bayou Rebirth does charge a fee, which pays for coordination, equipment and the necessary plants. For those interested in participating in a wetlands planting, contact Colleen Morgan at colleen@bayourebirth.org or (504) 267-7500.

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

Habitat builds simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner families. Habitat houses are sold to Partner Families at no profit, and financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners' monthly mortgage payments are recycled into a revolving Fund for Humanity that is used to build more houses.

Melissa Manuelis
(504) 861-4121
volunteer@habitat-nola.org

Preferred means of accepting volunteers: Online Registration

Information for New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity can be found here.

Information to volunteer for New Orleans Habitat for humanity can be found here.

Lower Nine

lowernine.org is dedicated to training residents and volunteers in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the numerous skills necessary to bring this century-old historic neighborhood back to life in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These skills run the gamut from basic to advanced house construction and rebuilding, but also include community gardening projects, emotional and social support services, social outreach and community development.

Lauren
(207) 380-9636
lauren@lowernine.org

Preferred means of accepting volunteers: Online Registration

Information for Lower Nine can be found here.

Information to volunteer for Lower Nine can be found here.

The Audubon Nature Institute

The Audubon Nature Institute has a nature center in New Orleans East that was all but destroyed in Katrina. Only 10 percent of the 86-acre bottomland hardwood forest remains – what was not taken out by the surge was killed by the salty flood waters. Because FEMA reviews were still ongoing, the organization had not done much work on the property until the summer of 2007, and by then the invasive species Chinese tallow had taken over. A considerable project is removing this invasive tree, but volunteers have also begun the task of replanting the bottomland hardwood forest. Such replanting includes a diverse mix of bottomland hardwoods dominated by red maple and hackberry, but some wetland plantings will include bald cypress and its common associates.

What is required:

Wear pants and boots
Bring sunscreen, bug spray
Wear hat and sunglasses
Bring a full water bottle, preferably non-disposable (water will be provided)

What to expect:

A jungle-like atmosphere
Potentially, venomous snakes, stinging caterpillars, red ants
A day of great exercise, good fun, and an experience you will not forget

DIRECTIONS TO AUDUBON LOUISIANA NATURE CENTER:

From downtown New Orleans, take I-10 East to Slidell until you go over the “High-Rise” bridge over the Industrial Canal. After another few miles, take the Read Blvd. exit and turn right. Pass Lake Forest and the Abramson School on the right, and take a left at the fire station, onto Dwyer Road. Go down about a half mile until you see a pink house and an orange house on the right, on the other side of a canal. To the left, across from those houses, is the gate to the center. Turn into the driveway and drive down to the parking lot. Please go around the parking lot and park next to the fence, if you can.

If you are lost, call Colleen at (504) 570-3272 or Amy at (504) 915-8296

Preferred means of accepting volunteers: Online Registration or Phone

Further information on the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center can be found here.

Further information for volunteering with the Audubon Louisiana Nature Center can be found here.

Parkway Partners

ReLeaf New Orleans is the Parkway Partners initiative to replace the urban
canopy lost to Hurricane Katrina. They've planted over 3000 trees so far!

Macon Fry
504.610.0376
maconfry@hotmail.com

Preferred means of accepting volunteers: Online Registration

Further information on Parkway Partners can be found here.

Further information on volunteering for Parkway Partners can be found here.