Boston Flora

Category: Volunteer Opportunity

  • Sunday, May 31, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – BioBlitz at J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve

    Invasive plants threaten the delicate ecosystems within J.C. Phillips Nature Preserve, located at 779 Cabot Street in Beverly. A BioBlitz will help us show where the forest needs the most assistance. Join us for the kickoff! (Can’t attend the kick-off? You can still collect data all year long!) A BioBlitz is an event where attendees take photos and record sounds to catalog the animals and plants living in an area. The resulting data paints a picture of the ecosystem and what lives there- and what doesn’t! You don’t need experience, just the free iNaturalist app and a smart phone!

    The event is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts, Plant Magic Gardens, and Green Beverly, with additional help from the Mass Cultural Council, the Elizabeth B. McGraw Foundation, and the Chrysanta Foundation. Sign up at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/Calendar-of-Events/BioBlitz-with-Green-Beverly-Plant-Magic-Gardens-and-Grow-Native

  • Monday, July 6 – Friday, August 14 – Young Farmers Project Internship

    This summer the Urban Farming Institute is inviting a small cohort of youth to join us on the farm in our movement toward building a healthy community. Young Farmers Project is a program that will serve as a site of belonging and transformation for youth where we will combine hands-on land-based skills, art, collective leadership, civic engagement, and political education to develop a loving relationship with the land, ourselves, and each other.

    Together we will…

    Learn how to grow food through hands-on farming

Explore nature and our local ecosystems

Make art, share food, and move our bodies

Design a community action project based on the needs in our lives and community

Share what we learn with our community

Consider our passions, experiences, and skills in creating positive social change

    Program Dates:
    July 6 – August 14 (6 weeks)
    This program will run from Monday – Friday (28 hours/week)
    9:00 am – 3:00 pm (Wednesdays 9:00 am – 1:00 pm)

    Location:

    Urban Farming Institute
    487 Norfolk Street
    Mattapan, MA 02186

    Compensation: $16/hour; 28 hours per week

    For complete information visit https://www.urbanfarminginstitute.org/young-farmers-project

  • Build-a-Garden: Greater Boston Applications Open

    Want to grow your own food—right in your yard? The Food Project believes that everyone who wants to grow their own food should have access to adequate, toxin-free growing space. To this end, we have built more than 1,800 raised-bed gardens through our Build-a-Garden initiative.

    Build-a-Garden: Greater Boston

    The Food Project’s Build-a-Garden initiative supports low- to moderate-income households in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan — plus organizations — that want to grow their own food.

    We provide you with:

    A raised-bed garden filled with healthy, safe soil.
12 free seedlings in May of your first year.
Free Garden Planning & Planting workshops and a Growing Guide.
Ongoing support through drop-in open hours at the Dudley Greenhouse.
An annual sale for gardeners to purchase high-quality seedlings, compost, and other supplies to keep our neighbors’ gardens growing.

    Eligibility Priorities and Gardener Expectations:

    Residents of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, are welcome to apply. Priority is given to those with financial need and to families with children. Gardeners are expected to:

    Attend a 2-hour introduction to gardening workshop session and complete a post-season survey.
Plant and maintain your garden on a weekly basis. We generally recommend spending at least 1-2 hours per week.
While not required, our hope is that participants will become engaged with our programs and other gardeners in their neighborhood.

    No prior gardening experience is required; enthusiasm and a willingness to learn are all you need!

    *At this time, we only have the capacity to build standard 4 ft wide, 8 ft long, and 10 in tall beds.

    Visit https://thefoodproject.org/bag/ for application forms and information. There is also an opportunity for residents in the North Shore – information at link.

  • Saturday, June 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – South End Garden Tour Call for Volunteers

    The Trustees of Reservations will sponsor the 2026 South End Garden Tour on Saturday, June 20, from 10 – 4. The Tour will start at the Berkeley Community Garden, 500 Tremont Street in the South End. Tickets are $28 for Trustees Members and $35 for nonmembers. However, volunteers will receive a free ticket. The committee is looking for people to help with setup, tour assistants, cleanup, photographers, and musicians. Sign up to volunteer at https://volunteer.thetrustees.org/ or email mfrancke@thetrustees.org.

  • Saturday, May 2, 8:30 am – 12:00 noon – Alley Rally/ Love Your Block 2026

    The Back Bay will sparkle on Saturday, May 2, as Alley Rally returns. Meet at the Clarendon Street Playground, 8:30 am, at the corner of Clarendon Street and Commonwealth Avenue, for coffee and doughnuts. At 9 am you will check in, hear welcome remarks, and head off to clean your block with tools provided by the City of Boston. At 11, return your tools to the Playground. Stay and enjoy refreshments and live music with your neighbors. Questions? Email info@nabbonline.org. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay initiated Alley Rally in the 1970’s, and it’s stronger than ever.

  • Monday, April 20 – Friday, April 24, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Green Cambridge’s Earth Week at the Alewife

    Join Green Cambridge for a week of free educational walks in the Alewife Brook Reservation, April 20 – 24. Learn about invasive plant species, local history, native biodiversity, and how to participate in the City Nature Challenge bioblitz on Friday, April 24. For complete information visit https://www.greencambridge.org

  • Friday, April 24 – Saturday, April 25 – The Charles River Earth Day Cleanup

    Working with our partners at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Charles River Conservancy, Waltham Land Trust, and Esplanade Association, we collect trash from the Charles River and surrounding area with thousands of incredible volunteers. The Earth Day Charles River Cleanup builds on a national effort as part of American Rivers’ National River Cleanup®, which has removed over 25 million pounds of trash from America’s waterways. Our cleanup brings together over 3,000 volunteers each year to pick up litter, remove invasive species, and assist with park maintenance along all 80 miles of the Charles River. Registration is now open at https://www.crwa.org/earthdaycleanup

  • America’s Largest Mycorrhizal Fungi Library Funding Crisis

    Fungi collections rarely generate headlines. Yet the survival of a modest facility at the University of Kansas carries implications for global agriculture, ecological restoration, and scientific understanding of plant-fungi relationships that have evolved over millions of years. The International Collection of Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, known as INVAM, maintains 900 living isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: microorganisms that form obligate symbiotic relationships with plant roots. These fungi cannot survive without plants, which supply them with carbon and sugars. In exchange, the fungi extend the effective root system, improving nutrient and water uptake.

    Unlike yeast or mushroom-producing species, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi cannot be stored indefinitely. Each isolate requires cultivation at least once annually, sometimes twice, on living host plants. The operation runs 365 days per year in greenhouses equipped with backup electrical systems. Without continuous labor-intensive maintenance, the cultures perish permanently. Associate researcher Terra Lubin dedicates 15-25 hours weekly to collection management alongside her research duties. Distinguished professor Jim Bever and associate specialist Peggy Schultz lead the curation effort, which they relocated from Florida to Kansas in 2023 using National Science Foundation funding. Current political tensions surrounding National Science Foundation budgets compound inherent funding uncertainty. Proposed cuts exceeding $300 million threaten research infrastructure nationwide. Bever noted the system that built America’s research capacity now faces unclear federal support.

    Bever stated plainly that no replacement exists for INVAM. Its loss would constitute a tragedy for science and possibilities for a more sustainable world. Whether public fundraising can substitute for institutional research support remains an open question: one with consequences extending far beyond Kansas.

    For information on how you can help, visit www.mycostories.com

  • Saturday, March 21, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Gardeners Gathering: Volunteers Needed

    The Trustees are looking for volunteers to help with setup, event assistance, photographing, and cleanup at the 2026 Gardeners Gathering on March 21 from 10 – 5 at the Curry Center at Northeastern University. Register today at https://volunteer.thetrustees.org/

  • Thursday, January 29 – Application Deadline for Wild Wonder Micro Grant Program

    Wild Wonder wants to help you share the joy of nature journaling. Apply for a Wild Wonder Micro Grant. Applications open now and are due January 29.

    Through this program, Wild Wonder celebrates the creativity in the global nature journaling community, generates new outreach ideas, and offers support to individuals leading projects that bring nature journaling to new audiences, especially those that are currently underserved. We can’t wait to see your ideas!

    They are so grateful to the global nature journaling community for helping bring this program to life! Nearly all of the funds for the Wild Wonder Micro Grant Program came from donations from the community, including funds raised through a series of Learn to Draw classes taught by John Muir Laws @johnmuirlaws and other teachers, many of whom also donated their time. THANK YOU!

    Visit https://wildwonder.org/grants to see all the details, deadlines, requirements, and FAQs about applying. You can also see profiles of past Micro Grant fellows and learn about their projects.