Volunteer

Volunteers play a vital role at Como assisting throughout the Zoo, Conservatory, Grounds, Education and Visitor Services. As a volunteer, you’ll experience first-hand the fascinating connections between people, plants and animals. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet interesting people and learn new things about plants, animals, gardens and their impact both locally and around the world. At this time, we are looking for a limited number of volunteers in specific areas.

Volunteer Opportunities

Como has volunteers who serve in the following roles:

Interpreters: Assisting guests for an optimal experience during their visit to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. We currently have openings in the following locations;
– Fern room and Sunken Garden
– North Garden and Palm Dome
– Primates
– Aquatics
– North American hoofstock
– African hoofstock
– Tropical Encounters
– Cats and Wolves

Japanese Garden interpreter – Welcome visitors and help our guests enjoy a fulfilling Japanese Garden experience by sharing information about Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden and information about Japanese Gardens in general. (16 and older)
Special Events Assistant– There are several ways to be involved if your schedule doesn’t allow for a longer term commitment, but you are interested in helping 3 or 4 times a year. Events like Party for the Planet, Obon Festival and others.(18 and older)
Commissary Assistant– Assist zoo keepers with diet preparation, general housekeeping and other assigned tasks or projects. This position requires a weekly commitment of at least six months and will require an interview with a keeper. (18 and older)

Gardener Aides: An outdoor, seasonal role helping our gardener team to plant and maintain the Spring and Summer gardens/displays around the campus. This very physical role (lots of bending, kneeling, stooping, digging) is available approximately May-September, depending on the weather. (18 and older)
Horticulture Aide- Production: Assist Gardeners with potting up seedlings, plugs and plants. Grooming, weeding and deadheading plants. Moving plants and helping with greenhouse area cleanliness. All of this activities are conducted behind the scenes. (18 and older)
Horticultural Aide- Conservatory: This positions assists Gardeners in maintaining the public gardens, by cleaning up fallen leaves and preforming plant grooming tasks as instructed. In addition, weed trim or deadhead herbaceous plants, assist with floral displays and disposal of compostable plant material. (18 and older)
Life Support Assistant: Assist with water quality testing analysis, filtration and filter maintenance. Observe systems function and checks and record keeping. (18 and older)
Aquarium Assistant: Assist with diet preparation and feeding, perform general maintenance on aquaria, including window cleaning, vacuuming and water changes. Maintain and clean system filters on select aquaria. (18 and older)
Animal Support Building Assistant: Assist with cage cleaning, feeding, water changes and providing enrichment for small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mouse colony. Dusting, sweeping and other cleaning and maintenance of the building as directed. Organize small and large kitchens including refrigerator and freezer. Assist with putting away food deliveries that arrive to the animal support building. (18 and older)

We are grateful to have many of our current volunteer needs being addressed, but we do have openings. Our current volunteer needs are listed on the application. If you have an interest in one of the roles above and you don’t see it listed on the application, please feel free to add a note to your application and we will follow up with you.