Volunteer Resources

Hello Carolina Wetlands Association Volunteers and welcome to the Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Program!

We are thrilled to welcome you to the team of people that will participate in the Pilot Volunteer Wetlands Monitoring Program.

 

This is an exciting time for the Carolina Wetlands Association as we partner with NC State University and RTI International to launch this program that is a result of a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for 2025 Monitoring


  • Spring: March 2025 (complete)
  • Summer: June (Coming Soon)
  • Fall: September
  • Winter: Early December


Mason Farm Biological Reserve

Location: NC Botanical Garden, 100 Old Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27517


Monitoring Site Map >


Monitoring Site Map – Satellite 


Wetland Treasures Factsheet 


Reserve Website

Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve

Location: 2616 Kildaire Farm Rd, Cary, NC 27518


Monitoring Site Map 


Monitoring Site Map – Satellite 


Wetland Treasures Factsheet 


Preserve Website 

Robertson Millpond Preserve

Location: 6333 Robertson Pond Rd, Wendell, NC 27591


Monitoring Site Map 


Monitoring Site Map – Satellite 


Wetland Treasures Factsheet 


Preserve Website

Safety Guide

Please read through the entirety of the VWMP Field Safety Guide. 

This guide covers everything you need to know about staying safe during our wetland monitoring visits. The Carolina Wetlands Association requires that all VWMP volunteers read this document.

Training and Demonstration


Amphibian Monitoring Protocol

This protocol provides instructions for monitoring amphibians at our study site. Please review before coming to a monitoring event.


Amphibian Photo ID Sheets

These photos show common amphibians of the NC Piedmont at different life stages. Please review before coming to an amphibian.


iNaturalist Quick Start Guide for iPhones

This guide will give you a refresher on how to enter your observations into iNaturalist on our iPads.


Disinfection Protocols

This handy guide from Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, gives instructions for disinfecting field equipment and boots between monitoring sites and at the end of the day to stop the spread of pathogens that could endanger amphibians and reptiles.


How to Read a Staff Gauge

A handy cheat sheet to remember how to read a staff (stage) gauge


Wetland Hydrology Indicators

Some of the common wetland hydrology indicators that we see on our sites.



Wetland Water Sampling, Monitoring and Measuring – Training Videos

Water Level Monitoring Volunteer Training Video (5:14)
Water Quality Sampling Volunteer Training Video (2:39)
Collecting Water Measurements Volunteer Training Video (3:03)
Field Work 101

Optional Training for volunteers with limited or no experience in field work.

Volunteer Welcome & Orientation Presentation
Webinar - Wetlands and Climate Change

Meet the VWMP Principal Investigators

The VWMP is led by a fantastic group of Principal Investigators. This is a continuing series about these dedicated members of the team.

Recent Blog Posts

Fall 2024 Monitoring: Sleuthing Plant IDs and Dodging Hurricanes

By chase.bergeson • October 21, 2024
At this time of year, we focus on vegetation surveys along with hydrology and water quality. We have several reasons for this- for one, many of the plants we encounter still have mature leaves, are in bloom, or have fruited, which makes them much easier to identify. Our vegetation surveys can be somewhat intensive, depending on how many plants are located within the designated survey area. There’s lots of crawling around with plant books, lists, and photo taking to ensure we are capturing all of the species growing in the plot! We are very grateful for our plant-savvy volunteers who responded to our call for this monitoring season.

Plant of the Month: Lizard's tail

By chase.bergeson • July 31, 2024
Lizard's tail ( Saururus cernuus ) By: Bryce Carelton

June 2024 Monitoring: Reflections from a new volunteer

By chase.bergeson • June 17, 2024
We got to enjoy some beautiful weather for our June monitoring. We once again monitored water quality, hydrology, and surveyed for amphibians. Thank you to all who joined us this month! We participated in the Society for Ecological Restoration’s Make a Difference Week and picked up litter from our sites as we monitored. This wasn’t out of the ordinary for us, as we always pick up trash when we go. Our wonderful volunteers like to leave our sites cleaner than when they found them. Luckily, thanks to great management, most of our sites tend not to be pretty clean from the start. Although we saw fewer amphibians than in our previous monitoring sessions we did see a number of adult frogs and salamanders. You can view our observation on our iNaturalist page .
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