Below are some volunteer opportunities specific to the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore areas.
If you would like to become involved and have not volunteered before or would like more information, please complete our Volunteer Information Form. If you are already a CBF volunteer and would like more information about current or specific opportunities, contact our office at 757-622-1964 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
In the Field
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Stream and Shoreline Restoration
Planting native trees and shrubs along the banks of waterways in one of the most effective ways to keep polluted runoff out of streams. Creating living shorelines with native wetland plants and grasses helps restore habitat for wildlife, preventerosion, capture sediment, and filter pollution.
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Oyster Restoration
Before their dramatic decline, the Chesapeake's native oysters were a powerful natural force in the Bay ecosystem, filtering contaminants from the water and providing habitat for crabs and fish. To bring back this key species, CBF's oyster restoration programs grow native oysters and transplant them to sanctuary reefs.
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CBF Staff
Oyster Shell Recycling
Through our Save Oyster Shells recycling program, shells that would typically be thrown away are saved and used for oyster restoration projects. Oyster larvae attach to cleaned oyster shell and are provided in reef restoration projects and to oyster gardeners.
Find out where to drop off your shells and which local restaurants participate in the program
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Clean the Bay Day
Since 2000, CBF has sponsored one of Virginia's most effective clean-up efforts. Clean the Bay Day, held annually the first Saturday in June, now enlists more than 7,000 volunteers to remove litter and debris from the state's waterways. From the the Shenandoah Valley to Virginia's Eastern Shore and from Northern Virginia to the North Carolina border, this impressive effort pulls more than 100 tons of trash from the Bay and its tributaries each year.
In Your Community
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Advocacy
CBF volunteer advocates speak for the Bay and its rivers and streams. They are the infantry in our fight for clean water, making their voices heard on public policy, legislation, development, and other issues that affect our waterways. Advocacy volunteers contribute at many levels. They show up at rallies, send e-mails, make phone calls, gather signatures for petitions, and remind citizens and public officials of the need to restore the Bay and its rivers and streams.
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Clean Water Captains
Clean Water Captains are ambassadors for clean water in their communities. CBF staff can't be in all 92 localities that drain to the Bay, so we rely on captains to help be the eyes, ears, and voice for the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. Clean Water Captains take action in support of clean water by sharing information with their neighbors, congregations, community, and elected officials to help raise awareness and help realize practical, effective, local solutions. Captains help find solutions that work to restore clean water in their communities.
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VoiCeS
CBF's Volunteers as Chesapeake Stewards, or VoiCeS, program engages local volunteers and their communities and fosters a deeper understanding of the Bay watershed and the efforts to restore it.
