Education Volunteers

Education Volunteers are trained to assist education staff with enrichment building, gardening, talking to the public about wildlife conservation both on and off zoo grounds, and various other tasks.

Teenagers between that ages of 13-17 can sign up for the education department's Volunteer Bootcamp that is held in certain months throughout the year. To find out which months Volunteer Bootcamp is taking place, follow Micke Grove Zoo on Facebook and Instagram or contact the Education Department (209) 331-2138 or mchester@sjgov.org

Monarch Way-station Assistants

Monarch Way-station Assistants are trained to plant native wildflowers in the pollinator garden for threatened butterflies and bumblebees. These gardens help create breeding and feeding stations for the migrating monarch butterflies that are a keystone pollinator species here in California.

KeeperAide Volunteers

KeeperAide Volunteers (KAVs) will work alongside Animal Care staff helping them in times of need. Volunteers will work on an assortment of projects including vegetation work, animal husbandry, animal behavioral observations, and creating new enrichment items for zoo animals.

Conservation Research Volunteers

Conservation Research Volunteers (CRVs) will be trained to conduct animal behavioral observations. They will also learn how to create ethograms and analyze behavioral data. Volunteers will have an opportunity to record unique behavioral sequences and vocalizations.

Zoo Records Assistants

Zoo Records Assistants are trained to organize and maintain animal related records including animal husbandry, animal health, and zoo plant data. Volunteers will be trained to use sophisticated software programs such as ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System) and the plant mapping tool, Hortis

Volunteering Groups

Micke Grove Zoo has an ongoing project list for groups of volunteers. For example, groups from several companies (Walmart, PGE, Blue Shield, and Amazon), universities (University of Pacific, Delta College), and high schools have volunteered at MGZ to help complete several projects. The project list is ongoing and is updated regularly. The current list of projects that MGZ is seeking volunteer groups for are listed below:

Horticultural projects:

• Monarch Waystation Pollinator Garden: Clearing and preparing earmarked areas for planting CA native wildflower plants.
• Landscape restoration:30 valley oak saplings were planted in the native valley oak  woodland habitat inside Oak Grove Regional Park earlier this year. They will need to be watered manually once every month from February 2026 onwards until the onset of fall/ winter rains (October/December) in 2026.
• Weed removal: This is an ongoing project where exotic weeds/vegetation are being removed and the area is protected by weed barrier and bark mulch.

Zoo inventory and reorganization projects:

• Outdoors: This is an ongoing project itemizing and organizing items outside office and animal buildings either for storage or disposal. Volunteer groups will help sort and place items in specific zoo locations. 
• Indoors: This is a project where volunteer groups will list and sort all items inside zoo offices or animal buildings and place them as instructed.

If interested, contact the Zoo Curator