Smithsonian Gardens Botany Greenhouse Volunteer Opportunity in Suitland, MD

Smithsonian Gardens offers rewarding volunteer opportunities for individuals passionate about horticulture, plants and public engagement. Volunteers play a vital role in maintaining the gardens, supporting educational programs, and assisting with greenhouse operations.

OVERVIEW:

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Department of Botany/Smithsonian Gardens (SG) is looking for 1-2 volunteers to assist with the care of its living plant collection at our greenhouse facility in Suitland, MD. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with rare plants, collected in the wild by Smithsonian Botanists. This collection, housed in the Botany Greenhouses, is currently not on display to the public, making it a unique and exciting experience. This position involves routine plant care, cleaning, and pest management as directed by the collection horticulturist.

Give a brief overview of what the volunteer will be doing.

REQUIRED SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Botany Greenhouse Volunteers must be able to follow directions and pay close attention to detail when performing assigned tasks.
• Volunteers must be willing to learn and adapt to specific handling procedures for collection plants. Good communication skills are required.
• Volunteers must be able to lift 30 pounds, stand for long periods, work in humid greenhouses, and work in excessive heat at times with temperatures as high as 85 degrees. Volunteers must also be willing and able to perform tasks associated with maintaining a living plant collection (watering, repotting, dead leaf removal, etc.).
• Volunteers must complete periodic trainings focused on greenhouse safety and proper collection handling to stay up to date on changes in protocol. This is an internal training provided by Smithsonian Gardens.

Qualifications and Training

• Volunteers must complete a Smithsonian background check
• Volunteers must complete all online Smithsonian Volunteer Training Requirements on Smithsonian's Volunteer Management System (Vsys) at vol.si.edu
• Volunteers must complete yearly trainings focused on garden safety to stay up to date on changes in protocol. This is an internal training provided by Smithsonian Gardens

How to Apply

To apply, applicants must register and submit an application online at Smithsonian's Volunteer Management System (Vsys) at vol.si.edu.

Links to the online application are included in the opportunity's description. Once you create a profile, you will be able to use the same application to apply for multiple opportunities. If you have a Vsys account, please verify that the information in your account is still up to date and correct. You can log in via vol.si.edu .

It is mandatory for all Smithsonian Volunteers to be registered in Vsys. When completing your Vsys application/ profile all the boxes in yellow are required.