Community Science
Volunteer Opportunities
Sign up for our upcoming beach cleanups and other upcoming events here!
Visit our Get Involved page to see available volunteer opportunities and sign up!
Visit our Clean, Ocean, and Access pages to find out the impact you can make as a community scientist!
Core cleanups
Nine months a year on a set schedule we host cleanups for anyone in the community to take action and be part of the effort to eliminate marine debris. These events occur from Labor Day to Memorial day twice per month on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration is required, locations vary, and complete details including sign-up can be found here.
AFTER5 cleanups
Three months a year on a set schedule we host cleanups for anyone in the community to take action and be part of the effort to eliminate marine debris. These events occur in the summer every week on Tuesday at Mackerel Cove, Jamestown at 5 p.m. and Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Surfer’s End of Second Beach, Middletown. Registration is required, and complete details including sign-up can be found here.
Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Flexible Cleanups – As a Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge Cleanup Volunteer, you will be provided with supplies and assigned to a stretch of the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge shoreline to participate in a cleanup at least once a month (shown on the map below). The day and time of the monthly cleanup are flexible. These cleanups are recommended for individuals or small groups of people. For each of your cleanups, we ask that you fill out this tally sheet to document the debris you collected. Please submit your tally sheets here. Click here to see available opportunities.
Flexible Cleanups - As a Flexible Individual Cleanup Volunteer, you will be provided with supplies to perform a monthly cleanup at any time and location on Aquidneck Island of your choosing. These cleanups are recommended for individuals or small groups of people, and they are great for families and kids! For each of your cleanups, we ask that you fill out this tally sheet to document the debris you collect. Please submit your tally sheets here. Click here to see available opportunities.
Partner Cleanups - As a Partner Cleanup Volunteer, you will host your own regularly scheduled cleanups (at least once a month) at a location on Aquidneck Island of your choosing. This is a great opportunity for neighborhoods, businesses, schools, and other groups to become environmental stewards! This will involve recruiting volunteers, communicating with your volunteers, as well as planning and running your cleanups. We will provide you with all the supplies you will need and can help you with your first cleanup. We ask that you notify us at least a week in advance of your cleanups so that we can help with trash removal if necessary. Please fill out this cover sheet for each of your cleanups and have your volunteers fill out these tally sheets to document the debris they collect. Please submit your cover sheets and tally sheets here. Click here to see available opportunities. Are you looking to make an impact with less of a commitment? Visit our get involved page to sign-up for one of our weekly summer AFTER5 cleanups, or one of our weekend core cleanups!
For the procedural guidelines of our Clean Program click here.
Ocean- Coastal: Weekly Water Sampling for Bacterial Analysis
Water Sampler - As a water sampler, you would collect one to two water samples at 1 of our 16 testing locations shown on the map below in Middletown or Newport every Thursday morning throughout the entire year. You would take this sample between 6-7:30 a.m. and then drop it off at the drop-off location in Newport. The commitment for this volunteer job is half an hour every Thursday morning between 6-7:30 a.m. No previous experience is required, and we will provide you with all the supplies and training you will need. The only requirements are a driver’s license, a car, and the ability to collect a water sample. We prefer at least a six-month commitment to this volunteer job. Click here to see available opportunities.
Backup Water Samplers - As a backup water sampler, you will be responsible for collecting any samples that were not able to be collected by the main water samplers. The hours for this volunteer job are on a need basis and will vary from week to week. When you are needed, you will be reached out to and told which location(s) you need to collect samples from. You will then go collect these samples and bring them to the drop off location in Newport. The only requirements are a driver’s license, a car, and the ability to collect a water sample. The commitment for this volunteer job is between 30 minutes to an hour on Thursday mornings when there is a need for a backup sample or samples to be taken. Click here to see available opportunities.
Water Sample Driver - As the Water Sample Driver, you would drive the water samples from the drop-off locations in Newport and Jamestown to the Rhode Island Department of Health in Providence every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. The commitment for this volunteer job is about 2 hours every Thursday morning between 8:30-11 a.m. This is a great opportunity for someone who might be traveling to Providence. A driver’s license and car are required for this volunteer job. We prefer at least a six-month commitment to this job. Click here to see available opportunities.
Backup Water Sample Driver - As the backup water sample driver, it is your responsibility to fill in for the main driver on weeks that they are unable to drive. The hours for this volunteer job are on a need basis and will vary from week to week. On a week that you are needed to drive, you would drive the water samples from the drop-off location in Newport to the Rhode Island Department of Health in Providence every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. You would also drop 4 of the samples at the Clean ocean Access office in Middletown. The commitment for this volunteer job is about 2 hours on Thursday mornings between 8:30-10:30 a.m. when a backup driver is needed. A driver’s license and car are required for this volunteer job. We prefer at least a six-month commitment. Click here to see available opportunities.
Bacterial Source Tracking Tester - As the Bacterial Source Tracking (BST) Tester, you would perform four simple laboratory tests in our office on four of our water samples each Monday afternoon. These include testing for chlorine, ammonia, surfactants, and specific conductance. The commitment for this volunteer job is 1 hour every Monday at any time after between 12-5 p.m. No previous experience is required, and we will provide you with all the supplies and training you will need. Click here to see available opportunities.
For the procedural guidelines of our, Ocean Program click here.
Access Monitors - This is a flexible volunteer opportunity in which each volunteer is assigned to monitor one or more of our 50 public shoreline access points across Aquidneck Island on a monthly basis. This involves visiting your assigned public access point(s) once a month at a day of your choosing and filling out a short online survey. The commitment for this volunteer job is 1 hour each month, and the only requirement is that you are able to get to your assigned access point once a month each month. We prefer at least a six-month commitment to this volunteer job. Click here to see available opportunities.
For the procedural guidelines of our Access Program click here.
Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island Community Scientists
The HSHSRI Community Scientist - Program offers members of the HSHSRI (Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island) Project the opportunity to get more involved! Not a member of the HSHSRI Project? Click here and start diverting your food scraps today! Already composting and want to get more involved? Email us here. Community Scientists help the HSHSRI project collect important data by measuring the amount of compost, recycling, and trash they produce each week! Why does Clean Ocean Access need to know? Well, data and the scientific method are crucial to having a holistic understanding of the impact the HSHSRI project is having and measuring how successful we are in diverting waste from the landfill. We need to be able to show quantifiable results to our community and to our funders. By taking this data, you are helping us fulfill a fundamental aspect of the project and provide real and accurate results! All new Community Scientists are required to attend a 45-minute info session. Current community scientists should click here to submit data.
Paperwork/ Forms
Cover Sheet For Partner Cleanups