Opportunities From: Tennessee State Parks

National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the largest single-day volunteer effort for America’s public lands. Each year, thousands of volunteers come together on the fourth Saturday in September to help restore, improve, and enjoy public lands around the country.

As a way to recognize NPLD and participate in the TN Serves initiative, help the staff of Seven Islands State Birding Park with maintaining the Wild Yards Garden at the park on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Staff and volunteers will roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and work together to pull weeds as part of our late summer maintenance of the gardens. The weeds can seem overwhelming, but as the saying goes, "Many hands make light work." Bring your family, friends, co-workers, teammates, neighbors, or anyone really that wants to help pull those pesky weeds from the beautiful garden area. Instructions will be provided to all volunteers that participate, and park staff will be available throughout the morning too for instructions or clarification/identification of anything. Some tools/gloves will be available for volunteers to use, but if you have your own tools/gloves that you would like to use please bring them along. 

This weekend will also coincide with the Girl Scouts Love State Parks event happening at state parks all across the country. This is a great opportunity for Girl Scouts to give back to the park and help out with the natural resource management of the park to benefit the visitors and wildlife!

Volunteers wishing to participate in this volunteer day should plan on arriving at the Bluebird Barn at the main entrance to the park off of Kelly Lane starting at 8:00am or 1:00pm, as this will be an all-day volunteer opportunity. The volunteer day will wrap up no later than 5:00pm, but volunteers are not required to stay the entire morning, afternoon, or day. Park staff will be available the entire day to provide assistance and instructions. It is recommended that you bring bottled water with you to stay hydrated, sunscreen, take breaks as needed, and wear appropriate clothing for working outside in a garden. If you have any questions regarding this volunteer opportunity, please contact Ranger Stephanie at stephanie.mueller@tn.gov or 865-333-8270 or 865-407-8335.

Park staff need your help maintaining the Wild Yards Garden this summer. Come join park staff for a volunteer day in the gardens to help pull weeds. Instructions will be provided on what weeds need to be pulled from the gardens. Some gloves and hand tools will be available to borrow, but if you have your own from home please bring them with you. Volunteers should plan on meeting park staff in the Wild Yards Garden by the main parking lot off of Kelly Lane at 9:00am. Water fountains are located at the bathrooms near the gardens, but volunteers are encouraged to bring water bottles with them. 

If you have any questions regarding this volunteer day please contact Ranger Stephanie at stephanie.mueller@tn.gov or 865-333-8270. 

SturgeonFest 2026 is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Seven Islands State Birding Park. The event is scheduled for 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM and will take place at the boat launch area off of Kelly Lane. SturgeonFest is a fun and educational event where visitors can register to release a juvenile Sturgeon into the French Broad River and also learn about local area conservation groups. There will be booths set-up for local artists, businesses, and food trucks. Enjoy live music from the Tennessee Stifflegs! We are expecting a large crowd for this event and are looking for volunteers to help park staff with various tasks involved with the event. We are looking for volunteers to help with the following tasks: 

* Parking (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM)

* Booth Set-Up (8:30 AM - 10:00 AM)

* Booth Take-Down (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM)

* Sturgeon release line leaders (10:30 AM - 2:00 PM)

* Sturgeon release helpers (10:30 AM - 2:00 PM)

Volunteers will be able to move around between tasks throughout the event if they would like. All volunteers will park at the boat launch area off of Kelly Lane inside Seven Islands State Birding Park. If you are interested in helping with any of these tasks, please contact Ranger Stephanie Mueller at stephanie.mueller@tn.gov or 865-333-8270 (text or call). 

Miscellaneous volunteer work tasks including: weeding, invasive species removal, trash pick up, citizen science data collection, or help with special events. 

Contact Ranger Stephanie to volunteer. stephanie.mueller@tn.gov or 865-333-8270