Join our Paddle Team!
Are you looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity that gets you out paddling more, meeting community members, and helping people explore by canoe in our watershed?
What is Paddle Team?
The Columbia Slough’s Paddle Team helps lead our free year round paddle events. Events can either be public or private and includes paddles with local community groups, youth & student groups, and Cleanups!
You don’t need to be an expert paddler to join the Paddle Team. We provide training that will teach you everything you need to know, from how to give basic paddle instruction to serving as an on-water guide and safety monitor.
If this all sounds great but you’re more interested in helping on land, we always need general volunteer help for event set up, registration, and clean up too.
Bilingual Volunteers
We currently offer paddle events in Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, and Zomi. If you are bilingual, in these or another language, we would like to offer more free paddles in your language. Your participation on the Paddle Team as a Bilingual Leader will provide more opportunities for community members to access the Columbia Slough watershed and have positive experiences in nature. Bilingual Leaders can earn a stipend for translating at events.
Watch a video about this program with subtitles in Spanish here and in Russian here
Read more about the Bilingual Leaders here.
Requirements
Be 16 years of age or older
Be able to lift 20 pounds
Volunteer at least 2 events each year
Complete steps 1-4 below
Stay tuned for information for the 2024 season.
Step 1: Attend or watch the 2024 Webinar Orientations:
Step 2: Submit the required Background Checks.
Step 3: Attend one of the 2024 in person Paddle Team trainings:
Paddle Team Training: Register here.
Spanish Paddle Team Training: Register here.
Slavic Paddle Team Training: Register here.
Step 4: Following the training sessions, you can:
Access the Paddle Team Portal
For general questions contact our
Volunteer & Outreach Manager: valeria.villanueva@columbiaslough.org