Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer with OCCA. Our impact is magnified through the work of our dedicated volunteers.
Volunteer opportunities are year-round and include trail work, invasive species removal, water quality monitoring, culvert assessments, recycling events, and more!
Trail maintenance is one of OCCA’s many volunteer opportunities.
How to become a volunteer:
Create an account and complete our Volunteer Application
OCCA encourages volunteers to use the Civic Champs platform, which enables us to track volunteer hours and events, and better secure funding for future programs!
If you have any questions, or run into any issues signing up, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Kendall at volunteer@occainfo.org or 607-375-7280 to get started.
Volunteers participating in aquatic invasive species removal
Check out some of our upcoming volunteer opportunities below:
A WORD ABOUT VOLUNTEERING
by: Marty Van Lenten Becker
Several years ago, I read in the Daily Star that a group affiliated with OCCA was trying to do something about expanded polystyrene foam (EPS, commonly referred to as Styrofoam). I hated EPS. Just hated it. It never went away, and it seemed to be everywhere! So, I made a phone call, went to a meeting, and met a group of like-minded people with whom I bonded immediately. We all wanted to do what we could to keep Otsego County a wonderful place to live by dealing with its waste. I’ve been a volunteer member of OCCA’s Recycling Committee ever since. Eventually, OCCA and this committee worked with The Arc Otsego to start densifying polystyrene foam in Otsego County for reuse elsewhere-quite an accomplishment!
I am so glad to have the opportunity to bring my environmental concerns to this committee, to share ideas with our members, and to get to work on making a difference in Otsego County. 2023 was the second year of the Drive Thru Drop Off event, where difficult-to-recycle items are collected. The Recycling Committee works with OCCA Staff to find more and more ways to get things reused or recycled instead of dumped in the landfill. OCCA has a dedicated, inspiring, and FUN staff who welcome, respect, and appreciate volunteers!
Volunteering at OCCA is an investment in this county’s future.
A group of volunteers, including Marty, sort recyclables during our annual Drive thru, Drop off event at Ommegang.