​VOLUNTEERS

Our excellent team of about forty volunteers makes the ACCA function; they feed and care for birds, conduct educational programs, repair enclosures, assist with veterinary procedures, write grants, paint walls, take out the trash, develop educational materials, transport injured birds, and everything in between.

Most volunteers commit to working one day a week, for a minimum of about two hours. We schedule teams of several volunteers on each day. Daily duties include preparing and administering diets for the birds (including mice, rats, chicks, quail, fish [all dead]; live mealworms, waxworms, crickets, and roaches; seed; suet; fruit; eggs; and whatever else the birds in our care require); cleaning cages, enclosures, and all areas of the center; and filling out appropriate charts and paperwork. There will be additional opportunities to assist and/or observe educational presentations, veterinary procedures, pre-release conditioning, construction, and more, based on volunteer interest.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please email Katie Fallon.

Featured Volunteers:

Beth Goodwin

Beth has volunteered with the ACCA for almost ten years. She enjoys working with the education birds (especially Crystal the Eastern screech-owl) and designing enrichment opportunities. When she isn’t working at the ACCA, Beth is an elementary school reading specialist. She also has a special love for bald eagles!

Andrew MacKenzie

Andrew is pursing his masters degree at WVU, studying the response of multiple taxa prior, during, and after wetland mitigation techniques. Andrew enjoys working at the ACCA, especially with Jeff the barred owl. In his free time, Andrew likes to backpack, hike, and take pictures of nature and wildlife.

Dale Coleman 

Dale loves vultures (and other birds)! He assists with our research projects on avian scavengers, and he also feeds birds and helps with construction. We believe Dale can do anything--from chopping fish for eagles, to helping take blood samples from vultures, to operating power tools.

Mahaley Hughes

Mahaley is an undergraduate student studying Wildlife and Fisheries Resources at WVU. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and cooking. She loves spending her Mondays volunteering with the ACCA. Killy the American kestrel is one of Mahaley’s favorite birds to work with; he always makes her smile!

Volunteer Alumni: 

Meghan Jensen

Meghan recently completed her doctorate at West Virginia University, studying population genetics of hawk species. Meghan was one of the primary trainers for education birds Tundra the peregrine falcon and Striker the Cooper’s hawk. She now lives in New York and enjoys being outdoors with her black Labs.