How to Get Involved

Please donate to the Cayuga Nature Center today!

This year we celebrated 30 years of enjoying summer camp, hiking nature trails, and experiencing animal programming. The Nature Center remains an important resource in the Ithaca community and beyond.  Support our efforts to continue sharing the Nature Center with everyone! 

Here are some reasons to give today:

Our Phenomenal Staff
We are very pleased to note that, as a direct result of the impending merge with PRI, we were able to increase our full-time staff from three to six as well as provide benefits such as health care.

Our Live Animals
Help us maintain our animal collection – your gift will be used for a variety of needs including: food, shelter, and vet care for Mr. Prickles the hedgehog, Bella, Machi and Elvis the snakes, Luna our fox, Gaji the hawk and a host of others.

Camp
Help us continue to offer one of the best camp experiences in the region – your gift will be used for a variety of needs including: craft supplies, games, age-appropriate books, staffing and other resources.

Trails
Help us maintain our facilities – your gift will be used for a variety of needs including: purchasing larvae and plants for our Butterfly Garden, maintaining our 10 small stream bridges, purchasing equipment such as a wood chipper, and buying mulch and stone dust to maintain the trail surfaces.

Click here to donate.

NOTE: You will be transferred to a secure order form at the website of our affiliate, the Paleontological Research Institution.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Memberships

Cayuga Nature Center is a member supported non-profit agency. We are dedicated to providing a wide range of environmental, agricultural, and recreational programming to the citizens of our area. As such, we look to member support to help keep us able to provide these opportunities.

Membership benefits include a newsletter subscription, free lodge admission, and discounts on events, programs, camp and rentals.

Membership categories:

  • $20 Senior (65+) and Student (with valid ID)
  • $30 Individual
  • $40 Household
  • $100 Canada Goose
  • $250 Great Blue Heron
  • $500 Red Tail Hawk
  • $1,000 Eagle

To become a member, please download an application here or contact Abigail Scaduto, Membership Manager at 607-273-6623 x11.

Donations

The Cayuga Nature Center needs your help to continue its thirty year tradition of excellence. We have been able to bring innovative exhibits, day camps, and a wide array of educational programs, as well as TEAM Challenge programs. Many of these have been made possible thanks to the wonderful support of members and volunteers along with their generous gifts of time and materials.

We have been successful at securing grants for primary funding of many of our projects, but grants simply do not cover the basic costs of keeping the Nature Center itself in operation. Our funding agencies expect us to look to our members and other forms of local support for day-to-day operations. That's where you come in. What can you do to help?

Make your tax-deductible donation here

NOTE: You will be transferred to a secure order form at the website of our affiliate, the Paleontological Research Institution.

Remember, your donation is tax-deductible. Our tax ID# is 16-1187385.

 

Other Easy Ways to Donate:

Did you know you can donate your empty bottles to CNC? Every bottle counts! Drop your returnables off at K&H Bottle Redemption (Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca) and ask them to add your donation to our account!

Wish List:

CNC is always in need of the following items:

  • Bird Seed
  • Board games (new or gently used)
  • Craft items (glue, paper, fabric, toilet paper tubes, beads, etc.)
  • Binoculars
  • Used digital cameras (for kid use)
  • Snowshoes
  • Aspen wood shavings
  • Taxidermy (old or new)

 

Job Opportunities

 

Ongoing Positions
Most positions offered at CNC are part time, and hours must be flexible. We seek people with excellent leadership ability and a positive and progressive mindset. We need team players who can also work independently and fluctuate between roles. No one who works at CNC has one function separate from all other operations; we all work together and help each other in a number of areas, whether it means jumping in on an educational program, greeting visitors, taking out the compost, or folding newsletters for a mailing. What we look for is employees a diverse skill set and a willingness and enthusiasm to inhabit a wide array of roles. Transportation is mandatory, and several positions require experience/certification in education and CPR. Salary varies with experience.

How to apply

The fall and winter are slower seasons at Cayuga Nature Center. While we are not currently looking to fill any positions, we are always accepting resumes, and we encourage you to submit one with a cover letter explaining your particular area of interest. We will keep resumes on file for one year.

  • Call: 607-273-6260
  • Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Mail:
    Cayuga Nature Center
    1420 Taughannock Blvd
    Ithaca, NY 14850
  • Fax: 607-273-6620

The following is a list of CNC positions we fill various times of the year:

  • Camp Director
  • Camp Counselor/Lifeguard
  • Educator (year round, part time)
  • Adventure Trip staff
  • TEAM Challenge Facilitator
  • Camp Health Director
  • Office Assistant
  • Volunteer Coordinator
  • Animal Staff (keepers and program educators)

 

Volunteer Opportunities

Cayuga Nature Center needs your help!

It's always a great time to get involved with the wide array of activities we host throughout the year, from animal care to reconstruction. Hours and days are flexible, and we work around your schedule and skills. Please make sure you have transportation to and from the Nature Center, as there is no public transit available during the school year.

To apply for a volunteer position, download our application form and return it to us:

  • Mail:
    Cayuga Nature Center
    1420 Taughannock Blvd
    Ithaca, NY 14850
  • Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Fax: 607-273-6620

The following is a list of volunteer positions we have filled in the past. If none of these suit your specific needs or areas of interest, and you have an idea for a job that would benefit the center, let us know! We are always open for suggestions on how to improve your Nature Center!

  • Education programs Assistant/Intern
  • Marketing Intern
  • Trail Guide
  • Animal Keeper
  • Animal program volunteer
  • Special Events Support/Intern
  • Special Presentations: music, lectures, story-telling...
  • Trail and Exhibits
  • Maintenance
  • Administrative Assistant

Please contact Maureen Bickley at 607-273-6623 x33 for more details on any of the above volunteer opportunities.

 

Internship Opportunities

CNC also offers opportunities for internships, whether you're looking for something during the semester or over a break. In the past, we have worked with students from several local colleges and universities including Cornell, Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland, and TC3. Many of the positions are unpaid, however we do offer compensation for some special events and programs. We work with school administrators and instructors to secure college credit for projects completed at the Nature Center. For ideas on possible internships, browse through both our Job and Volunteer Opportunities section. We can also design an individual project for you to fulfill the specific requirements of your school program.

Please contact Maureen Bickley at 607-273-6623 x33 for more information about internship opportunities.