At Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR), our volunteers play an essential role in our organization. While we don’t currently have routine weekly or monthly volunteer needs, we do have many opportunities to volunteer throughout the year for individuals who are interested in contributing their time and talents. Some of the things our volunteers are involved with include: picking up fruits and nuts around the local area in the fall, setting up and staffing education tables for various events in the area, picking up trash in our community, assisting with running ABR Events (ex: Bearly 5K) and many more!
Please note:
In accordance with strict licensing regulations set by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, volunteers are NOT permitted to work with or around bears under any circumstances. This includes any projects at our bear care facility while bears are present on the property. Appalachian Bear Rescue is a rescue AND rehabilitation which means we rescue bears with the end goal of releasing them back into the wild. Only trained ABR staff members are authorized to have direct contact with bears in our care.
If you are interested in volunteering with ABR, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@appalachianbearrescue.org to request an application.
We appreciate your interest and support in helping us give black bear cubs a second chance at life in the wild.