Cincinnati Parks

Cincinnati Parks depends on the support of volunteers in our endless efforts to combat the impact of invasive plant species throughout our parks system. Cincinnati Parks makes up 10% of the city's land mass, including thousands of acres of forest and woodland areas. We are faced with acres of honeysuckle, invasive vines, garlic mustard, lesser celandine and other aggressive and stubborn non-native plant species. Our mighty, but limited staff cannot not consistently manage the aggressive nature of these plants without community involvement.

Volunteers are organized by staff and community leaders. This structured program offers a wide range of opportunity for volunteers to engage in our efforts of habitat restoration and the preservation of our natural areas. Volunteers work alongside staff and other volunteers on service projects from an introductory or novice level up to eventually becoming trained and established as a Land Steward, which can include holding a license to apply pesticide, certify volunteers in pesticide application, and becoming an integral part of implementing the long-term land management plan of a Cincinnati Parks designated area. 

The roles and requirements of this program are outlined below:

Introductory volunteer:

• One - time or occasional service event volunteer

CPB Trained Service Person:

• Serve on an invasive removal project a minimum of 10 hours
• Complete a training series on invasive plants
• Sign & submit the Cincinnati Parks Indemnification Policy
• Volunteers must be 18 or older

Site Manager:

• Must be a CPB Trained Service Person
• Must hold a CPB Volunteer Management Badge
• Appointed by the Land Steward
• Responsible for keeping records of volunteers and pesticide application the day of their charge

Land Steward:

• Must be a CPB Trained Service Person
• Must hold a ODA license 
• Appointed by the Cincinnati Parks Land Manager
• Responsible for keeping all pesticide application records for the designated Cincinnati Parks location

To get started on the pesticide application program - follow this link to the virtual training:

http://bttr.im/j7wmh

The Pesticide Application Program is made possible by the generous contribution of our friends at the Cincinnati Parks Foundation.  

CPAC Mission:

To build and maintain public support for Cincinnati Parks by providing feedback to the Cincinnati Park Board and exchanging and sharing information and providing mutual support between park advisory councils.

Orientations for new volunteers and special trainings and workshops facilitated by Parks Staff offered to volunteers currently serving in Parks. 

• Training/workshops may include tool use and safety training, growing practices, design concepts
• Informative presentations regarding Cincinnati Park Board history and current land use, among other topics

Monthly orientations held for volunteers seeking more information about the opportunities to support Cincinnati Parks. 

• The orientation will include a brief presentation about Parks, how we serve, who we serve, and the expectations of being a representative for Cincinnati Parks. 
• Parks Staff will sometimes present information on their role and how volunteers have helped them. 
• Details about specific opportunities offered in Parks 

For more information, please contact christyl.johnson-roberts@cincinnati-oh.gov, 513.479.8916

Cincinnati Parks have a long and distinguished tradition in Cincinnati. The city is fortunate to have a thriving system consisting of 5,000-plus acres of city parklands including five regional parks, 70 neighborhood parks, 34 natural areas, five neighborhood nature centers, 30 sites managed by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, five parkways, 16 scenic overlooks, 2 arboretums, and 65 miles of hiking and bridle trails. Within this robust "city within a park", thousands of square footage of floral displays are created and maintained by a team of horticulturists that in no small way place the finishing beauty on the special destinations of Cincinnati Parks. 

We are organizing opportunities for volunteers to support the important work of Parks horticulture staff in select parks locations. Volunteers will assist Parks horticulturists with general horticultural needs (clearing, weeding, deadheading, light pruning, watering, and planting). This a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in public horticulture and enjoys working outdoors, and is comfortable engaging with the public to answer questions about our gardens. 

Some opportunities are team based and others have more autonomy, but in all cases the work is guided by our staff. The goal is to build an experienced group of volunteers to support efforts that keep our parks beautiful and healthy. All of these opportunities require an on-going commitment, minimum of one season, but hopefully more! 

When you register, you will have a brief interview with a volunteer coordinator or someone from the horticulture team. We want to ensure a good fit for all volunteers and the team. 

One of the biggest issues our staff faces is dealing with litter and dumping in all of our parks. Fortunately, we have dozens of volunteers that work on litter pick up in their neighborhood parks all year long. Cincinnati Parks also schedules clean up events and partners with community organizations that take initiative to host litter blitzes in our parks.

We welcome the support of individuals and groups of all sizes to address the issues of litter. 

Sign up for an scheduled event or to strike out on your own - we'll get your completely geared up and connected with district staff!