About the Program
The Volunteer Property Monitor Program was started in the 1980s, enlisting our membership to assist Greenbelt's land stewardship staff with the management of our expanding land holdings. The program has grown through the years to include dozens of committed individuals. We have been working to expand and strengthen the program over recent years.

The monitor program is based on the idea that while you are visiting your favorite Greenbelt property you can serve as "our eyes and ears." The next step, communicating your observations to Greenbelt’s Stewardship staff, is key to the success of the program. Using modern-day technology, sharing information should be simple and fast. Your level of involvement in doing the physical work on the properties is up to you, as we explain in greater detail below. In the end, Greenbelt wants this to be a fun, rewarding and productive program for you. At the same time, your efforts will help Greenbelt keep track of what is happening on our land and allow us to complete property management that might otherwise remain deferred.

Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications, other than an expressed interest in one or more parcels of land that Greenbelt owns. However, we hope all volunteer property monitors will keep a current membership with Greenbelt. Your membership will support the acquisition of new conservation land, and help us to manage the properties we already own. An important benefit to you is that you’ll receive our newsletter and other publications. Through these you’ll be aware of Greenbelt’s activities, events, and land protection successes, as well as information about natural and cultural history on our properties.

Level of Involvement
Each property has different levels of public use and activity that require varying amounts of management. Your involvement and time commitment as a monitor will depend on the property and your own level of interest.

At a minimum, Greenbelt will expect monitors to visit a property and report back to Greenbelt at least once every other month, or six times a year.

This will provide Greenbelt's land stewardship staff with good baseline information. There is no maximum amount of time or effort a monitor can commit. Some members hike a property daily. This is great but it does not mean they need to report daily. Reporting is not limited to a specific format, although we have created an online form that you may use.

While some monitors may be able to sufficiently monitor with limited visits, other monitors will assume much more responsibility by regularly maintaining trails, undertaking wildlife or plant surveys, or helping to solve conflicts at a property. In consultation with Greenbelt’s land stewardship staff, individuals will determine their own level of involvement and, in some instances it may be appropriate for monitoring teams to be developed.

You will find that the more you visit and observe a property, the more rewarding the experience will be. Eventually you will develop a sense of the rhythm of the place, learn about the animals and plants that live there, and meet the other human visitors. And remember, this is supposed to be fun. It shouldn't feel like a chore or a burden. You need to find the level of involvement that is comfortable for you.
If, for any reason, you can no longer act as a monitor, please be sure to contact us, so someone else can be assigned to that property.

Choosing a Property
Ideally, the property you monitor should be close to where you live or work and be a place where you enjoy spending time. Greenbelt's land stewardship staff will assign you to the property of your choice, wherever it is. If there are multiple monitors interested in the same property, we will implement a team approach.

Responsibilities
There are two basic categories of responsibility:
1) Making observations and reporting them to Greenbelt, and
2) Actively participating in the hands-on management of the property.
Please refer to the stewardship checklist and hands-on management activities ( for a list of things you may want to look out for, or participate in, at your property. See the “Reporting and Communication” section for information on how to contact us.

Recommended Equipment
Safety is always the most important consideration when you engage in any type of physical work on a Greenbelt property.

We recommend you wear suitable safety equipment according to the work you are doing, including, but not limited to: gloves, pants and long-sleeved shirts, leather boots, hard-hat, chaps, ear protection, eye protection and have plenty of liquids on hand to avoid dehydration.

Use of power equipment is permitted, but requires a one-time pre-approval by Greenbelt.

Greenbelt will not issue any equipment to monitors. You should plan to use your own equipment that can include hand pruners, loppers, handsaws, hatchets, chain saws, weed trimmers, mowers and tractors. Other useful items include trash bags, notebook, pen or pencil, cell phone, binoculars, camera, sunscreen and insect repellant. If you have a digital camera, you can send us photos via email.

Reporting and Communication
Monitoring reports and your stewardship participation are the two greatest assets a monitor can provide to Greenbelt. Most of the work you do as a monitor can be reported on a regular bimonthly schedule to Greenbelt's land stewardship staff following the contact information listed below. Please see the following report template, if you prefer to report in a more structured method. Using the Internet to email reports would be our preferred method of communication. But never hesitate to contact us directly and immediately if you feel you need some advice or simply want to report something.

All information should be directed to either of the land stewardship staff members listed below:

Kate Walton
Assistant Director of Land Stewardship
kwalton@ecga.org
978-768-7241 ext. 15

Dave Rimmer
Director of Land Stewardship
dwr@ecga.org
978-768-7241 ext. 14

Volunteer Monitor Code of Ethics
Your primary responsibility is to observe and/or maintain the physical appearance of the property. You are a volunteer for Greenbelt, not an official representative of the organization. Please avoid confrontations with visitors at all times. If you have any doubt in your mind about a situation, contact Greenbelt before proceeding, whether it is a project or an interaction with a visitor.
Contact the local police or the environmental police in any life-threatening situation, or if you determine that laws are being violated.