Volunteers
Working in wetland centres allows a focal point for local people to come and experience wetlands, and learn about their beauty, complexity and importance. It is also an opporunity to allow them to have some input, using their time to help run the activities, manage the habitat and support the infrastructure of the wetland centre.
Working with volunteers is a lot different to managing paid staff; they are not motivated by money and don't have a contract - you can't make them do things in the same way! Volunteers can vastly increase your capacity to deliver your work, but some volunteers may need a lot of support to begin with, so factor in time to spend with them. Remember, they need to get something out of it too, so make sure you recognise their work. The London Wetland Centre's volunteer manual covers many aspects of working with volunteers, so would be a good starting point to design your own.
Health and safety is a vital aspect of involving people. For some ideas on how to run a risk assessment, click here for a download of the London Wetland Centre's risk assessment.
Involving communities
Outreach to your local community forms an important part of getting your wetland centre valued and recongnised. Depending on your set up, you may wish to just communicate your activities, get people's ideas, involve people in volunteering, or actively get them involved in managing your centre. It is also a chance to discuss how local activities such as farming or fishing can have impacts on wetlands, and how to reduce the negative impacts whilst promoting the positive ones.