Share Your Love of the Oceans with the Public!

The Center for Coastal Studies is always interested in welcoming people who would like to lend their time and talents to our mission. Volunteering is a great way to use your experience and interests to make friends while making a genuine and vital contribution to an organization that means something to you.  If you care about Cape Cod, caring about the health of our ocean environment and its inhabitants goes hand in hand with your concern for this very special place we call home.

Currently we have volunteer opportunities for:

OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE: Spend the Summer on MacMillan Pier.
This summer join the the summer fun on MacMillan Pier in Provincetown. As a public outreach representative you will be stationed in our information kiosk across from where we dock our our research and rescue vessels.  You will interact with whale watch passengers, families with children of all ages, and PTown visitors. As one of the Center’s most visible ambassadors, you will sell merchandise and talk with people about the Center’s research, rescue and conservation work. If you are a people person who loves the ocean and would like to become more involved with the Center, you’ll love this fun volunteer position!

We are asking for a commitment of at least one or two three-hour shifts a week. The kiosk is open from late April to Columbus Day Weekend  – seven days a week Memorial Day to Labor Day and weekends for the rest of the time. Shifts coincide with the Dolphin Fleet’s whale watching schedule. Training and review sessions provided. Minimum age to volunteer is 18. The Center requires its staff and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

EXHIBIT DOCENT:  Help bring the story of Spinnaker to Life.
The Center for Coastal Studies’ Hiebert Marine Lab features an impressive exhibit of the skeleton of a female humpback whale named Spinnaker. Her story of becoming entangled in fishing gear, and ultimately perishing because of it, is part of ongoing research on whale biology and entanglement prevention. The self-guided exhibit explains the entanglement issue and illustrates disentanglement methods used by the Center.  We are looking for individuals who are passionate about marine life, rescue, and conservation. Spinnaker volunteers serve as docents, welcoming the public, informing them about the Center’s work, and selling merchandise.

No science degree needed!  We only ask our docents to commit to a serious grasp and interpretation of Spinnaker’s life history, to learn the basics of whale biology and ecology, and to become familiar with the Center’s various research programs.  You should also enjoy working with the public. Staff supervision and training will be provided. Minimum age to volunteer is 16 with a parent consent form on file.

We are asking for a commitment of one three hour shift a week. The exhibit volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday from 10am-1pm and 1pm-4 pm. 5 Holway Ave, Provincetown, M.A. The Center requires its staff and volunteers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

BEACH BRIGADE:  Help Keep Cape Beaches Clean.
Volunteers are invited to join the Beach Brigade on shoreline cleanups and trash tallies organized by the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Debris & Plastics Program. A new volunteer position is also available at the marine lab to assist the program director with data processing, correspondence, and outreach (4 hrs per week). Please send an email of interest for either opportunity to [email protected].

For applications and further information please contact:

Center for Coastal Studies
Provincetown, MA 02657
508-487-3622, ext. 104
[email protected]


We Greatly Appreciate All of Our Volunteers!

Water Quality Monitoring Program volunteers.

The Center is incredibly grateful to its to small army of passionate and dedicated volunteers. Many of our key programs could not function without them. The Water Quality Monitoring Program’s nearly two dozen volunteers collect hundreds of samples from May through October. Our public outreach volunteers at the kiosk and the Hiebert Marine Lab are our greatest community ambassadors who show their love of informing the pub

Beach Brigade volunteers.

lic about the Center’s research, rescue and conservation work every day.

Great volunteers like ours are hard to find, and we know how fortunate we are to have these wonderful people on our team!

Contact Us

Entanglement Hotline: (800) 900-3622
[email protected]
(508) 487-3622
5 Holway Avenue
Provincetown, MA 02657
(508) 487-3623

Get Involved