All About Docents

Interested in Becoming a Docent?

If this is your first visit to the website, check out the About Docents link above, and if it sounds right for you, shoot us an email.

About Docents

A Framework for understanding the role of Docents at the Lab of O

Introduction

    Welcome and thank you for your interest in the docent program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  This brief introduction will explain why we are recruiting docents, the role that we see docents playing in the greater realm of our education and outreach mission at the Lab, and what sorts of opportunities we expect to offer docents for volunteering.


The Lab’s mission:

“To interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.”

 
   The Lab has a long history of engaging the public in a dialogue about science that focused on hands-on experience and a close-knit community of passionate volunteers.  From the early days of Dr. Arthur Allen’s bird walks and Monday Night Seminars for the public, to the involvement of interested citizens in the reintroduction and monitoring of Peregrine Falcons during their recovery, the Lab has strived to offer interesting and fun experiences for the public that increase their understanding of science, birds, conservation, and biodiversity. 

    With the opening of the new building in 2002-2003, visitation rates to the Lab have skyrocketed above 65,000/year (!), and our staff has valiantly tried to keep up with the interest that the public continues to show.  Yet, we’ve come to the realization that we can no longer accomplish our mission without additional help.

Enter the Docents

“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will only understand what we are taught.” --Baba Dioum
    Interactive educational exhibits, miles of trails, and the rich history of the Lab’s involvement with birds are all part of the allure that beckons visitors and groups to visit the Lab; however, invariably, questions and needs arise that cannot always be adequately met by the single staff person working in the Visitors’ Center.  This demand has given rise to the need for additional motivated, informed and pleasant people to serve as resources for visitors: these people are called docents. 
    “Docent” is defined as “a person who acts as a guide, typically on a voluntary basis” and is derived from the Latin word docere, which means “to teach”.  A docent’s role at the Lab of Ornithology is focused on being a resource that improves visitor experiences through interacting with the visiting public to answer questions, provide information or programming, and accurately convey the Lab’s mission.  This primary duty has its roots in the Baba Dioum quote above, which highlights the role that education plays in conservation.  These formal and informal education moments are extremely important in cultivating a positive attitude towards conservation, and while some people are content to learn from books, many more are aching for a personal touch to add to their emerging awareness of conservation. 
    The idea is simple: we provide you with the tools (or augment your existing set) to be a useful guide to someone visiting the Lab.  Some of these tools are fairly obvious: for example, we will offer classes on improving bird ID, learning the ins and outs of the Visitors’ Center exhibits, plant ID and natural history of Sapsucker Woods.  However, others are more subtle: we plan on having a workshop that discusses how to communicate to groups of different ages or ability levels, and we expect docents to learn about the history of the Lab and to be able to talk fluently about the programs that reside here.
    By building a knowledgeable community of motivated docents we give conservation at the Lab a personal, local touch that can change a visitor’s life and increase their awareness of the benefits of conservation.

Subpages (1): Code of Conduct