Check here for a list of current special event opportunities, and a schedule of upcoming special events that will need volunteer support! Email the Volunteer Program with any questions or to sign up for an event. Note that we can't take any sign-ups for future events until recruitment officially begins!

The Summer Gala!

Bug Bar - Assist Chef Megan Mullineaux with NHMU’s BugFest Bug Bar tastings. Help by prepping samples, passing out samples/sample trays to the audience, and resetting between tastings. Bug Bar description: Feeling adventurous? Then take a walk on the wild side and sample some of our bug-a-licious bites at the NHMU BugFest Bug Bar. Chef-led tastings are free and occur at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. This year's menu includes: Roasted Silkworm Tacos, Crispy Corn and Cricket Fritters, Lemon Black Ant Cake, and more! (Note: Volunteer role will require Food Handlers Permit. NHMU will pay for certification.)

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: 3 volunteers

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: 3 volunteers

Snail Table - Facilitate the beloved “Snail Table” in NHMU Canyon. Talk with guests about what snails are, why snails are not insects, and what makes snails awesome and cool. Guests will have a chance to crawl under the transparent snail table, get up close and personal, and watch snails eat and move. Snail content found here.

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: 1 volunteer

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: 1 volunteer

Kid’s Crafts: Clothespin Crawlers and Bug Rings - Facilitate two simple crafts for BugFest families & kids.

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: 3 volunteers

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: 3 volunteers

Mimicry and Camouflage (Gallery Interpreter Table) - Facilitate a GI table and host a discussion on mimicry & camouflage. This Activity will consist of a specimen drawer containing various insects in a “Natural” environment that camouflage themselves to the background, and specimens of a Bee and several moths, mimicking bees and hornets, and A Viceroy and Monarch butterfly demonstrating Mimicry. Mimicry & camouflage content found here.

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: 1 volunteer

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: 1 volunteer

Bee Hotels – Facilitated by Hollow Tree Honey and the U of U Beekeepers; Help the folks from U of U Beekeepers facilitate a “Bee Hotel” activity with guests. Bee Hotel content here. Celebrate the spring weather by making your own Bee Hotel! Mason bees pollinate many kinds of plants, including peaches, plums, and cherries. In the wild, they live alone in small holes made by other animals or in other narrow tube-like openings, such as hollow stems. Build your own wild bee hotel to provide an option for wild bees to take shelter!

Community Science - NHMU’s Citizen Science Program will be on the Museum Terraces during BugFest, catching insects outside to share with people, and encouraging attendees to make iNaturalist observations of insects they find! We are looking for help exploring & photographing these outdoor invertebrates, and sharing fun nature exploration tools with visitors!

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.: 3 volunteers

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: 3 volunteers