Kim O’Malley, volunteer coordinator at the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District, is charged with finding and coordinating the work of more than 120 volunteers. (Winnebago Chronicle photo)

Kim O’Malley may have the most complicated job at the Winnebago County Forest Preserve District.

As volunteer coordinator, her responsibilities include finding, training and assigning the 120-plus people who perform tasks ranging from clearing invasive species to monitoring district preserves and trails to serving as site hosts.

“It’s wonderful to work with like-minded people who are interested in nurturing nature,” O’Malley said during a recent district open house. “They’re just coming out of the woodwork to come out to our programs.”

And there’s plenty of tasks and opportunities to go around in a district covering 10,300 acres, 42 preserves, four rivers, four campgrounds and 100 miles of hiking trails.

“There’s so much work to be done and for a small (full time) staff to try to take care of that is very unwieldy,” said O’Malley, in her current job less than a year but formerly worked with the Rockford Park District. “For volunteers to come help with that, who are passionate about the environment it’s a win-win situation.”

No experience or expertise is necessary and O’Malley said there’s something for everyone.

“We’ll train them,” she said. “We always seek people with experience, but we provide ongoing training for anyone.”

The district has scheduled six monthly workdays where volunteers will help remove invasive specials and perform other maintenance and preservation tasks.

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“The volunteers love being outside, they love the beautiful scenery, they’re passionate about the environment, they’re invested,” O’Malley said. “It’s their community.”

There’s a particular need at stewards who focus on monitoring and helping maintain local trails. Help is also needed in the Native Plant Nursery, where tasks include collection and care of native plants.

The district also offers leadership opportunities with its new REAP (Restoration, Education, Appreciation and Preservation) volunteer group that gathers the third Saturday of every month.

‘They are the people that are going to be the leading our volunteer weekdays, that are going to be the core of stewardship,” she said. “This group leads volunteer workdays and then they’ll be an advocacy group for us.

In the meantime, monthly volunteer workdays are scheduled through October. Main tasks on those days included cleanup, removing invasive species and even gathering seeds, with post work tours and social activities to follow.

Workdays are open to volunteers of all ages and no experience is required. Proper outdoor workday attire is recommended, including sturdy shoes or boots.

The next workday is Saturday, May 16 at Kilbuck Bluffs, 3061 South Bend Road, Rockford. Volunteers will pull honeysuckle and remove buckthorn and participate in a bird hike.

Macktown, 2221 Freeport Road, Rockton, will be the focus in June with work to remove invasive species followed by a guided tour of the historic Winnebago County settlement.

More information is available by contacting O’Malley at (815) 877-6100 or via email at komalley@winnebagoforest.org.

“I just got my 123rd volunteer application,” she said. “I’m going you to various organizations to talk to them and I’m reaching out to whomever I can to recruit.”

Specific olunteer opportunities can be found at http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/org728627.jsp.