Get Involved at the Griffith Park Zoo

First up, @LauraStegman:

Here are the official deets:

A range of volunteer opportunities at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens are available for adults and high school students. General volunteers help with a number of activities throughout the zoo, and anyone 16 years and over is welcome to apply.

MURIEL’S RANCH VOLUNTEER - Muriel’s Ranch is the Zoo’s contact yard, located in the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo. To be eligible, general volunteers must pass the prerequisite two-hour Muriel’s Ranch training class, provided monthly. Volunteers play liaison between the goats and the visitors by assisting with crowd control and occasionally maintain the yard.

SPECIAL EVENTS VOLUNTEER - The Zoo hosts a number of special events throughout the year, including Big Bunny's Spring Fling, Boo at the Zoo, and Reindeer Romp, to name a few. Volunteers assist Zoo visitors with themed crafts, give-aways, photo opportunities, and directional assistance.

FOOD PREP VOLUNTEER - Food Prep is available to general volunteers who have passed the 30-hour introductory period and are at least 18 years of age. Volunteers assist keepers with preparing animal diets such as cutting up fruits, vegetables, meat, and divvying out mealworms and crickets.

ENRICHMENT VOLUNTEERS - Enrichment is available to general volunteers who have passed the 30 hour introductory period and are at least 18 years of age. Volunteers help create feeder and play devices as well as exhibit adaptations.

RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS - Research volunteering is available to people 18 years of age and over who have completed the Observing Animals: Behavioral Studies in Zoos UCLA Extension course taught on Zoo grounds offered in the Fall. The class teaches observational techniques and is a non-invasive study on behavior.

Anyone interested can see full descriptions of volunteer and docent opportunities and requirements here.

Looking for a shorter-term commitment? urbanfocus a day helping clean up Compton:

The Compton Initiative has several clean up days scheduled in the coming weeks, and also offers an ongoing Friday reading program with the Dickinson Elementary School in the Compton Unified School District. "Each volunteer reader signs up to read JUST ONE Friday afternoon per month-20 minutes in First Grade classroom and then 20 minutes in a Kindergarten classroom. The whole time commitment, excluding travel time, is about one hour per month (between 1:00-2:00pm)."

Thanks @LauraStegman and urbanfocus! If you'd like to add SoCal Connected and "Get Involved" to your Twitter feed, you can do so here.