Thank you for your interest in our 2026 Spring Volunteer Weekend. We have a full island and are no longer accepting volunteers.
The Annual Spring Volunteer Weekend takes place each May. This is a residential experience with arrival on a Friday and options to depart on that Sunday or Monday. Although this is a rewarding and fun experience, it is not a relaxing pleasure tour, as everyone works hard to get the island ready for the summer season.
We do our best to get as many volunteers as possible out to the island to help with the projects we have each season but aren't always able to invite everyone out.
Volunteers help make the 'Shoals experience' a reality for its participants, and have been an integral part of life on Appledore since the beginning of the lab. Every campus building has at one time been re-painted, re-shingled, and lovingly maintained with the help of our steadfast volunteers. Each year a swarm of volunteer cleaners scour the campus by washing windows, scrubbing floors, caring for and maintaining microscopes, meters, and plankton nets, and so much more!
Please be sure to consider your ability to travel to Appledore Island and participate. The terrain on the island is rocky and uneven, the weather in the Isles of Shoals can be unpredictable, and the work at times may be strenuous. If you do not feel as though you are able to give back to Shoals Marine Laboratory during volunteer weekend please consider other means of giving to support our students.
If you have any questions about the weekend, please email shoals.lab@unh.edu.
Children between the ages of 15 -18 are permitted to attend and volunteer with permission of the SML staff, and must be accompanied by an adult (parent or guardian).
If you would like to sign up to receive future notifications about volunteer opportunities at
Shoals Marine Laboratory, please click the below button.
