WELLS — The Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm is preparing for the 2015 volunteer season by hosting its first ever Volunteer Fair.

According to the Reserve, approximately 30,000 people visit Laudholm Farm each year to participate in special events and enjoy the seven miles of trails winding through the 22-acre natural estuary.

The Wells Reserve and Laudholm Trust employs approximately 20 employees including researchers, and relies on an additional 400 volunteers to help teach, maintain and promote the work at the Reserve. Volunteers work as greeters and parking attendants, teach others as docents to school groups, manage and promote special events and education seminars, and assist with research and the ongoing fight to or clear out invasive species as part of the Marine Invader Monitoring and Information Collaborative, MIMIC.

“It blows my mind how much we accomplish every year with our small staff and hundreds of volunteers,” said Kate Reichert, education associate for the Reserve in charge of the docent program.

Laudholm Volunteer Coordinator, Nancy Viehmann, will host next Tuesday’s volunteer drive. Her goal is to entice a new cohort of volunteers to join the dedicated crew as former volunteers age out or move onto other opportunities.

“The majority of people who volunteer here are retirees who have either moved here or have lived her for a long time but are making a life change and looking to get involved in something new,” Reichert said.

She said Wells volunteers hail from many diverse backgrounds, from professors and school teachers to finance and fashion executives.

“Its unbelievable what their specialties are. They come here to put those skills to work after they’ve retired or they want to do something new. Here they can find a friendly, like-minded community and keep mentally and physically sharp and that’s something they get here,” said Reichert.

Many of the volunteers end up coming back year after year and some, like Linda Littlefield Grenfell, end up joining the staff. Grenfell joined the staff part-time last year after training as a volunteer docent.

Most volunteers are needed between May and October to fill a wide range of jobs including the two big annual events in September ”“ the Craft Festival and Pumpkinfiddle, an annual event to celebrate the estuary.

This winter volunteers have been supporting Facilities Manger John Speight by moving snow around.

Reichert says the most unusual job is the role of MIMIC volunteers or the opportunity to help with some of the many research projects.

“You can walk by a dock on a summer day and see 10 people hanging over the side clearing invasive plants,” she said. “That’s really important work they’re doing. Volunteerism is critical for conservation. It takes 400 volunteers putting in over 15,000 hours of service annually.”

The Reserve has three main goals: research, stewardship and education and Reichert says volunteerism supports this mission in three ways.

“Volunteerism is educationally rewarding for individuals but it also bolsters the work of the Reserve and allows them to contribute to a bigger dialogue, like climate change. And, volunteers also carry out our message and their love of the estuary to their families and friends,” she said.

The Volunteer Fair will run from 10:30 to noon on Feb. 24, followed by an educational Lunch and Learn led by Grenfell entitled: “What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?”

“As a former volunteer, Linda is the perfect person to lead this session. Many of our volunteers are newly retired, preparing for retirement, or working part-time. Volunteerism is a great opportunity to continue on a path of life-long learning and build on your skills, interests, and joys by trying something new,” Reichert said.