Events

We are looking for volunteers to help staff our table at the Community Organization Fair during the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show, held February 6–8, 2026 at the Knoxville Convention Center.

This is a high-traffic event, with more than 5,000 attendees over three days, and a great opportunity for us to share our mission, connect with the community, and recruit new supporters.

Event details

Friday, February 6: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday, February 7: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday, February 8: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Our setup includes a 6-foot table and two chairs. We plan to have at least two volunteers at the table at all times and to work in shifts, so volunteers can explore the House & Garden Show before or after their shift.

Volunteer perks

Free admission to the show (normally $10). We currently have 6 free tickets available and will request additional tickets if we have more than six volunteers.

Flexible scheduling—sign up for one or more shifts.

A chance to engage with the public, support local ecology and gardening efforts, and represent our organization at a major community event.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out the registration form with:

Which day(s) you’re available

Your preferred time window(s)

More information about the show is available here:

https://www.dogwoodarts.com/houseandgardenshow

Thank you for considering helping out—we truly appreciate your support and hope you can join us!

If you wish to volunteer, please REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/february-6-8-2026-dogwood-arts-house-and-garden-show-volunteer-registration/

We need VOLUNTEERS to perform cleanup and preparation tasks at Old City Gardens in downtown, where we'll be growing plants for donation to other non-profits and for our 2026 Native Plant Sale! We will be cutting, clearing and composting tall invasive plants. We'll also be collecting used plant pots smaller than 1 gallon (the smaller the better.) Bring your extra pots, gloves, clippers, hand trimmers, loppers, and if you have a cordless drill and hardware for making pot corrals out of pallets, please bring them, too. 

Please feel free to drop in whenever you are available during the timeframe, for as long as little as you're able. 

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/february-25-2026-seminar-community-science-needs-you/

Urban and suburban habitats play an important role in maintaining biodiversity as cities expand. But how do we know what kind of impact our habitats are having? Join us to learn about community science projects that can help you learn about what's living in your yard and local parks while helping scientists gather important data about what lives where and how that's changing. Discover how you can create your own bioblitz to track your native habitat's success at supporting wildlife. Learn how to join the City Nature Challenge to help with the world's largest wildlife census. You created your own park, let's do science there! 

About Steve:

As a child, Steve enjoyed exploring nature in his neighborhood, camping with his family and watching nature and outdoor adventure documentaries. His love of mountains inspired him to earn a BS in Biology as a Naturalist from Appalachian State University while leading climbing, caving and backpacking trips for ASU and local camps. After college he lived in upstate New York and eastern Pennsylvania, working as an outdoor and environmental educator before moving to Tennessee to be a Teacher/Naturalist at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. In 1994 during an all-night encounter with a bear he learned about the Education Department at Zoo Knoxville. He started as Outreach Coordinator nine months later, eventually becoming Education Curator in 2013. He started studying butterflies in 2009 which led to his interest in native plants. In 2013 he started the Tennessee Butterfly Monitoring Network with the help of a few volunteers. In 2020 he signed on to coordinate our region's annual City Nature Challenge project. Steve loves almost everything that he's allergic to, and lots of other things. 

REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/march-7-2026-weed-wrangle/

Join us for an official Weed Wrangle to protect sensitive spring ephemeral wildflowers! Weed Wrangles are a statewide effort to eradicate invasive plants in our shared spaces—volunteers get a cool pair of Weed Wrangle™ gloves! 

What to Expect:
Wild Ones will have staff on hand to assist in identifying invasive plants. This is a “rain or shine” event, unless there are severe storms predicted (if so, we will notify you.) 

Dress: Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing that you don't mind getting dirty. 

Refreshments: Wild Ones will provide sustenance to keep our volunteers energized and hydrated throughout the event. 

Equipment:
Tools will be provided, but if you have personal tools you prefer, please label them well and feel free to bring them.

Location:

Dean’s Woods (also known as the Deanbrook Nature Area) is a parcel of land owned by the University of Tennessee. It consists of roughly 20 acres and is situated along Woodson Drive in South Knoxville. Plants that thrive on the site include Canada Violet, Celandine Poppy, Columbine, Dutchman’s Breeches, Golden Seal, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Shortia, Spring Beauty, Squirrel Corn, Virginia Bluebells, and Yellowroot. By removing invasive and unwanted plants, these native wildflowers are given an opportunity to grow without aggressive competition alongside the trails.

Parking: 

Street parking along Germantown Ln. (dead-end road).

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

More info to come!

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!