Cornell Plantations is offering an information night and season kickoff for new and current volunteers on Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. in the Lewis Education Center classroom at One Plantations Road in Ithaca. Anyone interested in learning about Plantations' volunteer opportunities and programs for 2004 is welcome. Previous gardening or horticultural experience, though helpful, is not necessary. Light refreshments will be provided.

"Volunteers are vital to every aspect of our operations," said Donald Rakow, Elizabeth Newman Wilds Director of Cornell Plantations. "To retain our volunteers, we constantly endeavor to introduce ways of making the experience of volunteering as rewarding for the individual as it is for our organization."

Cornell Plantations has an active volunteer program that offers a diversity of learning experiences. Volunteers help with leading tours, youth education programs, gardening and grounds keeping, special events, the fall lecture series, office support, gift shop and visitor assistance, and more. Hands-on training programs are provided throughout the year. Benefits for volunteers include discounts on memberships, gift shop merchandise and workshop fees; educational experiences; and field trips. In addition, volunteers share in the camaraderie and companionship of people with similar interests, and take pride in being a part of one of New York's premier public gardens and botanical collections.

For more information about volunteering at Cornell Plantations, contact Kevin Moss, community outreach coordinator at (607) 254-7430, or km274@cornell.edu , or visit.

Cornell Plantations is the arboretum, botanical garden and natural areas of Cornell University and is a member of Ithaca's Discovery Trail Partnership, http://www.discoverytrail.net .