Volunteers are at the heart of the Fredericton Botanic Garden. Their time, knowledge, enthusiasm and dedication help us care for the Garden, deliver programs and events, and create a welcoming space for our community. Each year, we recognize individuals whose contributions have made an exceptional impact on the Garden.
2025 Volunteers of the Year
Heather Connors-Dunphy
Heather has been affiliated with the Fredericton Botanic Garden, in one way or another, for several decades, including in an executive capacity on the Board of Directors. She is one of only nine certified master gardeners in New Brunswick, and an instructor at Dalhousie University’s master gardener field school.
Since 2023, Heather has steadily increased her volunteer hours at the garden, logging hundreds on an annual basis. In 2025 and 2026, she was a driving force behind the annual spring plant sale, from ordering to potting up, to display. Her efforts bore fruit, as sales increased, year over year.
Many plants grown in Heather’s own greenhouses and gardens have made their way to the plant sale, and the beds of the Fredericton Botanic Garden. Always prime specimens!
Heather has brought a new rigour to our greenhouse and general gardening practices, always a patient teacher. Heather helps train our summer students and has mentored our gardeners.
She is an active member of the site development committee, and with Steve heard, has undertaken the massive project of inventorying all plants in the Fredericton Botanic Garden. She runs a variety of workshops, including gardening 101, container gardening, and her very popular wreath making.
Heather is also one of our tour guides. She has a particular interest in leading garden clubs and accomodating seniors, by chauffering them in our golf cart, foxy Mcgee.
She was the curator of Bronwen’s memorial woodland garden, dedicated to our late chair, Bronwen Cunningham. Heather is one half of our flower power couple, with her husband Vic, another valued volunteer, being the other half.
ELDON TONER
Late in 2023, Linda Stephenson asked Eldon if he would lead a bat house building workshop, at the garden. The sold out event was held in the spring of 2024, and he hasn’t left since!
Eldon is a red seal carpenter, with more than four decades of experience. He spent a number of years overseeing maintenance for the Fredericton non-profit housing corporation (FNPHC), during which time their portfolio expanded rapidly.
He was the driving force behind the FNPHC’s award winning restoration of the historic Marysville hotel, which saw it converted to affordable housing. He subsequently presented the project to a conference of architects at McGill university.
After leaving FNPHC, he started E & R Toner renovations, building a great many homes in the Fredericton area. Retirement called, until he decided to buy a Winmar franchise and successfully operated the disaster restoration company for a number of years. This included an extensive stint in Alberta, where he was asked to assist in restoring homes damaged by natural disasters.
Eldon is retired again, but spends most summer days operating heavy equipment, riding his Harley, or volunteering at the garden.
He led our accessible greenhouse project, has built holding beds and cold frames, run workshops for bat houses, raised garden beds, workbenches, etc. He’s fixed things too numerous to mention, sometimes before we knew they needed fixing.
Eldon has devoted many hours to training staff and students in the safe operation of vehicles, trailer towing, use of bush wackers, woodchippers, and reciprocating saws. Teaching comes naturally to him.
His most recent contribution to the garden is the stumpery, an unexpected and thought-provoking installation, opposite bronwen’s memorial woodland garden.
Previous Volunteers of the Year Recipents
2024 — Jim Goltz (Profile coming soon)
2023 — Cynthia Stacey (Profile coming soon)
Volunteer Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the FBGA! The Fredericton Botanic Garden wouldn’t be what it is without the help of our wonderful volunteers. We are always looking for more help and we have a number of indoor and outdoor opportunities available depending on your background and interests.
To get started, please fill out our volunteer application form (below). Once we’ve received your completed form, we’ll reach out to you to discuss the next steps.
If you’ve been approved to join our team, you can book an outdoor gardening shift with Head Gardener Mujin Lee here. Please note this is a new process and there may be some kinks as we figure out the details.
If you’re interested in helping with indoor tasks, we will reach out to you. These could include:
- Office support, such as data entry, photocopying, assembling packages, etc.
- Photography
- Research / grant writing
- Seed sorting and cleaning
- Building maintenance
- Cleaning
- Scanning, filing, and shredding
- Event support
- Other tasks can be discussed
The Fredericton Botanic Garden also has three standing Volunteer Committees, open to members of the Garden and the general public. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the office at info@frederictonbotanicgarden.com.
Standing Committees
Membership and Volunteer Services
This committee is currently recruiting new members
Helps grow the garden by increasing membership. Keep their fingers on the pulse of the membership through surveys, casual conversations and other means. Makes recommendations to Board and management based on member input. Recruits new sponsors of membership benefits.
Helps recruit volunteers for a variety of garden activities including planting, transplanting and weeding. Lines up volunteers to assist with projects such as building bird houses, painting greenhouses, building planter boxes, etc., selecting inventory and helping with the Annual Spring Plant Sale. Responsible for selecting the Volunteer of the Year.
Community Engagement Committee
This committee is currently recruiting new members
Responsible for promoting the Garden’s brand through input to vehicles such as the newsletter, brochures, website and social media. Recruits participants to speaker’s bureau, to help get the message out. Oversees Garden signs and messaging.
Site Development Committee
This committee is currently at capacity
Oversees on the ground activities of the garden, including but limited to: garden bed approval, design, placement and upkeep; trail development, maintenance and repair; infrastructure such as greenhouses; tribute placements; invasive species control; garden specific projects.
Ad-hoc Committees
These committees are generally not active year-round, may disband when mandate achieved
Annual Spring Plant Sale
This committee is currently recruiting new members
Native Plant Content
This committee is currently recruiting new members
Individual Volunteer Opportunities
- Office support, such as data entry, photocopying, assembling packages, etc.
- Collecting donated plants (may involve digging them up and transporting to Garden)
- Photography
- Grant writing
- Seed sorting and cleaning in preparation for Seedy Saturday
- Watering
- Tool cleaning and sharpening
- Bench maintenance, such as tightening bolts, wiping down, checking for damage
Become a Volunteer
Fill out the form and you will be contacted shortly about volunteering.
