These agencies rely extensively upon volunteers to provide services, such as trail clearing and blazing, to backcountry users. Not all locations are open to using volunteer assistance on trails. As recently as 1972 some national parks were turning away volunteer assistance but much has changed with budget cuts and new administrators.

Fire trail, ski trail, and hiking trail maintenance. Contact regional headquarters or specific forest HQ. Usually there will be an individual responsible for coordinating volunteer efforts. In some cases the coordinator may mix volunteers with paid professional crews. $7 to $19 per diem may be available under some circumstances.

Passport in Time

Assist the Forest Service in archaeological digs, historical restorations and similar projects. Approx. 120 projects for summer 1996. Volunteers usually camp at project site, meals are sometimes provided. Expect to sweat. 1-800-821-9176

Tonto National Forest, Payson Ranger District (Mazatzal Wilderness)
1009 E Highway 260, Payson AZ 85541
Walt Thole: (ph)520-474-7900, (fax)520-474-7966

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
Alpine Ranger District (Blue Range Primitive Area)
Box 469, Alpine AZ 85920
Don Hoffman: (ph)520-339-4384

Also contact the park you are interested in. Volunteer park guides, backcountry trash collection, trail work, archaeology site protection.

The program is "Volunteers in National Parks" or "VIP" for short. Volunteers can do most anything; some volunteer to work the front information desk or lead hikes or give evening campground programs (probably what you regard as a "volunteer ranger") while others do research, or maintenance, or whatever. Some are college students, looking for good experience, some are retirees who donate some very valued skills. Some areas can offer free or reduced-rate housing, though they usually require a minimum time guarantee (24 hours a week, for example), while others can only provide you with a uniform shirt and possibly some mileage reimbursement for your personal vehicle. Contact the "VIP" Coordinator at whatever park you're interested in, and they'll fill you in on their particular needs.

Some area contacts

Cascades

BLM State Offices list volunteer opportunities through Volunteer.Gov/Gov, an online database of volunteer opportunities in government.

 Generally these projects will involve animal habitat inventory, census, bird banding, etc. Not much trail work but expect to spend most of your time outdoors.

Nationwide Volunteer Clearinghouse: 1-800-VOL-TEER. By calling the hotline a potential volunteer can express interest in any Corps project nationwide. The Clearinghouse in turn, gives the individual a point of contact for the area they have requested, as well as written information about volunteer opportunities there. Callers should be ready to provide information about their interests, talents, and the locations they may want to volunteer.

The Corps is the steward of almost 12 million acres of land and water and offers many volunteer opportunities in recreation and natural resources management. These include: Trail building and maintenance, Campground Host, Building Wildlife Habitats, Presenting Educational Programs Writing and editing material for publication, Developing computer programs, Give out information at a Visitor Center, Photography, Building and Maintaining Archery Ranges, Give Interpretive Tours of Dam Sites. 

12551 Highway 79
Descanso, CA 91916
760-765-0755

There are five volunteer units in Cuyamaca: 1) the Interpreters Assistance Unit, 2) the Trails maintenance Unit, 3) the Mounted Assistance Unit, 4) the Mountain Bike Assistance Unit, and 5) Camp Hosts.

California  East Bay Regional Park System
http://www.ebparks.org/volunter/trailvol.htm
e-mail:   info@ebparks.org

Regional Trails Department
East Bay Regional Park District
2950 Peralta Oaks Court
P.O. Box 5381
Oakland, CA 94605-0381

The Pine Ridge Association
P.O. Box 846
Morgan Hill, CA 95038
(408) 779-2728

The Pine Ridge Association is an official state park cooperating association that was formed in 1975 to assist park staff in designing interpretive and educational programs and presenting the programs to the public.

California Santa Clara County Parks
http://claraweb.co.santa-clara.ca.us/parks/infovol.htm

Park Volunteer Coordinator: (408) 354-6583

COMMUNITY-PARK COLLEAGUES help by completing specific, short-term projects/programs (1 day-1 month) such as tree plantings, exotic brush removal, trail building, special event volunteering, and more! No experience is required. PARK STEWARDS are individuals or groups who want to help out at a specific park over a longer time period (typically one month or more.) Park Stewards may work with maintenance crews on routine duties; maintain park gardens, trails, and other park facilities; conduct park programs, and more! No experience is required, and work scheduling is flexible.

California The San Dieguito River Park -San Diego
http://www.sdrp.org/

California Weaverville Basin Trail System Trinty County
http://www.snowcrest.net/tcrcd/wvrbasin.htm

PO Box1450
Weaverville, CA 96093
(916)623-6004
 

In the fall of 1996, the RCD was requested by the Weaverville Basin Trail Committee to be the lead agency to help the Trail Committee fulfill its goal of a basin wide trail system. This volunteer Committee has been working for more than ten years to designate approximately 40 miles of trail, complete and Environmental Assessment with the Forest Service and include the preliminary trail system map in the Trinity County General Plan. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Forest Service, the primary landowner of the trail system, and the RCD has been signed by the Shasta-Trinity Forest Supervisor and the RCD.

Volunteer opportunities include trail maintenance, clerical and administrative support, tour guides and clean up projects. 695-7400

Colorado Boulder Parks and Recreation
http://bcn.boulder.co.us/  (search for volunteer from home page)

Volunteer opportunities include: Mountain Parks Flagstaff Summit Center Host and Trail Volunteer, Adopt-a-Park options at 52 local park areas. For further information on these or other volunteer opportunities call 441-3400.

Manager: Kurt Schroeder
Location: 2002 Creek Crossing
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Telephone: (719) 520-6375 Fax: (719) 520-6389
Hours: 8:00AM - 4:30PM Monday - Friday

P.O. Box B
Eldorado Springs, CO 80025
(303) 494-3943
e-mail: eldorado@csn.net

Volunteer trail maintenance days approximately once a month

Colorado Jefferson County Open Space
 

700 Jefferson County Pkwy, Suite 100
Golden, Colorado 80401

(303) 271-5925

"The Park Volunteer" newsletter is published 12 times per year by the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation Volunteer Program. To subscribe contact volunteer coordinator Kirsten Morris at 302-739-5286

Florida State Parks volunteer
http://www8.myflorida.com/communities/onlineforms/stateparks/volunteer.html

ILDNR volunteer
http://dnr.state.il.us/legislation/volunteer/default.htm

Department of Natural Resources
Becoming a DNR volunteer
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/volunteer/

Individual Maryland Parks & Forests
    Green Ridge State Forest
    http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/greenridgevolunteer.html

    Patapsco State Park
    http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/patapscovolunteer.html

    Seneca Creek State Park
    http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/senecavolunteer.html

The trail Stewardship program was started in the summer of 1996 by the State Forest and Park Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  You can donate time to do trail work or work with youth groups, and/or you can make tax-deductible donations for trail maintenance, park operation, and educational programs

Volunteer Service Coordinator
St. Louis County Parks & Recreation
41 South Central Avenue
Clayton, MO 63105-1734
(???)889-3371

Volunteers in Parks Coordinator
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Division of State Park
P. O. Box 176
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102

1-800-334-6946

Volunteer trail workers in Missouri state parks assist park superintendents in all aspects of trail maintenance and construction. This work can be done any time during the year. Duties of volunteer trail workers are to assist in trail construction and maintenance.

How to Apply: Either contact the state park or historic site of your choice or print and complete the VIP (Volunteers in Parks) application form at http://www.state.mo.us/dnr/dsp/vipapp.htm

Debbie Cheek: Volunteer Coordinator
PO Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701

406-444-4701.

New Jersey
Monmouth County Park System
http://www.erols.com/jsts/trailprj.html
Jeanne DeYoung, Coordinator of Volunteers, (732) 842-4000, ext 283.
email: info@monmouthcountyparks.com

Monmouth County Park System 1998 Volunteer Trail Projects are ongoing throughout the year and include construction of new trails.

2040 South Pacheco
Santa Fe, NM 87505
(505)827-7182

Friends of Silver Falls (east of Salem): 873-3495.
http://www.open.org/slvrfall/sform.htm
20024 Silver Falls Highway SE
Sublimity, Oregon 97385

Friends of Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (Newport): (541) 867-7451.
Friends of Champoeg (near Newberg): 678-1649.
Friends of Cape Meares (west of Tillamook): 842-3182.
Friends of Tryon Creek (near Portland): 636-4398.
Friends of Vista House (Columbia Gorge near Portland): 695-2230.
Friends of Elijah Bristow (southeast of Eugene): (541) 686-7592.
Friends of Cape Blanco (near Port Orford: (541) 332-2975
Friends of Old Fort Stevens (near Astoria): (541) 861-2000.
Friends of Shore Acres (near Coos Bay): (541) 888-4902.
Friends of Collier State Park (north of Klamath Falls): (541) 783-2471.
Friends of Banks/Vernonia Linear Park: 324-0606.

Ebensburg PA.

The trail and recreation projects of the CCCRA began as an adjunct to its acid mine drainage remediation work. However public interest and spontaneous support from local municipalities quickly showed us that a county wide system of trails was as important to the public as cleaning up the rivers.

Two significant walking trails, the Ghost Town Trail and the James Mayer Walking Trail have been constructed by other oranizations, the CCCRA is working with those organizations to expand the existing trails, create new trails and establish link between trails and other recreational sites and parks.

Virginia Virginia State Parks volunteer
http://www.state.va.us/~dcr/vol_opp.htm

Greenway Volunteer Program
3424 Meridian St.
Bellingham WA 98225

(360)676-6985 x216

Volunteer Coordinator: Norm Pazderski
(608) 266-2152

To volunteer your services, please fill out a volunteer application and send it to the state park, forest, or trail of your choice. Property superintendents interview and select all volunteers. Selected volunteers will be asked to sign an agreement outlining their responsibilities as well as those of the Department of Natural Resources.