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Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and PreserveMen dressed as British soldiers from the 1815 Battle of New Orleans shoot muskets at Chalmette Battlefield.
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Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
Volunteer
 

No matter what your skills or interests, there's probably a place for you in the VIP (Volunteer In Parks) program at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Current Jean Lafitte VIP projects include

  • Helping with children's programs
  • Cooking or craft demonstrations
  • Operating boats for ranger-guided bayou tours
  • Teaching Cajun dancing
  • Firing cannons during the annual Battle of New Orleans commemoration
  • Carpentry and landscaping projects
  • Working with the park libary and museum collections
  • Trail maintenance
  • Assisting with visitor center operations
 
A local chef and summer camp kids pat out beignet dough

Volunteers like this local chef share Louisiana cuisine during cooking demonstrations

For more information, call the site where you would like to work (see park home page for site list) or e-mail the park. Your volunteer job may require training, which will be provided by the park, and uniforms may be provided for long-term volunteers.

Project days which require little training and a minimum time commitment are regularly scheduled at some Jean Lafitte sites. Volunteers might help staff a park booth at a festival, dig out invasive plants, or take photographs during an event. Group projects can also be arranged.

Jean Lafitte's volunteers make a difference every day: in 2008, they donated nearly 12,732 hours of work (and had a good time doing it!).

Equal Opportunity Policy: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Park and Preserve is committed to a strong nondiscrimination policy respecting its employees and volunteers. Its policy is to provide equal opportunities for all and to eliminate discrimination based on sex (including sexual harassment and sexual orientation), race, color, national origin, religion, age, and disability.

Three girls pull a nonnative tree out of the ground at the Barataria Preserve
Get your hands dirty. Have some fun. Volunteer!
See what volunteers can do---check out the volunteer photo gallery
more...
Young alligator crawls through vegetation.  

Did You Know?
Alligators have two eyelids! The second inner eyelid is clear and used like goggles while the alligator is under water. These amazing reptiles have been around since before the dinosaurs, and they are designed for life in the water.

Last Updated: September 29, 2009 at 17:21 EST