• Olympic: Three Parks in One

    Olympic

    National Park Washington

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »

  • Olympic Hot Springs Road Closed

    The Elwha Valley's Olympic Hot Springs Road is closed to public entry beyond the Altair Campground during removal of the Glines Canyon Dam. Olympic Hot Springs is not accessible from the Elwha.

  • Elwha River Closures

    Boating is prohibited on the Elwha River from Upper Lake Mills Trail downstream to the Highway 112 bridge, except for the stretch between Altair Campground and the Highway 101 bridge.

  • Changes to Visitor Services Due to Sequestration

    Due to mandatory, across the board budget cuts, some visitor services at Olympic National Park have changed. See the Plan Your Visit section for more information.

Volunteer Information

Thank you for your interest in the Olympic marmot monitoring program!

Please read through the information on this page before submitting your volunteer application. You may want to view this brief video about the program. The application deadline is May 1, but may close earlier if enough "citizen scientists" have already volunteered, or last longer of some trips are not filled.

How to Volunteer

  1. Review some background information on the monitoring program, find out if this program is a good fit for you, and what you can expect as a volunteer.
  2. Decide when you and your group are available. Volunteers will be in the field for five or eight days beginning on August 7, August 14, August 21 and September 5.
  3. Compare survey trip duration and difficulty here. Click the links to view maps of selected areas. Google Earth users may download a KML file of marmot monitoring locations.
  4. If you'd like to participate, please fill out this application. On the application, please identify your top three preferred monitoring locations. Make sure to consider your experience, physical condition and time constraints, as hikes range from simple day hikes of several miles to overnight excursions of more than 40 miles. All sites require hiking off trail traversing steep slopes. The amount of hiking and the degree of difficulty varies with the trips. (Requests will be honored on a first come, first served basis.)
  5. Finish filling out the application form and email to Patti_Happe@nps.gov. If you have questions about your application, call Patti. After submitting your application, you'll hear back from Patti or an assistant within two weeks. If you're unable to email, feel free to mail your application to:
    Olympic National Park
    c/o Patti Happe
    600 East Park Avenue
    Port Angeles, WA 98362
  6. Once your application is approved, be sure to check out the Information for Enrolled Volunteers section.

Did You Know?

marmot

Although related to other marmots and groundhogs of North America, the Olympic marmot is unique.  An endemic species, it is found only in the Olympic Mountains.  Visitors to the high country of Olympic National Park may be lucky enough to encounter a marmot sunning itself near its burrow.