Baltimore Area National Parks Dynamic Duo

Volunteer Charles and Maintenance Team member Bud

NPS

With Hampton’s 62 acres of grounds, formal gardens, and unique cultural landscape, and Fort McHenry’s cultural landscape and historic structures, our maintenance team needs its mowers, loaders, and all matter of machinery in good order and running well. Volunteer Charles and maintenance team member Bud Conley work together each week to keep the parks’ engines humming, to ensure the historic landscapes are beautiful and inviting to visitors, and habitats preserved for the animals that call its meadows and trees home. We asked Bud and Charles to share their park stories.

What made you originally start volunteering/working at the site?

Charles: My wife, Sara, got me started! She started volunteering at Hampton National Historic Site in 2016 and then I decided I was interested in volunteering as well. I would go with her to help in the gardens at Hampton and would see all the interesting pieces of equipment that maintenance used! Since that is my background, along with having my own mobile construction equipment repair business for 33 years, I decided that I wanted to help with mechanics at the park. I began volunteering in 2019 and work it around my full-time job, generally volunteering around one day a week. As I’m working towards retirement, I started looking for ways to round out my life and volunteering at the park has been a good fit.

Bud: This May, I will have been working at these sites for seven years. I began as a seasonal employee, working with the motor vehicles. Now I am a permanent employee that specializes on repairing equipment with hydraulic cylinders and small engines. I actually grew up with one of my coworkers on the maintenance team. So, after getting out of the army, he encouraged me to apply to the seasonal position which then began my career.

What keeps you volunteering/working at the site?

Charles: Volunteering at the park gives me a lot of personal satisfaction. I love to repair things. Plus this job provides lots of variety, showing me that there is always a chance to learn more things. Solving the repair issues is like a puzzle and when you finally figure it out, it feels like “you win the battle”. And with most maintenance projects, including things like gardening, mowing, and repairs, you can see the results and feel the appreciation. I also enjoy the great maintenance team we have at the park. We are like a family and truly enjoy working together (plus enjoy the work).

Bud: Similar to Charles, I enjoy the puzzle and the variety of those puzzles. I have learned a lot from Charles because of his 33 years of work experience. He has shown me lots of tips and tricks (and shortcuts). And we have learned that two heads better than one! I also think we have an amazing park family and enjoy working with all of them. And we have an impressive shop to work in as well!

What does the National Park Service mission mean to you?

Charles: I have visited a lot of National Parks and seen places like Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Denali. I’ve actually been to Alaska a few times! And I love the stories of all the parks, especially the national value they have to us. I enjoy doing my part in keeping these parks beautiful and preserved. There is a never-ending list of projects so there is always work to do!

Bud: To add to what Charles said, our ability to repair most of our equipment has saved our park thousands of dollars which allows the park to invest that money into other needs. Charles brought invaluable skills, skills that are not easy to find, to our parks which has allowed us to do things we never would have been able to do without him. Charles, and all others of our skilled maintenance team have been an invaluable resource to the park.

Why do you think people should volunteer for the parks?

Charles & Bud: Besides all of the reasons we have already listed that keep us volunteering and working for the parks, we would suggest volunteering is a great way to have a hands-on opportunity to learn new skills (and possibly a career). And volunteering is a way to get involved in your national parks and give back to your community. Plus, you get to work with great people!

What has been your most enjoyable experience volunteering for the National Park Service?

Charles & Bud: There are a lot of projects that I have enjoyed. One of my favorites was the first job I worked on which was putting new tracks on a bobcat (pictures attached). There were a lot of people involved to do this very large project. And it was the first time that any of us had done something like this so it was very memorable.

I have also enjoyed working on the “robo mower” which is a remote-control lawn mower that we use to cut the earthworks around the historic fort (too step for a person to mow). Visitors are amazed by it every time they see it! I’ve never worked on a piece of equipment like this so I knew nothing about it before volunteering. It is always breaking down so it is a constant battle to keep it running. We have had to reconstruct the axle twice!