Happy National Volunteer Week!
This week we're recognizing and celebrating our fabulous volunteers at Point Reyes National Seashore.
The National Park Service's volunteer program,
Volunteers-in-Parks, or VIP, program
engages thousands of volunteers across the country each year
in accomplishing priority work that would not be done otherwise.
This year happens to be the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service VIP program!
My name is Doug Hee,
Park Ranger and acting Volunteers-in-Parks program manager
for Point Reyes National Seashore.
I'd like you to meet one of Point Reyes National Seashore's volunteers,
Seth Rosen, so he can tell us some stories about his volunteer work.
[Doug:] Hello Seth!
Hi Doug. [Doug] Thanks for speaking with us today.
Hi Doug! Well thanks very much, and thanks to all the National Park Service folks who
work hard and keep our parks open for the public...um...
when there's not a coronavirus I suppose. [Doug:] Exactly!
[Seth chuckles]
Doug: So how long have you been volunteering at Point Reyes and what do you do?
Well, I've been volunteering the last three years
with the board of directors for the nonprofit cooperating agency that works with the park.
We are the Point Reyes National Seashore Association or PRNSA [pronounced "prince-uh].
I have been working on the board of directors...um...
I'm currently the co-chair of development and I'm also the chair of the audit committee.
Some of the other volunteer activities at the park that I do...um...is I'm a Winter Wildlife Docent.
So, I help the public when they go out to see northern elephant seals
or the California gray whales during their migration,
and we help inform the public.
That has been a fantastic opportunity. And that actually came around because
I took a PRNSA adult class...um... around becoming a California naturalist.
And, so, that led me to the Winter Wildlife Docent program.
So PRNSA has been great about creating volunteer opportunities for me personally.
It's been really wonderful.
(Doug:) Can you tell me about one of your most memorable moments as a volunteer?
Sure! Yeah I mean one great moment was a few months ago.
We were at a board meeting and three of our fantastic staff—
Brandon Barragan, Isaac Taylor, and our associate director Sam Chiriboga—
made a great presentation about our impact on diversity equity and inclusion efforts.
What was fantastic is they went over the impact that our programs have been having.
One of our programs is called the young stewards program
and that is a program directed at kids from underserved communities,
to bring them out to the Seashore.
And, you know, if you want to measure metrics, we have fantastic metrics around that.
We brought over 2,000 kids from underserved communities to the Seashore last year.
But, you know what metrics don't capture is the awe and the wonder that light up a kid's face.
When, even though they've grown up maybe 15 miles away from the ocean, they've never been there before.
And to hear the stories that Sam and Isaac and Brandon tell is just heartwarming.
And it really makes you understand the impact that our staff and our volunteers
and our donors are having on individual lives.
And it's, it's just inspiring.
(Doug:) Thank you!
(Doug:) When you aren't volunteering at the Seashore,
(Doug:) what would we most likely find you doing?
[Chuckles] Well, probably hiking the Seashore.
In 2012, PRNSA worked with the Park Service to create a trails challenge and
my wife and I...that was really one of the ways that we started becoming involved.
And we ended up hiking every trail in the park.
That is a lot of trails. Over 200 miles!
It took us a good six months, cramming it into weekends, but that was fabulous.
I also love to kayak in Tomales Bay. And if I'm not out at the Seashore,
I'm probably back home in Oakland, maybe in my garage, working in the wood shop.
[Doug:] Wonderful!
[Doug] What advice would you give someone who is thinking about volunteering at Point Reyes?
Well, the main advice is: do it!
We have opportunities at Point Reyes, really, for everybody.
Whether you're looking for a one-day opportunity, a week, a project, or something really extended
And whether you're looking to be inside or outside.
One of the things that PRNSA does as an organization
that works closely with the Park Service is we support the volunteer programs at the park.
So, for example, we provide funding for some of the conservation staff,
so that when we run some of the monitoring programs for coho and steelhead,
um...we support that sort of thing. I did that one day with my son.
We went out e-fishing and monitoring, and that was just an amazing...um...
example of a one-day, really exciting opportunity.
Also ,you know if you're into horses and the Morgan Horse Ranch, there are opportunities there.
And PRNSA has provided funds in the past to provide new saddles and things like that.
And, if you're interested in working with PRNSA, we could really use volunteers.
Um, folks who have a background in science or education
can get involved with our youth programs... or our adult education programs.
We run a field institute and
we're always looking for great teachers with great ideas for classes.
Um...as well as one day removing invasive species.
So, there is really something for everyone.
If you're digital savvy, PRNSA could really use volunteers to help us with our websites,
making short video clips, and writing content for our newsletters.
So, there's really something for everyone.
Get in touch with us if you can't find what you're looking for.
And there are great websites, both at the Park Service and PRNSA,
that really detail all of the volunteer programs and how to get involved.
[Doug:] Great! Thank you!
[Doug:] What is your favorite place to visit at Point Reyes National Seashore?
Well, I'm gonna give you two answers for that.
One is the scenery behind me, which is Drakes Beach, which is fabulous,
especially when there are elephant seals there. Of course, you can't get too close!
But it's just one of the most amazing things to watch.
And then another real favorite of mine is Chimney Rock.
Chimney Rock just never disappoints, whether it's wildflowers,
whether it's watching whales migrate, or
or frankly whether it's just watching the oceans crash against the cliffs.
The beauty of the Point Reyes Seashore
being one of the closest Wilderness areas in the country to a major urban center
is something that you just can't get.
And PRNSA and the Park Service work really hard to...
make opportunities available for folks to experience their park.
And, frankly, we can't wait for this coronavirus to be over.
To reopen and...to...we are just so geared up to get our programs...
running as quickly as possible so everyone can enjoy our parks.
[Doug:] Yeah. Will be very nice when we can get back to the park.
Yeah.
[Doug:] Well, thank you, Seth, for sharing with us your experiences as a volunteer.
Well, thank you, Doug, and thanks for everything
you're doing to help facilitate the volunteer experience of Point Reyes National Seashore!
If you're interested in volunteering at Point Reyes National Seashore or
with the Point Reyes National Seashore Association,
please visit the park's website...
at nps.gov/pore
Thank you for spending time with us today!
We hope you all have an opportunity to visit Point Reyes National Seashore
in the very near future.