Volunteer with Your National Park in Beaufort

Visitor Center VIP

News Release Date: December 10, 2013

Contact: Kerby Price, 252-728-2250 ext. 3008

Contact: Wouter Ketel, 252-728-2250 ext. 3005

HARKERS ISLAND, NC – In preparation for the opening of the National Park Service Visitor Information Center located in the Beaufort Town Hall, Cape Lookout National Seashore would like to announce volunteer opportunities at this new gateway to the national seashore.

Are you interested in learning about the plants, animals, and history of the Outer Banks and sharing what you know as you meet park visitors? Come join the National Park Service as a Volunteer-In-the-Park (VIP). We are seeking friendly and energetic people who can assist for two or more hours; volunteer opportunities at Beaufort will be available seven days per week beginning in April of 2014. Volunteers at Beaufort will serve as front line representatives of the park and work side-by-side with park rangers to greet visitors, answer questions, provide information, and otherwise make visitors feel welcome to Beaufort and the Park.

In 2013, over 70 volunteers provided more than 20,000 hours of service to the Seashore. Additional volunteer opportunities are also available at the Seashore: VIPs greet visitors, operate bookstores and/or present programs at the Harkers Island Visitor Center, the Light Station Visitor Center, the Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters Museum, and at Portsmouth Village. At the Great Island and Long Point Cabin Camps, volunteers greet visitors arriving on the ferries, maintain camp facilities, and assist renters and rangers after office hours. Volunteers assist with resource management work, maintenance projects and with special projects. The Seashore also welcomes participation and service projects from youth groups such as schools, churches, and area scout troops.

Interested volunteers may sign up at Volunteer.gov (under KEYWORD type “Cape Lookout National Seashore”), download and mail in an application from the park website (https://www.nps.gov/calo/supportyourpark/volunteer.htm), or call Volunteer Coordinator Kerby Price at 252-728-2250, extension 3008. More information, including a March training and schedule sign-up date, will be announced in January.