Volunteer

Volunteers provide critical services to the National Park Service, including orientating visitors to Camp Nelson National Monument.

NPS

Join Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) to support the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect our national parks. You can volunteer for a day or year-round; on your own or with friends and family; close to home or at a dream destination. Volunteer opportunities are available nationwide including in U.S. Territories.

What Can VIPs Do at Camp Nelson National Monument?

The possibilities are as diverse as our national parks themselves. Here are some example volunteer activities:

• Lead or support education and public-facing programs
• Maintain or rebuild trails
• Teach others about the park and swear in new Junior Rangers in the visitor center
• Support libraries, archives, and museums in parks to preserve our cultural resources

Camp Nelson welcomes volunteers, with opportunities to work in the park visitor center, as part of the living history program, or at special events.

You can look for NPS volunteer opportunities nationwide and at Camp Nelson National Monument here: www.volunteer.gov.

 

Camp Nelson staff and volunteers celebrate after removing old fencing for National Public Lands Day on October 12, 2024.

NPS/AG

Our Volunteers Make Us Who We Are

"The national park idea has been nurtured by each succeeding generation of Americans. Today, across our land, the National Park System represents America at its best. Each park contributes to a deeper understanding of the history of the United States and our way of life; of the natural processes which have given form to our land, and to the enrichment of the environment in which we live."
-George B. Hartzog, Jr., NPS Director, 1964-1972

April is National Volunteer Month, and our staff here at Camp Nelson is beyond excited to recognize our amazing team of passionate volunteers from many of our divisions– from interpretation, to transcription, to maintenance! We are very proud of our VIP program here at Camp Nelson National Monument. Camp Nelson was established as a National Park site in 2018, with our first volunteer starting in 2021—who is still here! As of April, we have 8 wonderful recurring volunteers. 3 of these volunteers have done amazing work transcribing historical documents and records, while the other 5 proudly hold down the visitor center front desk, displaying their passion for history as they recite the significance of Camp Nelson during the Civil War. Aside from our recurring volunteers, we have an amazing network of people who graciously volunteer to attend so many of our events to help with set-up, facilitation, and tear-down. These volunteers, though their names may not be listed on our weekly schedule, mean so much to Camp Nelson for being there for us time and time again.

 

NPS staff and volunteers pose for an image after National Public Lands Day in 2023.

NPS/SP

Monumental Moments

National Public Lands Day in October of 2024 was a necessity to Camp Nelson– it involved the removal of wooden fencing from the historical site of the former U.S. Army Prison.

The removal of this non-historic fencing was a huge step forward for Camp Nelson. This removal revealed historic military roads and has allowed for the future expansion of trail systems while simultaneously increasing ease of access for visitors.

Camp Nelson was established in April of 1863 and stretched over 4,000 acres by the end of the Civil War 3-years later. Over the last 162 years, the property that National Park Service now manages has seen a multitude of owners, visitors, and events. The fencing that was removed, while old, was not original to the Civil War. Camp Nelson works one project at a time towards making the property as accurate to the Civil War Era as possible, from restoring the exterior of the Oliver Perry House to reconstructing the Soldier’s Exhibit to where it stood during the war. Removing the fencing made today’s Camp Nelson more accurately reflect Camp Nelson during the Civil War while also allowing for trail expansion, increasing visitor satisfaction.

 

Volunteer-in-Park Wayne received a Service Excellent Award from #VisitLex at the Annual Lexington Hospitality Awards. The ceremony "honored front-line staff and volunteers in the tourism industry who have demonstrated exceptional service" in the Bluegrass region.

NPS

Our First Volunteer

The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.
-NPS Mission

Here at Camp Nelson, we are proud to say that our very first volunteer, Wayne Basconi, is still with us today, showing up promptly every week for a Thursday afternoon shift. While Wayne grew up and attended college in West Virginia, he made the move to Kentucky over 35 years ago to pursue a career as an in-house attorney and has been here ever since. Throughout his years here in Kentucky, Wayne has enjoyed farming cattle, along with hay, garlic, and nursery shrubs. Prior to becoming a National Park Service site, Camp Nelson was a county park, where Wayne was a regular visitor and attendee to their events. As soon as Camp Nelson became an NPS site, Wayne spoke with Superintendent Ernie Price in February of 2021, and was volunteering by April of that same year, becoming Camp Nelson National Monument’s very first volunteer. Volunteering at Camp Nelson seemed ideal to Wayne due to his strong interest in American Civil War history. While he enjoys reading and hearing about the history, he says that he prefers being physically at the site where significant history took place, making him fit right in at Camp Nelson National Monument.

"I am proud to be a volunteer at a National Park Service Site,” Wayne said. “The NPS was always an agency that I admired and was happy to have the opportunity to volunteer at one of their sites.” Wayne has stayed with us at Camp Nelson National Monument for 4 years now because he enjoys the work and loves learning the local history about Kentucky during the Civil War. Wayne also appreciates the staff at Camp Nelson. “Also… we have a great team at CANE,” he remarked, “They are very good at their jobs; they take their work seriously but are still fun to be around.” The Camp Nelson staff is grateful to have had Wayne be such a valuable part of the team for so many years now, not only being a dedicated volunteer but always joking around and putting us in a delightful mood as well.

Ava G, Camp Nelson’s Lead Interpretive Park Ranger, doubles as our Volunteer Supervisor– and for good reason! Ava started her career with the National Park Service as a volunteer when she was in college. She was a volunteer at Andersonville National Historic Site during the school year and at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park during the summer. “Every single thing I’ve done with the Park Service has somehow been connected to the volunteers”, Ava recalled, whether it be working closely with them at the desk as an intern or presenting alongside them during special programs and events. Not only did Ava participate in the manual labor of National Public Lands Day, but she also covered the logistics side of the event, along with helping volunteers get signed up, documentation of the event and photography. “The National Park Service would not be able to function without volunteers,” Ava said, “People are giving their time, their talents, and their passions without expecting a paycheck. They do everything that rangers do out of the kindness of their heart”. Ava and Wayne worked alongside 13 other volunteers and park staff to complete hard, critical work for National Public Lands Day.

Nail by nail, the volunteers deconstructed the old, lichen-covered fence to reveal access to the beautiful landscape beyond it. In just one day, they successfully removed the entire Western boundary of the park, enabling the land to reflect historic Camp Nelson and allowing for discussion of future trail construction projects. The team here at Camp Nelson National Monument is proud to thank all of our volunteers and our Volunteer Supervisor for their valuable time and selfless dedication to the park.

We wouldn’t be the park that we are without you! Thank you! #WhyWeServe