News Release

Denali to Host "Need for Seed" Volunteer Event

Date: August 1, 2017
Contact: Kathleen Kelly, 907-683-9504

Denali National Park and Preserve is hosting a “Need for Seed” volunteer event at 9 a.m. on August 5 to collect and dry seeds for future re-vegetation projects and teach visitors about native plants in the park.

Everyone is welcome to join Wendy Mahovlic, Denali’s “Dandelion Queen,” and park staff to learn how native plants and seeds preserve the park’s ecosystem. This event also offers an opportunity for volunteers to participate in Denali’s 100-Hour Volunteer Challenge, one of many celebrations to commemorate Denali National Park and Preserve’s 100th Birthday this year.

During Saturday’s event, park staff will set up several work areas so volunteers can choose where they would like to work around the Denali Visitor Center area. Volunteers should expect to walk anywhere from a few hundred feet to up one or two miles over mostly flat terrain collecting native seeds. No special skills or tools are required; volunteers will receive instructions how to identify the plants from which they will collect seeds. Volunteers who do not mind getting their hands dirty and who want to help maintain a part of this special place are encouraged to participate in Need for Seed.

Park staff will meet participants at 9 a.m. in the Denali Visitor Center upper parking lot. Volunteers should come prepared for a moderate work day and bring a daypack with water, lunch, snacks, clothing layers and rain gear. The NPS will provide all supplies and safety equipment. Volunteers should be back at the parking lot by 2 p.m. Each volunteer will receive a thank-you gift, including a bus voucher for a future bus ride into the park that will also cover the park entrance fee.

Campsites are available to those who need them, but arrangements must be made in advance. To reserve a dorm room or campsite, contact the Denali National Park Volunteer Office at 907-683-9504.

Centennial Volunteer Challenge

Denali invites its volunteers to participate in the Centennial Volunteer Challenge during the park's 100th birthday celebrations. To support the belief that when people engage with their communities and volunteer, everyone benefits, and Denali National Park and Preserve is part of the Alaska community.

“Whether a volunteer donates his time to his local school or a volunteer lends a hand in her national park, both places are enriched,” according to Kathleen Kelly, volunteer program manager.

Anyone who reaches 100 hours of volunteering in 2017 will receive a thank-you gift from the Denali National Park Volunteer Program and a letter of recognition from Superintendent Don Striker.

To participate, volunteers must:

• Volunteer at least 10 of their 100 hours with Denali National Park and Preserve;
• Volunteer their community hours with non-profit, secular organizations (volunteer fire department, public school, community clean-up days, etc.) or a grassroots project, subject to approval by the Denali National Park Volunteer Program staff using federal guidelines and policies; and
• Sign a National Park Service Volunteer Agreement and record their hours on the time sheet provided by the Denali National Park Volunteer Office.