RV Volunteers

Volunteers at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site have the opportunity to interpret the 1840s (and beyond!) for the public.

NPS Photo / Jennifer Ladd

Attention RVers! Fort Vancouver National Historic Site regularly seeks volunteers to help staff the park’s Visitor Center, Pearson Air Museum, and reconstructed Fort Vancouver. As an RV volunteer, you will have an opportunity to professionally represent the National Park Service by providing high quality customer service, information, and interpretation to visitors.

Visitor Center/Pearson Air Museum

Help greet visitors and connect them to the history of aviation at Pearson Air Museum! At the Visitor Center, volunteers will help orient members of the public and provide information about the park's offerings. At Pearson Air Museum, volunteers will be able to introduce visitors to the incredible history of Pearson Field. From its roots as a civilian airfield, to its history as the site of a World War I Spruce Mill and its transformation into an important Army Air Corps field, Pearson Air Museum helps provide a detailed look into the golden age of aviation. Volunteers at either of these locations will inform visitors about park facilities and activities, and will distribute mission-related materials such as Junior Ranger activity booklets. They will also assist with opening and closing the facilities, and will operate radios and basic audiovisual equipment.

Reconstructed Fort Vancouver

Fort Vancouver served as the core of the London-based Hudson's Bay Company's western operations, controlling the fur business from Russian Alaska to Mexican California, and from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Fort Vancouver was the principal colonial settlement in the Pacific Northwest, and a major center of industry, trade, and law. In 1866, the fort burned to the ground. Reconstruction began in the 1960s, and the fort stockade and several buildings are now available to be explored by modern visitors. Volunteers in this position will inform visitors about park facilities and activities, and will present both formal and informal interpretive and living history programs, such as guided tours, self-guided open houses, and historic weapons demonstrations. They will also distribute mission-related materials, such as Junior Ranger activity booklets/badges, and will operate radios.

Additional positions

There may be opportunities to perform duties outside of these descriptions, such as roving interpretation. Wearing the National Park Service volunteer uniform and/or period costume is required. Volunteers must be willing to serve the park for at least three months, and for use of the RV trailer pad, each volunteer is required to work a minimum of 32 hours per week. The park is open Tuesday through Saturday, and duty hours will be 9 am to 5 pm during the summer and 9 am to 4 pm in the winter.

Current RV openings will be listed on Volunteer.gov. If you would like more information about volunteer opportunities at Fort Vancouver, please contact the park's Volunteer Program Coordinator, Jennifer Ladd, by email.