Volunteer

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NPS

You Can Make a Difference.

National parks prove to be inspirational to those who visit them. They inspire visitors to explore other parks, to learn about local and national history, to tell their friends, and to get involved themselves. Public support is critical to the management of National Park Service lands, and we thank you for your support both past, present, and in the future.

Become a VIP (Volunteers-In-Parks)!

Valles Caldera offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, welcoming people from all over. Positions can range from working in the visitor contact station to assisting staff in various maintenance, clerical, trail rehabilitation, cultural resources, or natural resource projects.

Current open volunteer positions are listed below. These links will take you to Volunteer.gov, where you can learn more about each opportunity.

• Once you have completed the online application process from the above website, your completed application will be reviewed by the volunteer coordinator.
• A supervisor will contact you directly with more details.

 

Liz Aicher stands at the base of a ponderosa pine tree.

Courtesy of Liz Aicher

Volunteer Spotlight: Liz Aicher

Liz has been the leader of the "Big Tree Project" volunteer crew at Valles Caldera National Preserve since 2014. During hiking season, Liz and fellow volunteers meet several times per month to search for Valles Caldera’s largest trees. Here are Liz's answers to a couple of questions about her volunteer experience at Valles Caldera.

Describe a day in the life of a Big Tree Project volunteer.
The goal of the big tree hunt is to find the largest tree of each species found on the Preserve. By "big" I refer to the girth of the tree. There are lots of tall, skinny trees out there! We measure height, crown and bole of each tree, but it’s the bole that makes a tree BIG.

Our outings are not just a walk in the park. We sometimes are lucky enough to be able to follow an old logging road, or an elk trail, but much of the time we are hiking up and down steep slopes, through bunch grasses, climbing over deadfall and slipping on rocks. We cover anywhere from 3 to 9 miles per outing, and we are generally out for 5 to 7 hours.

What do you consider one of your greatest accomplishments as a volunteer at Valles Caldera?
At the beginning of the Big Tree Project in 2012, we had a list of 14 tree species that were known to exist at Valles Caldera National Preserve, as reported by Ronald L. Hartman from the University of Wyoming and Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Over the years, I've added 3 more species to that list which previously were believed to be only shrubs. Overachievers are found everywhere!

 

Sign Up To Receive E-mails

You can sign up to receive emails alerting you to when new volunteer opportunities become available. (You can unsubscribe at any time via the link found at the bottom of every e-mail.)

 

Special Considerations

• At this time, Valles Caldera does not have housing or RV/trailer pads available.
• Primitive camping may be available for longer volunteer projects, but amenities, such as electricity and water, are not available. (See volunteer opportunity description for those offering camping.)
• Some opportunities may require a background check. (See volunteer opportunity description for those requiring a backgroung check.)
• Some opportunities will require a certified copy of your driver's license in order to operate a government vehicle.

 

Current Volunteer Opportunities