Job Description
FROM: https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a093d000000jaOEAAY/mount-rainier-night-skies-astronomy-assistant-for-star-parties-2023
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ADDRESS: Mount Rainier National Park; 55210 238th Avenue East; Ashford, Washington 98304
DEPT: National Park Service
DATES: 6/25/2023 – 9/4/2023
DESCRIPTION:
Interpretive Volunteer Position(s): Mount Rainier National Park – Full Time with campground hook-up site and limited expenses reimbursement included.
This is a full-time (32-hours per week) volunteer opportunity. Housing is included in the form of an RV/trailer site with hook-ups and expense reimbursement.
Description: Full time (32-hours per week) interpretive volunteer (or couple) needed to assist with Night Skies interpretation services on the west side of Mount Rainier National Park (Longmire and Paradise). The successful applicant(s) will have knowledge of (or aptitude to learn) how to help the public view night skies objects using park provided equipment. Position works a minimum of 32 hours per week (combined 32 hours if a couple) for 10 weeks. Dates are June 27 through September 3. Uniform and training provided.
We are a fun group to work with! Come and enjoy/share this crown jewel of the NPS with visitors this summer!
Successful completion of a federal investigative background check is required.
NOTE: A self-contained RV/Travel trailer or local residence is required for this position.
Housing and reimbursement: Housing trailer pad (paid by program) for up to 40′ RV/trailer available). Up to $20 per day pre-approved expenses reimbursed (receipts required).
Dates and time requirement: Position dates are 10 weeks: June 25-September 4.
Volunteer(s) will primarily work between 4:30 PM and 1 AM on the west side of the park with our Night Skies team presenting Night Sky viewing programs with the public. Informal roving interpretation or assisting at busy information desk for up to 20 % of duties is also planned. Mentorship on providing night skies interpretation is provided by our experienced team of volunteers and staff. Night Skies programs are presented primarily at the Henry M Jackson Visitor Center plaza in the Paradise area of the park. CDC Covid safety guidelines will be followed.
- Conservation Education
- Public Speaking
- Visitor Information
- Working with People
Mount Rainier is a 14,410′ active volcano ringed by glaciers, subalpine meadows, old growth forests, and trails. Between 1.5 and 2 million people visit every year, mostly but not exclusively during the summer. Winter’s snowpack can be 16 feet deep or more, and does not completely melt until July in most years. It begins to accumulate again in October, making for a very short and intense growing season dominated by riotous displays of wildflowers in the park’s high elevation meadows. The short season also makes the meadows fragile; even a few people walking off the trail in the same place can cause some flower species to disappear. Commonly seen animals include marmots, ground squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and deer; less commonly spotted are pika, fox, weasels, bear, elk, and mountain goats. Mountain lions are present but rarely seen. Two of the park’s primary visitors are in this subalpine zone: Paradise, on the south side of the Mountain at 5400′ elevation, and Sunrise, on the northeast side at 6400′. The road to Paradise is kept plowed year-round, but Sunrise typically does not open until the end of June.
Volunteers are offered free camping while they volunteer (either the night before and/or the night after a work day). The Longmire Stewardship Campground is in the southwest corner of the park, below Paradise, and the White River Campground is in the northeast corner, below Sunrise.
- Yes