Job Description
CAMPGROUND: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
DEPT: National Park Service
AVAILABILITY: 4/1/2020–6/30/2020
RV INFORMATION: Trailer/RV PadsDescription: Campground Hosts have a reserved RV site at the campground with full hookups.
DESCRIPTION
Volunteer Activities• Campground Host • Other • Trail/Campground Maintenance • Visitor Information • Back Country/Wilderness • General Assistance • Weed/Invasive Species Control Photo Courtesy of NPS DescriptionCome for a stay as a Campground Host for Guadalupe Mountains National Park and experience the rugged spirit and remote wilderness of the American West! Please note available dates when applying – dates are for resident volunteer applicants for whom housing/RV space is provided. Dog Canyon Campground is located in a secluded, forested canyon on the north side of the park at the Texas-New Mexico state line and at 6,200+ foot elevation. Dog Canyon is remote – two hours by car from park headquarters at Pine Springs, TX (12 miles on foot), ninety minutes from Carlsbad, NM, and two hours from Dell City, TX via an unimproved road. The community of Queen, NM is 18 miles away but has no reliable services. There is a volunteer fire department and a non-denominational church service on Sundays. The closest medical services are in Carlsbad, NM. Guadalupe Mountains National Park has an ambulance, but it responds from 2 hours away. “911” is available – help comes from Eddy County, New Mexico, Queen Volunteer Fire Department or the United States Forest Service through special agreements. Major air travel: El Paso, Texas and Midland-Odessa, Texas. Limited air travel: Carlsbad, Hobbs, Roswell. The facilities at Dog Canyon include a ranger contact station, a gym and laundry room, two-two bedroom two bath dormitory housing units, a ranger residence, a nine tent site campground with flush toilets, four RV spaces with no hookups, two picnic areas, corrals, a maintenance and emergency services building, and two campground host sites with hookups for water, electricity, sewer, and Wi-Fi internet. Personal telephone service is not available however; hosts are issued a portable telephone that can be used in emergencies. Area attractions: Lincoln National Forest (Sitting Bull Falls recreation area, Five Points), Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Living Desert State Park, Carlsbad Municipal Park and Pecos River, are within a ninety-minute drive. DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: Be a first person informal contact for visitors and campers to Guadalupe Mountains National Park; may be asked to provide roving and formal/informal interpretation to communicate park, agency mission. Stay in the campground and serve as a resource for visitors and campers; visit with campers and conduct inspections throughout the campground area; issue backcountry permits. Assist with registering camp and trail usage plus provide information on campground rules/guidelines to help provide a safe, clean environment for all visitors (note: fees are not collected by volunteers directly from campers or hikers – this is a self-service fee area). Provide posted information on a daily basis highlighting weather, events at the park, and programs available for the day; answer questions about Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the campground, local amenities and services, trails, area recreational opportunities and park regulations Identify issues that need to be addressed; contact park officials to answer unique/difficult questions and to address issues. Serve as an important link between park law enforcement officials and the campground. Hosts only report incidents and situations that need to be addressed. Hosts do not take actions to enforce laws, regulations and policies, such as detaining or arresting suspects and endangering themselves or visitors. Monitor safety at the campground and reporting hazards to appropriate park officials. Assist in maintaining the beauty of the national park and visitor safety by ensuring that visitors know and follow National Park Service rules during their visit; may help with minor maintenance and clean up. Conduct morning and afternoon surveys of the campground to count the number of vacant campsites and report this information to the national park visitor center twice daily. Help with other duties that may arise that benefit the national park or visitors. Maintenance responsibilities may include: daily water testing of chlorine residual, daily inspection of fuel tanks, cleaning comfort station and family restroom, cleaning contact station, operate mowing equipment as needed and trained, light carpentry and plumbing repairs, emptying of trash cans and recycling receptacles, transporting garbage to Queen, NM community dumpster, litter pickup, invasive plant removal. Volunteer may operate government vehicles with a certified and valid state driver’s license and may operate John Deere Gator off highway vehicle as trained and certified by the Park Ranger. Resource Management responsibilities may include: 1. invasive plant mapping, identification and control. Mapping will consist of foot surveys of the front and back country areas looking for infestations of invasive and noxious plant species. GUMO plant species of concern are: Malta Star-thistle, Flannel Mullein, Common Horehound, African Rue, Lehman’s Love-grass and others. 2. Mapping and identification of threatened and endangered species such as cactus and/or birds. Mapping requires some technical knowledge of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and mapping software such as Google Earth. Bird surveys may include nighttime monitoring at listening stations for night calling birds and maintaining the Dog Canyon Hummingbird observation station. Technical data will be recorded and reported to proper authorities. 3. Monitoring of springs and cultural sites such as abandoned copper mines, rock art panels and other archeological sites. 4. Other Research projects as assigned. May be called upon to assist with emergencies such as SAR (search-and-rescue) or evacuations due to flooding or wildland fire; operate two-way radio equipment; report suspicious behavior and/or criminal incidents KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS DESIRED: • Be friendly, polite, respectful, and enjoy working with people. • Be able to work independently and as a member of team. • Be able to communicate effectively with new people and other team members. • Be reliable, punctual, and represent the National Park Service in a professional manner • Be adaptable to new situations and changing circumstances. REQUIREMENTS: • Must be willing to learn about operations and general information on Guadalupe Mountains National Park in order to provide accurate information to visitors. • Must have an RV and be willing to make a minimum 8 week commitment. • Camp host volunteer(s) are scheduled to work a full time schedule, generally 32- 40 hours per week. Camp host volunteer(s) will regularly be the only personnel on duty when the Ranger is on lieu days or other times when duties require his/her absence. Volunteer(s) will have regular days off. Compensation for certain expenses may be approved. • Wear volunteer shirt and name badge; sign a volunteer agreement. • Maintain accurate volunteer service sheet on daily activities/hours worked and have supervisor sign off at correct intervals. BENEFITS/TRAINING: • Opportunity to work alongside experienced National Park Service staff in most divisions of the national park. • On site orientation to park and National Park Services rules and guidelines. • Can develop and present own interpretive programs with assistance from knowledgeable staff members. • Online interpretive training may be provided through Eppley Institute in order to strengthen Volunteer(s) knowledge of interpretive techniques and themes. • Other opportunities as they arise that benefit volunteers. PERSONNEL: The Dog Canyon Area Park Ranger lives on site and is the only personnel permanently assigned. The Park Ranger supervises the volunteer(s) and other personnel. Additional work crews such as the mule packing team, fire crews, etc. regularly stage out of Dog Canyon to perform backcountry tasks. ABOUT GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK: Guadalupe Mountains National Park was authorized by an act of Congress to preserve “an area possessing outstanding geological values together with scenic and other natural values of great significance.” The park was formally established in 1972 with an area of 76,293 acres; in 1978, 46,850 acres of the park’s high country were designated as wilderness by Congress. Today, Guadalupe Mountains National Park includes 86,416 acres in west Texas, just south of the New Mexico state line and north of U.S. Highway 62/180. The Guadalupe Mountains rise more than 3,000 feet above the arid Chihuahuan Desert that surrounds them. El Capitan, the park’s most striking feature, is a 1,000 foot high limestone cliff. Nearby Guadalupe Peak, 8,751 feet above sea level, is the highest point in Texas. The national park is open year round; the headquarters and main visitor center at Pine Springs, located on Highway 62/180 about 55 miles southwest of Carlsbad, NM and 110 miles east of El Paso, TX. The visitor center is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain (Standard or Daylight) Time; park information, backcountry permits, maps and potable water can be obtained at the visitor center. The mailing address is 400 Pine Canyon Drive, Salt Flat, TX 79847 and the phone is (915) 828-3251. Guadalupe Mountains National Park is located in a very sparsely populated area with limited accommodations and facilities. Gas for vehicles is available at occasional service stations on U.S. Highway 62/180 – 35 miles west at the Dell City. TX junction and 34 miles northeast at White’s City, NM. White’s City has a small grocery store, a laundromat, a private campground and motel. Complete accommodations and facilities are available in Carlsbad, NM and in Van Horn, TX, 60 miles south of the national park. HOUSING & AMENITIESType: Trailer/RV PadsDescription: Campground Hosts have a reserved RV site at the campground with full hookups.