Volunteer
Job Description
FROM: https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a093d0000013YZD
ADDRESS:
222 University Avenue
Fairbanks, Alaska, 99709
DATES: 2024-05-15
DEPT: Bureau of Land Management
JOB DESCRIPTOIN:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Yukon Field Office manages a swath of land alongside the Dalton Highway (AK-12), north of Fairbanks, Alaska. As per the Dalton Highway Visitor Guide, “The Dalton Highway is a rough, industrial road that begins 84 miles north of Fairbanks and ends 414 miles further nor that Deadhorse, an industrial camp at Prudhoe Bay. It provides a rare opportunity to traverse a remote, unpopulated part of Alaska.”
The BLM offers a picnic area, short trail, interpretive panels, outhouses, and a visitor contact station at milepost 56, where the Dalton Highway crosses the mighty Yukon River. We’re looking for a volunteer to help maintain the facilities, assist with sales of items in a small bookstore operated by our non-profit partner Alaska Geographic, and, especially, provide information and interpretive opportunities to visitors traveling the Dalton Highway. This volunteer will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a wildly beautiful part of the country and meet people from all over the world who seek adventure in the Far North.
The Yukon River Crossing is not a town — facilities include a boat ramp, a small hotel and restaurant, a gas station, and tire repair service. There is no cell phone coverage. Four miles up the road, the BLM’s undeveloped Five Mile Campground has several tent/RV sites, outhouses, water at an artesian well, and an RV dump station. The volunteer would be welcome to stay at the campground in a designated camp host RV site, or in a small cabin at a BLM Administration Site two miles farther north. Yukon Crossing is about 140miles north of Fairbanks and 120 miles south of Coldfoot Camp, where the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center is located.
The work schedule is five days on and two days off, approximately 200 hours a month. The host receives a non-taxable reimbursement of $65 for each day worked. The BLM will provide payment for travel one-way from the volunteer’s current location to their duty site, not to exceed $1500. Given the remote nature of the location, the BLM will also provide:
- a satellite phone for daily check-ins and for use in the case of an emergency
- gas for generators
- propane for heating and cooking
- and either a vehicle, transportation, or reimbursement for occasional travel to Fairbanks for groceries and supplies (vehicle and transportation depending on availability).
Duties include:
- Provide information on Dalton Highway destinations such as the Arctic Circle, Coldfoot, Wiseman, Atigun Pass, and Deadhorse.
- Provide information on road conditions and hazards, camping, fishing, and other recreational opportunities, as well as regulations regarding these uses.
- Answer basic questions about the natural resources, history and culture of the region.
- Conduct sales from a selection of books and other items, balancing daily receipts, and assisting with inventory for the Alaska Geographic Association, BLM non-profit partner.
- Conduct routine cleaning and maintenance of contact station and government facilities in the area. These include restocking toilet paper, washing out vault toilets, and emptying trash receptacles.
- Assist with special projects like brush and sapling removal, mowing and weed whacking, etc., depending on interests and skills
- Gather visitor use data
- Maintain a positive and friendly BLM presence