Job Description
CAMPGROUND: Everglades National Park – Loop Road
DEPT: National Park Service
AVAILABILITY: 11/15/2020–4/2/2021
RV INFORMATION: Type: Trailer/RV PadsDescription: An RV site with full hook-ups is available for volunteers. A minimum of 32 hours per person per week is required for free housing. Free laundry facilities are available in the housing area. Loop Road volunteers live onsite and are available after hours to assist with teacher requests.
DESCRIPTION
Volunteer Activities• Campground Host • Conservation Education • Trail/Campground Maintenance • Tour Guide/Interpretation • Visitor Information DescriptionVolunteers work at the Loop Road Environmental Education Center. This center offerscurriculum-based programs for 5th -12th grade students. Volunteers are required to assist rangers, teachers, and students to have everything they need for a top-notch residential learning experience. Volunteers carry out projects and duties that have a direct impact on thestudents’ hands-on experience in the park. This is a fun, busy and very energetic experience. School groups from the surrounding communities visit Everglades National Park for a threeday/two night camping experience. Students hike, slog and take part in a variety of programs, all the while learning about Everglades ecosystems and the importance of protecting and preserving them. The first two weeks of work will involve strenuous preparation of the camp facilities, often insomewhat isolated and humid conditions. Once camps have begun, the work will be lessphysically strenuous (and less humid), but volunteers will have to work cooperatively with a variety of rangers / teachers / school groups and personalities. Volunteers’ projects and duties include assisting groups upon their arrival and departure to camp, performing ongoing trail maintenance, facility maintenance on center buildings and tentstructures, maintaining activity kits, lawn mowing and string trimming, pressure-washing of tent platforms, basic tent repair, pest mitigation, water quality monitoring and organization of camp supplies. Other duties include assisting with camp set-up and take down at the beginning and end of the season, and daily transporting trash and recyclables. Rangers and teachers lead all the programs and schedules, and volunteers co-lead and support as needed. One week of interpretive park training will be provided, and on-site training will occur. Use of a private vehicle will be required to daily drive the 4 miles from the housing area to the Hidden Lake site and back. Snakes, heat, humidity, bugs, and cold temperatures can be experienced. At Loop Road, volunteers assist in the field with a wet walk activity and in the office with answering phones and creating props. Loop Road volunteers also assist in maintaining the grounds, which can include trimming plants, mowing and other traditional yardwork. Loop Road volunteers live onsite and are available after hours to assist with teacher requests. Requirements: Be able to sustain physical work outdoors in heat, cold and a humid climate. Winter temperatures can briefly drop to almost freezing. Must pass a swim-test, and a federal background check. Willingness to team work with students, rangers and teachers is essential. Willingness to be supervised is important. Physical activity level is moderately strenuous for the whole season. Volunteers should be prepared to frequently lift heavy objects, trim around poisonous plants, stand for periods of time, repair tents, and work in the direct sun. Volunteers must have their own RV. During initial training, volunteers must be able to be more than 6+ hours away from their RV, or their pets. Park Description: Everglades National Park encompasses 1.5 million acres of sawgrass prairie, mangrove coastline, tropical hardwood forests, slash pine forests and cypress swamps that provide great camping, canoeing and fishing opportunities. Hundreds of islands in Florida Bay and the Gulf Coast provide feeding and nesting habitat for thousands of wading birds. Volunteers will gain intimate knowledge of a unique subtropical ecosystem and have an opportunity to explore and learn about the Everglades during a two-week training plus additional training throughout the season. Come join us for a rewarding experience! HOUSING & AMENITIESType: Trailer/RV PadsDescription: An RV site with full hook-ups is available for volunteers. A minimum of 32 hours per person per week is required for free housing. Free laundry facilities are available in the housing area. Loop Road volunteers live onsite and are available after hours to assist with teacher requests.