Info Desk / Education Services

Volunteers are a crucial part of the team at the David R. Obey Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. While volunteers are directly supervised by the National Park Service, the Visitor Center is a busy, multi-agency center located on the outskirts of Ashland, Wisconsin. Volunteers assist with staffing the front desk, providing visitors with information about the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the local area and National Forest, northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Providing programs for various age groups in the Center or outside is also an option for volunteers who are interested.

Orientation and training about the Visitor Center and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will be provided. We’re looking for volunteers who are able to work 25-32 hours a week. We have 2 slots available, one during the primary summer season from the beginning of June through Labor Day weekend. The second would be from mid/late-summer to mid-October, covering our shoulder season and fall colors. Dates may be negotiable, but we do require a minimum of a 6 week commitment. Preference will be given to volunteers who can stay the whole season. An RV pad and utilities are provided a short walk (~150 yards) from the center. Most cell phone carriers have service around the Center, and Wi-Fi is available in the visitor center.

The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center is a 36,000 sq. ft., three-story building on 180 acres. We have a very large exhibit hall, 100-seat theatre, observation tower five stories up, a state reading archives, and many other things. Outside we have 2 trails, including a ¾ mile accessible boardwalk loop that winds through black ash swamp, sedge meadow, and mature cedar & tamarack swamp, as well as a seed garden, agroforest and solar panels. Feel free to check out www.nglvc.org to learn more.

***Volunteer Vaccine Attestation Requirement*** Volunteers whose service requires their regular presence in NPS buildings or government vehicles must complete a Certification of Vaccination form. If they have NOT attested to being fully vaccinated, they must also possess and present a negative COVID-19 test result from within the 3 days immediately prior to the date of entry into the building. They must also maintain completed form (and test result, if necessary) on their person for the duration of their volunteer term and present it to the volunteer supervisor, as needed. They must also comply with all public health protocols in place at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.