Volunteer
Job Description
FROM: https://www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a093d000000VAhgAAG/onsite-interpretive-services-volunteer
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ADDRESS: Golden Spike National Historical Park; 6200 North 22300 West; Promontory Summit, Utah 84307
DEPT: National Park Service
DATES:
DESCRIPTION:
Join the staff at Golden Spike National Historical Park in connecting visitors to one of the United States’ most significant events.
This volunteer opportunity is at Golden Spike National Historical Park, commemorating one of the most transformative events in the nation’s history, the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad. The park is looking for motivated and enthusiastic individuals or couples to share their passion for history, education, and customer service with visitors from around the world.
The Interpretive Services Volunteer will be an integral member of the Interpretation and Education team by joining us in offering a memorable and enjoyable visitor experience. In this position, the volunteer will assist in providing interpretive programs to the public and offering excellent customer service to park visitors. A highlight of the visitor experience is the park’s fully functioning Victorian era steam locomotives and the daily ranger led locomotive demonstrations which occur from early May through mid-October. A visitor favorite, Golden Spike also offers reenactments of the historic Last Spike Ceremony on Saturdays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
At nearly 5000 feet elevation, Golden Spike is located within the Promontory Mountains which forms a mountain peninsula that juts out into the Great Salt Lake. The arid landscape features mostly grassland covered mountains punctuated with a sagebrush and juniper habitat. Summers are dry and warm, with daytime highs in the mid-90’s and lows in the upper 50’s at night. While the Park is situated in a remote setting, it is located 28 miles west of Brigham City (pop 20,000), and about 50 miles from the college towns of Logan (pop 52,000) and Ogden (pop 88,000).
This position is targeted for mid-May through mid-October and a 12-week minimum commitment is requested. The position start and end dates are negotiable with the volunteer supervisor. RV pads are available with 30 or 50 amp service and full hook ups. Laundry and shower facilities are available. 32 hours per week will be required to occupy an RV pad.
Join us in offering our visitors a meaningful and enjoyable experience this summer at Promontory Summit!
The Interpretive Services Volunteer will be an integral member of the park’s Interpretation and Education team by assisting in offering excellent customer service and interpretive opportunities for park visitors. Volunteer will:
· Assist with daily locomotive demonstrations/ranger programs as trackside safety assistant
· Participate in weekly living history reenactments that are held twice each Saturday from Memorial Day through Labor Day (Volunteers dress in period costume and play a role in history by reading from an established script reenacting the “Last Spike Ceremony”)
· Explain the Junior Ranger program and provide workbooks
· Prepare for and participate in park events and assist with interpretive demonstrations
· Track public use and interpretative program attendance statistics
· When on park property, answer visitor questions about the park and nearby recreation opportunities in a receptive, friendly, and professional manner
· Distribute maps, brochures, and other printed materials as requested
· Utilize various tools to perform tasks as needed (radios, binoculars, counters, etc.)
· Be aware of and report safety concerns and accidents/incidents to the volunteer supervisor, to ensure a safe visitor experience
Volunteers may also be asked to:
· Staff an attended station such as the Engine House or the Last Spike Site
· Provide a brief locomotive safety talk
· Check in existing recreation pass holders and greet and orient visitors to the park
· Rove Park grounds and provide informal information, orientation, and/or interpretation to visitors
· Assist staff with assigned projects, such as permit filing and library work
· Keep common areas of the visitor center, exhibits, and outdoor wayside signs clean
· Assisting with visitor center opening and closing procedures
· Monitor and keep informational brochures stocked and available to the public
· Operate audio-visual equipment to play park videos in the visitor center auditoriums
· Answer and or/use the telephone to provide information about the park
· Receive and report lost and found items following park protocol
Golden Spike National Historical Park is looking for volunteer with the following qualifications:
- Be friendly, outgoing, and patient
- Have a welcoming and professional demeanor
- Willingness to dress in living history and read from a short script, utilizing a microphone
- Enjoys working with the public and has excellent customer service skills
- Confident public speaking skills
- Comfortable working with small and large groups
- Maintain positive and professional relationships among the staff and public
- Works well both as a team and independently
- Has an interest in history, education, or the environment
Beginning in January 2022, all volunteers accessing NPS buildings must:
- Complete and present a Certification of Vaccination form (OMB Control No. 3206-0277). 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; and
- Maintain completed form (and test result, if necessary) on their person for the duration of their visit and present it to the volunteer manager or supervisor, as needed; and
- Comply with all public health protocols in place at the park or office.
- General Assistance
- Public Speaking
- Visitor Information
- Working with People
Physical Demands:
The work may require continuous standing and walking in outdoor and indoor settings. Daytime highs in the mid-90’s and lows in the upper 50’s at night.
Work Environment:
The position requires working both indoors, in a climate-controlled office setting, and outdoors, resulting in exposure to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, rain, snow, and wind. In the event of severe weather, parks staff will postpone scheduled events or relocate them indoors whenever possible. The incumbent will also be subject to various levels of noise, vibration, smoke, and fumes. Volunteers should anticipate these conditions and prepare accordingly.
- General housekeeping
- Slip, trip, and fall hazards
- Yes