Goal: Meadow Rovers improve protection of the meadows at Paradise and Sunrise through visitor education.
Duties:
- Make safety the highest priority in the conduct of all duties.
- Actively promote understanding of and compliance with NPS regulations regarding use of the meadows (stay on trails, no flower picking, no pets on trails, don't feed wildlife, no littering, etc.) Provide visitors with positive resource education messages.
- Provide information to visitors on a wide range of topics, including trails, flowers, wildlife, climbing, etc.
- Provide additional roving interpretation as needed at viewpoints, lower elevation trails, or on the public shuttle bus.
- Provide emergency assistance as needed, using park radio to call for help if necessary.
- Mark snow-covered trails with ropes, poles, and flagging, and shovel them out as they melt in order to define routes in appropriate locations.
Qualifications:
- Good communication skills and a genuine enjoyment of people.
- Maturity, a positive attitude, and the ability to think on your feet.
- General knowledge of park resources and regulations, and the desire to continue learning and applying new knowledge.
- Ability to work independently.
- Good physical condition for walking and hiking at elevations above 5000’.
Benefits:
- Volunteer uniform shirts and caps to wear while volunteering.
- Training in visitor contacts, natural history, and emergency response. Also eligible for other park training including resource interpretation and wilderness medicine.
- Free entrance to the park while volunteering.
- Free camping while volunteering. Contact one of our Volunteer Coordinators (see below) to arrange camping.
- The satisfaction of being part of a great team of people who are contributing to the preservation of one of the most extraordinary places in North America!
Time commitment: at least 8 hours per month in July, August, and September. Schedule is flexible.
- Every year in June, a Meadow Rover Training course is offered to provide a thorough introduction to this program. Contact the Volunteer Program Manager for details.
- Throughout the summer season, the Volunteer Coordinators at Sunrise and Paradise can arrange individual orientations, or connect new Meadow Rovers with experienced ones for mentoring.
- Our 2009 Meadow Rover Handbook provides lots of helpful background information to use on the trail.
- Download a copy of our Wildlife Feeding Incident Chart to document observed incidents of visitors feeding or habituating wildlife. This will help us to quantify and decide how best to address the problem!
- To learn more, download PowerPoint presentations for an Introduction to Meadow Roving (7 Mb), Subalpine Ecology and Restoration (36 Mb), Plant Ecology (8 Mb), Wildlife Ecology, Habituated Wildlife (1 Mb), and Mount Rainier Geology (21 Mb).
- Download a 17-minute video with helpful tips for informal interpretation along the trail, as demonstrated by volunteer Cleve Pinnix at the Grove of the Patriarchs (64 Mb).
- Resources on Global Climate Change, including simple steps park visitors can take to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as printable fliers and handouts, can be found on the NPS Climate Friendly Parks website.
- Our Volunteer Blog provides general information about volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park.
- Our volunteer discussion group at Yahoo.com provides volunteers with a way to share ideas with each other, and to solicit carpooling to the Mountain.
- Our photo page has many pictures of Meadow Rover volunteers in action.
- Park radios, backpacks, guide books, "Don't be a Meadow Stomper" pins, brochures in multiple languages, and first aid kits are all available for registered volunteers to borrow from the Paradise and Sunrise visitor centers.
- Park rangers at the visitor centers have access to the latest information about trail conditions, weather forecasts, and current events.
How to get involved: Like all volunteer projects at Mount Rainier National Park, you must be a registered volunteer and receive appropriate training before participating as an official Meadow Rover. To get involved, submit an online application, or contact one of the park's volunteer coordinators (see below). A coordinator will arrange to provide you with training, sign you up with the appropriate paperwork, and provide you with a volunteer uniform.
Supervisors:
- At Paradise and Longmire: Jim Hinote (360-569-2211 ext. 2328 or 360-569-6035), Paradise Interpretive Lead (summer only); or Curt Jacquot (360-569-2211 ext. 3312), West District Interpreter.
- At Sunrise: Julia Pinnix (360-569-6048), Sunrise Interpretive Lead (summer only).
- At Ohanapecosh: Tom Prang (360-569-6046), Ohanapecosh Interpretive Lead (summer only).
- The park's Volunteer Program Manager is Kevin Bacher (360-569-2211 ext. 3385).
Dan States
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An excellent article and public service!
Dan States
http://statesofminds
nwclimber14
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Great Resource