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Overview: Interpretive volunteers provide quality educational programs to park visitors, including families and school groups. Interpretive programs are mostly done on the weekend, except for school field trips that are held during the week. There will also be opportunities to assist with outdoor educational events such as archery, fishing, and geocaching. On-site interpretive training will be provided. Volunteers start out assisting a Park Interpreter or Master Naturalist with programs and can work their way up to designing and leading their own programs if they chose.Requirements: A criminal background check is required (at no cost to you). You must be able to walk/hike trail for 1-2 hours at a time. Benefits: This is a great opportunity for those seeking employment with Texas Parks and Wildlife, want to improve their public speaking skills, or wish to gain informal education experience. Contact the park at 325-572-3204 and ask for Candyce Johnson if you have any questions or if you would like assistance applying.Minimum age: 18
Program: Abilene State Park
Contact Person: Candyce Johnson
Contact Phone: (325) 572-3204
Click here for details or to sign up
Overview: Maintenance volunteers assist Park Rangers with facilities and grounds maintenance by mowing grass, performing trail maintenance, and assisting with other park projects as needed. Due to a limited number of vehicles being available, you may be required to drive your own to complete duties.Requirements: A criminal background check is required (at no cost to you). You must be able to lift at least 40 pounds and show proficiency in operating various equipment, including weed eaters, zero-turn mowers, and leaf blowers. Position also requires standing for long periods of time, carrying, and walking.Benefits: This is a great opportunity for those seeking employment with Texas Parks and Wildlife to gain experience. It''s also great for those who like to work with their hands and want to spend more time outside. Minimum age: 18
This is on going survey of butterflys found at ABK.
Program: Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area
Contact Person: Howell Pugh
Contact Phone: (830) 328-2528
Experienced birder wanting to keep your skills sharp? New to birding and would like to gain experience while hiking with very experienced birders?Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area (ABK) has a great opportunity for all skill levels of birding. Come survey birds with us every first Tuesday of the month. You will be hiking with very experienced birders who happy to teach all levels of birding to those that are interested.Details:· Must be a registered and approved volunteer for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.· Must wear the appropriate shoes for hiking in moderately difficult terrain (no open toed shoes or sandals).· Must bring water and snacks are recommended.· Binoculars are strongly recommended for identifying bird species but are not required.· Must bring a good attitude and willingness to work in a group of differing bird skills.· January June, survey begins at 8:00 am.· July and August, the survey will start at 7:30 am.· September December, the surveys will begin at 8:00 am.Sign up quick for your spot to help survey. There is a limited amount of available spots each month.
Join the exciting Volunteer Geology Program at Albert & Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area (ABK)! This unique opportunity lets you explore the wonders of Texas geology while contributing to the conservation of this beautiful state natural area. Dive into the fascinating geological makeup of the area, featuring intriguing formations, hidden springs, and learn why ABK is a great example of how the Hill Country was formed over time.Embrace the adventure of exploring Texas's diverse geology at the ABK, where every rock tells a story. Join now and be a part of preserving and understanding this extraordinary piece of the Texas Hill Country!As a volunteer, it''s possible that you will get hands-on experience with geological surveys and conservation efforts, helping to preserve the state natural area''s intrinsic beauty and ecological significance. Whether you're a seasoned geologist, a student of earth sciences, or simply someone with a passion for nature and learning, this program is an ideal way to make a difference and gain valuable knowledge.Please RSVP to howell.pugh@tpwd.texas.gov for which Friday you intend to come to our Geology Walks. There is limited space available, it is recommended you RSVP as soon as you are able to do so.Walk is 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
NOTE: ABKSNA does not have Park Host opportunities at this time.Position: Volunteer Site AssistantsResponsibilities: Various plant and animal surveys, fence repair, brush clearing, site cleanup, program development, outreach events, grounds maintenance, preparations for future public opening of site.Requirements: Attend required orientation training and safety training, and pass criminal background check.Desired Qualifications: Commitment to conserving and managing natural/cultural resources, use of various tools and equipment, comfortable speaking with public, natural/ cultural history knowledge, support for TPWD's mission.Time Required: Open
This opportunity is for Ambassador Alumni to log all volunteer hours after the successful completion of their Ambassadorship.
Program: Ambassador Program
Contact Person: Sam Toback
Contact Phone: (512) 389-8572
In exchange for 24 hours per week, Park Hosts are provided with a 50 amp sewer, water and electric campsite. Duties include campground and day use maintenance, restrooms, special projects, trail maintenance and customer service. Duties dependant upon the current park needs and skills of the volunteer. Background Check Required.
Program: Atlanta State Park
Contact Person: Kayla Williams
Contact Phone: (903) 796-6476
Do you have a passion for parks? Are you a people person? Apply to be a Park Host Front Office Clerk (Headquarters Host) at Atlanta State Park! Park Hosts are a vital part of any park's operation. Atlanta is seeking energetic, friendly, and outgoing Park Hosts to assist in all aspects of park office operations. Previous Park Host experience is preferred, but not required. Headquarters Park Hosts report for work at the Atlanta State Park Headquarters Office. The Headquarters Office is open to the public from 8:00am 5:00pm. The primary schedule for this position is Friday-Sunday. These hours may vary depending on the needs of the park. Requirements: You will support TPWD's mission by assisting with the day to day functions of the park office. These include, but are not limited to, assisting headquarters staff by independently collecting entrance fees, checking in (registering) campers, answering phones/visitor questions, providing excellent customer service, and selling store merchandise. You must be comfortable using computers, doing simple math and handling money, and be able to stand for long periods of time. You will work a minimum of 24 volunteer hours per week. Park Hosts should expect to work weekends and holidays. Background check required. Benefits: As a Park Host Front Office Clerk, you will have the opportunity to meet new people and help park visitors have a memorable experience. In exchange for your time, you will be authorized to stay in the park for free for the duration of your contract. You are provided with a 50 amp full hook-up site (water, electric, and sewer) for free. The park headquarters has Wi-Fi and Verizon works in most campsites, but can be spotty. Washer and dryer available for use by Host.
Volunteer will assist in interpretive programs such as school groups, public programs, or special events that occur within the park. Sharing information of the State Park's history, plants, and wildlife while interacting with the public.
Program: Balmorhea State Park
Contact Person: Tara Fattouh
Contact Phone: (432) 375-2370
The diving clean up will take place prior to our annual pool cleaning from April 20th-May 10th. We would need assistance with clearing out rocks and debris from the gate near the high dive. As well as collecting any items at the bottom of the pool that are not naturally there. Required:Applicant must be at least 18 yrs. and must be able to pass a criminal back ground check.Must have a valid Diver Certification Card. Thank You for your interest in volunteering for Texas State Parks!!
Contact Person: Tara Fattou
Pool/Spring cleaning will be on May 6th-10th. Volunteers will assist with scraping, shoveling, and power washing algae out of the pool. Will help paint areas/stain fence that need to be painted/stained, clean bath houses, trash removal, netting fish, weed eating, cutting reeds, and replace picnic tables. Will be working outdoors, even if there is inclement weather. The hours may vary.Required:Applicant must be at least 18 yrs. and must be able to pass a criminal back ground check.Thank You for your interest in volunteering for Texas State Parks!!
Do you have a passion for parks? Are you a people person? Apply to be a Park Host Front Office Clerk (Headquarters Host) at Balmorhea State Park! Park Hosts are a vital part of any park's operation. Balmorhea is seeking energetic, friendly, and outgoing Park Hosts to assist in all aspects of park office operations. Previous Park Host experience is preferred, but not required. Headquarters Park Hosts report for work at the Balmorhea State Park Headquarters Office. The Headquarters Office is open to the public from 8:00am 5:00pm. The primary schedule for this position is Friday-Sunday. These hours may vary depending on the needs of the park. Requirements: You will support TPWD's mission by assisting with the day-to-day functions of the park office. These include, but are not limited to, assisting headquarters staff by independently collecting entrance fees, checking in (registering) campers, answering phones/visitor questions, providing excellent customer service, and selling store merchandise. You must be comfortable using computers, doing simple math and handling money. You will work a minimum of 24 volunteer hours per week. Park Hosts should expect to work weekends and holidays. Background check required. Benefits: In exchange for a minimum of 24 volunteer hour per week, you are provided with a 50-amp full hook-up site (water, electric, and sewer). As a Park Host Front Office Clerk, you will have the opportunity to meet new people and help park visitors have a memorable experience.
2024 Openings: Minimum requirement of 3 consecutive months to maximum 6 consecutive months of hosting with us. April: 1 opening May: 3 openings June: 4 openings July through September: 5 openings October through December 4 openings2025 is now open for host booking. All months are available (minimum 3, maximum 6).
Come join our team and experience life beneath the pines at Bastrop State Park! Spend a season in the scenic Lost Pines of Bastrop and help contribute to your Texas State Parks. Willing and eager with a can-do attitude? Then we want you! Bastrop State Park is looking for motivated couples or individuals to come enjoy the wonderful smell of loblolly pines while helping our superior park staff with daily park needs. Park Hosts assist in many aspects of park operations from maintenance, cleaning, visitor assistance, and interpretive programming.Ideal team members will have a positive and friendly attitude, a willingness to interact with visitors, good communication skills, and be capable of being flexible. The host position is for 2 to 6 months and requires at least 25 hours of volunteer work per week. In exchange for those hours we will provide you with a full hookup site (50 amp) at no charge! We also provide access to a washer and dryer facility. Also enjoy wonderful shopping and dining experiences in historic downtown Bastrop, which is only a five minute drive away from the park. Nearby cities of Austin, Houston and San Antonio provide additional day off opportunities! Duties of the Park Host Required:
- Clean and maintain bathrooms - Oversee and maintain assigned campground loop, including but not limited to, trash pick-up of entire loop, clean out fire rings, mow/weed-eat entire camping loop, remove weeds from tent pads - Assist with historic CCC cabin cleaning - Assist visitorsOther duties include but are not limited to:- Assist with park grounds maintenance - Assist with Interpretive tours/hikes and programs- Assist with miscellaneous tasks, projects and programs.Minimum 25 hours a week, with days off mainly on days other than weekends as assigned by park management needs. Must be willing and capable of cleaning bathrooms and cabins. Applicants need to be available at least 2 consecutive months and will have the option to stay up to 6 months.Must be at least 18 years old and must pass a criminal background check
Program: Bastrop State Park
Contact Person: Madalyn Miller
Contact Phone: (512) 718-0211
New Volunteers must sign up for the Tree Inventory Training Event on April 13th. You cannot sign up for Tree Inventory shifts until you go to the Tree Inventory Training Event. Participants will learn how to collect data for our Forest Inventory as part of our Forest Management plan. There will be a classroom portion with background, instructions, tree ID, and how the information is used. Then we will go into the field and do a few plots to familiarize everyone with the process. Volunteer Tree Inventory events will consist of a crew of 3 to 4 volunteers at a time for 4 hours shifts.Training Day - What to Expect: 8am to 12pm: Power point instruction/lecture inside the Group Barracks at Bastrop State Park.12pm to 2:30pm: Field training. Be prepared to be outdoors hiking through areas of the forest that have thick vegetation with no trails. At the training volunteers will learn the history of forest management in the park and the Lost Pines. They'll learn what tree inventory is, why it's important, what we learn from the data and exactly how to do the inventory and gather that data. We will go out in the field, learn to navigate to inventory areas with GPS and conduct an hour or two of tree inventories so that everyone gets good hands on training. After this training volunteers should be able to conduct Tree Inventories with out a staff member present. After the training volunteers are expected to sign up for 2 or more inventory events a month.Bring: Sack lunch, snacks, bottled water, note pade and writing utensil, sun and bug protection. Wear weather appropriate clothing, close toed shoes, pants, long sleeve recommended. *Recommended for able bodied persons as inventory takes place in thick vegetation, off trails, and can require miles of hiking through very uneven terrain with lots of tripping hazards.Field Duties Include: Conditions during field training and during all other tree inventory volunteer events: Outdoors, off trail, through forest vegetation/thick vegetation, uneven terrain, hazardous plants in some areas. Volunteers need to be able to hike 4 to 5 miles off trail, hiking over downed tree logs, through thick brush, up hills, possibly down ravines, watching for stump holes/vines/hazardous vegetation and other hazards.Required Qualifications: Must have gone to the in person Tree Inventory Training on Saturday, 1/27/24 or go to the Tree Inventory Training on April 13th before signing up for shifts.Time Comitment: Minimum of signing up for two shifts a month. One shift is 4 hours long. These tree inventories will be going on all year. Time slots every Saturday and Sunday morning/afternoons. Shifts will be 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon. If we have enough interest for weekday inventory then we will open up time slots then as well.
Greeting visitors and checking wristbands Monitoring and maintaining the Nature Center Providing park information like maps, schedules, and guides Inspiring stewards with conservation-themed encounters Promoting programs like Junior Ranger Assisting with maintaining feeders (seasonally)
Program: Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park
Contact Person: Maria Montelongo
Contact Phone: (956) 584-9156
Big Bend Ranch State Park and Black Gap Wildlife Management Areas are certified by International Dark Sky Association as a Dark Sky Park (BBRSP) and Dark Sky Sanctuary (BGWMA).These designations mean that the night sky over these areas has not been affected by light pollution and is dark enough to see astronomical features such as the Milky Way that can no longer be seen in many urban areas. To monitor sky quality over time, we are looking for volunteers to gather sky quality data, observe, and/or photograph the night sky.Camp fees and/or park entrance fees may be waived for volunteers who sign up and provide the park with observations and/or images. All data will be appropriately managed and credited if presented to the public.
Program: Barton Warnock Visitor Center
Contact Person: Layla Spurlock
Contact Phone: (432) 424-3327
Welcome to the Other Side of Nowhere! Big Bend Ranch State Park offers outdoor recreation for the truly adventurous. This remote park features rugged mountains, steep canyons, amazing views, unparalleled night skies, and solitude in a desert setting. Help our team steward and protect this unique Texas State Park for use today and by future generations. Hosts will assist with day-to-day operations including visitor services, maintenance, facility clean-up, special events and other duties as needed. We have 1 park host campsite available with full hook-ups (Sites have 15,30, & 50 amp outlets.)This position requires a minimum commitment of 4 months.Reports directly to Sauceda Ranger Station/ Interior Superintendent.Requirements: Must be 18 or older. Pass a Criminal Background Check, ATV/UTV online training, and complete Distracted Driving course. Must be able to work a minimum of 32 hours a week. Must adhere to all TPWD policies.Please be aware that Big Bend Ranch State Park is in an extremely remote and rugged part of the Chihuahuan Desert. For scale, the nearest Walmart is located approximately 4.5 hours away from this location. Cell Phone Service is unreliable and at times non-existent in the park. This role is labor intensive and many park interior roads are 4 WD and unmaintained; therefore, it is imperative that the successful candidate be able to comfortably navigate and travel in a remote and rugged setting.
Program: Big Bend Ranch State Park
Under the supervision of our trails maintenance ranger, trail volunteers carry out maintenance work on some of the park''s 200-mile trail system.Trail and project difficulty range from moderate to advanced. The successful Trails Volunteer will demonstrate the ability to work as a member of a team in remote settings carrying out trail maintenance which includes, but is not limited to: brushing; pruning; installing erosion controls; and moving soil and rock with the goal of building and repairing sustainable trails that multiple user groups can enjoy.Camping fees and/or park entrance fees may be waived for volunteers who are approved to work on BBRSP''s trails.Current first aid certification encouraged, but not required.Must adhere to all TPWD policies.
Volunteer tasks:
Program: Big Spring State Park
Contact Person: Arlyne Martinez
Contact Phone: (806) 241-5741
