Volunteer Opportunity Details:

An exciting and rewarding opportunity awaits volunteers interested in working at the newest addition to Grand Teton National Park—the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. The staff of the Preserve would like to engage the local community to assist in operations. Volunteers will play a vital role, providing their time and energy, and sharing their love of nature with park visitors. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with park rangers in a variety of ways necessary for the successful operation of the Preserve. In return, volunteers will have a chance to experience the Preserve from an insider’s perspective. Through training sessions, they will learn about the natural, cultural, and historical aspects of this special place. They will have the opportunity to hike the trails and to introduce visitors to a unique part of Grand Teton National Park.

The LSR Preserve, located along the Moose-Wilson Road, is an 1106 acre gift from Laurance S. Rockefeller to the United States and is an important part of the nation’s conservation heritage. It was formerly the JY Ranch, initially the first dude ranch in the valley, and later a beloved Rockefeller family retreat. In gifting the property to the park, Mr. Rockefeller expressed his hope that the Preserve would become a place of physical and spiritual renewal, that it would be a model for achieving balance between preservation and use, and that it would demonstrate how citizens working in partnership with their government could achieve important goals. The mission of the Preserve is to inspire appreciation and reverence for the beauty and diversity of the natural world, to demonstrate the importance of protecting the land while providing public access, and to foster individual responsibility for conservation stewardship. Volunteers will assist in operations designed to carry out this mission.

Specific duties may include, but are not limited to, welcoming visitors and giving site orientation and information, hiking the trails, monitoring the trails, parking areas, and structures on the Preserve, promoting the Leave No Trace philosophy, working at the information desk of the Preserve Center, organizing and maintaining books in the Resource Room, answering the phone and registering visitors for ranger programs, and assisting with special events and programs.

The LSR Preserve will be open 7 days a week from May to September. Volunteers are asked to make a regular commitment of time, with a minimum of 4 hours per week, throughout the busy summer season. In addition, they are required to attend training sessions conducted at various locations throughout the park during the latter part of May. Through these sessions they will learn about the natural, historical and cultural aspects of the park as well as the unique character of the LSR Preserve. Volunteers may have a variety of backgrounds and experience but must be at least 18 years old, possess a love of nature, excellent public contact skills, dependability, and a commitment to the vision and goals of the Preserve. All volunteers will receive a shirt and cap, a nametag, and books and other educational materials.

This opportunity is sponsored by: Grand Teton National Park

We need volunteers who are free at these times Weekdays Weekly Weekends This volunteer opportunity is available to the following types of volunteers Adults (26-54) Individual Adults (55+) Young Adults (18-25)

Contact Person: Susanne McDonald, Supervisor, (phone), (email) View all agency contacts

Address:

PO Drawer 170 Moose, WY 83012 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Bus Stop: N/A, N/A minute walk

Web Site: http://www.nps.gov/grte/

Last updated on March 10, 2009