Smoky Mountain National Park Volunteer Opportunities

Smoky Mountains

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By Core Editors Desk

Smoky Mountain National Park offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups, including Smokies Service Days, Trails Forever Program, Trail Maintenance, Adopt-A-Trail Program, and more. These volunteer projects allow you to contribute to the preservation and maintenance of this beautiful natural wonder while gaining hands-on experience and connecting with the local community.

Available Volunteer Opportunities

Smoky Mountain National Park Volunteer Opportunities
Image Credit: Wikimedia

Here are some of the volunteer opportunities available at Smoky Mountain National Park:

  1. Smokies Service Days: Half-day weekend options for youth and adults, involving activities such as vegetation management, campground clean-up, cemetery maintenance, historic preservation, stream restoration, trail maintenance, and litter patrol.

  2. Trails Forever Program: A partnership between the park and Friends of the Smokies, focusing on trail rehabilitation projects. Volunteers work closely with park staff and gain experience in trail maintenance and rehabilitation.

  3. Trail Maintenance: Volunteers assist in maintaining the park’s 848 miles of trails, performing tasks such as hiking, lifting heavy objects, and using hand tools. Minimum age requirement is 16, and those under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible parent or guardian.

  4. Adopt-A-Trail Program: Volunteers maintain a trail in the park, requiring the ability to hike approximately 9 miles on uneven terrain. This program is critical to ensuring trail accessibility and resource protection.

  5. All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory Volunteer: Assist in the search for new species in the park, including collection, sorting, and identification. This project involves fieldwork, clerical tasks, education, and special events.

  6. Record Filing (Cultural Resources): Assist with short-term projects involving filing of archeology site forms. Volunteers must be able to work in normal office conditions and lift up to 20 pounds.

  7. Discover Life in America (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory): Contribute to the largest “science project” in the Smokies, involving fieldwork, clerical tasks, education, and special events.

  8. Adopt-An-Overlook: A litter collection program engaging community groups and visitors to clean scenic overlooks regularly. All ages are welcome, but youth under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

  9. Maintenance Assistant (NC): Assist with basic maintenance of park facilities, requiring motivation to work independently and follow safety protocols.

  10. Litter Patrol: Volunteers work independently to pick up and remove litter along trails, at overlooks, and at busy sites.

  11. Cultural History and Interpretation: Assist with monitoring visitor-use patterns, providing safety messaging, and helping orient visitors.

  12. Phenology Monitoring: Assist with monitoring the timing of tree leaf-out and fall brown-down.

  13. Volunteer Coordinator Assistant: Assist the Parkwide Volunteer Coordinator with tasks such as communications, data entry, event planning, and creating educational materials.

  14. Plant Identification and Gardening: Assist with plant identification and gardening techniques for native and non-native plants.

  15. Visitor Use Patterns Monitoring: Assist with collecting and recording data about visitor use and experience in the park.

  16. Archeology Site Filing: Assist with short-term projects involving filing of archeology site forms.

Applying for a Volunteer Position

Smoky Mountain National Park Volunteer Opportunities

To apply for a volunteer position in Smoky Mountain National Park, follow these steps:

  1. Review Volunteer Opportunities: Browse the available volunteer projects and their requirements.
  2. Download a VIP Application: Obtain the Volunteer-In-Park (VIP) application form.
  3. Indicate Position Interest: Specify the name of each position that interests you on the application.
  4. Submit the Application: Email the completed application to GRSM_Volunteer_Office@nps.gov.
  5. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator: Reach out to the relevant volunteer coordinator for each project to register and discuss details.

Minimum Age Requirements

The minimum age requirement for volunteering in Smoky Mountain National Park varies by project:

  • Smokies Service Days: All ages welcome, but youth under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
  • Trail Maintenance: Minimum age is 16, and those under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible parent or guardian.
  • Adopt-A-Trail Program: No specific age requirement mentioned, but volunteers must be able to hike approximately 9 miles on uneven terrain.

Contact Information

For more information and to register for volunteer projects, contact the relevant volunteer coordinators:

  • Smokies Service Days: grsm_volunteer_office@nps.gov
  • Trails Forever Program: adam_monroe@nps.gov or 828-497-1949
  • Trail Maintenance: adam_monroe@nps.gov
  • Adopt-A-Trail Program: adam_monroe@nps.gov
  • All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory Volunteer: todd@dlia.org
  • Record Filing (Cultural Resources): Allison_Harvey@nps.gov
  • Discover Life in America (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory): todd@dlia.org
  • Adopt-An-Overlook: grsm_volunteer_office@nps.gov
  • Maintenance Assistant (NC): adam_monroe@nps.gov
  • Litter Patrol: grsm_volunteer_office@nps.gov
  • Cultural History and Interpretation: judyb@gsmassoc.org or Julie_Flores@nps.gov
  • Phenology Monitoring: grsm_phenology@nps.gov or paul_super@nps.gov
  • Volunteer Coordinator Assistant: grsm_volunteer_office@nps.gov
  • Plant Identification and Gardening: julie_flores@nps.gov
  • Visitor Use Patterns Monitoring: kendra_straub@nps.gov
  • Archeology Site Filing: Allison_Harvey@nps.gov

References

  1. Friends of the Smokies. (n.d.). Volunteering – Friends of the Smokies. Retrieved from https://friendsofthesmokies.org/howtohelp/volunteering/
  2. National Park Service. (2020). Join the Volunteer-in-Park Program at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/grsm/getinvolved/upload/PARK-NEEDS-LIST-Updated_2020-2021-1.pdf
  3. National Park Service. (n.d.). Volunteer – Great Smoky Mountains National Park (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/grsm/getinvolved/volunteer.htm
  4. Friends of the Smokies. (n.d.). Volunteer with Trails Forever | Friends of the Smokies. Retrieved from https://friendsofthesmokies.org/trailsforever/volunteer/
  5. Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. (n.d.). Volunteer at Tremont. Retrieved from https://gsmit.org/get-involved/volunteer/.

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