BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is recruiting volunteers for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
An array of vital volunteer positions are available, CVNP volunteer organizers said.
Those interested in joining the national park’s volunteer force can attend a Volunteer Open House from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29 at Happy Days Lodge, 500 W. Streetsboro Road (Route 303) in Peninsula. View the list of open positions below.
Pre-pandemic, the CVNP volunteer force hovered at about 6,000 people, averaging 170,000 to 200,000 hours each year, said Andrew O'Leary, volunteer manager for the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a nonprofit that supports the park.
That level of volunteer power is tantamount to 40 full-time employees, said Pamela Barnes, CVNP’s public information officer.
But the pandemic forced a drastic drop in volunteer numbers, O’Leary said, to about 2,500 volunteers representing about 70,000 hours.
Rebounding some since the world reopened, the park now has about 5,000 volunteers averaging about 100,000 hours of service, he said.
The national park doesn’t have a current goal to recruit a fixed number of volunteers, O’Leary said, although there are a decent number of openings available.
“One volunteer makes a difference, a thousand is great,” he said. “But anyone who comes out, we're confident that they will be a great addition to the park and we can find a spot for them.”
Josh Bates is a park ranger working in the volunteer management office. Over the past three years, the park has relied on a solid base of volunteers, with a “slow trickle of new folks,” he said.
But situated between Akron and Cleveland and surrounded by suburbs, the park has never had trouble recruiting a strong volunteer force, he said.
During the last recruitment event in 2020, Bates had to go outside and manage traffic in the parking area, he said.
“We’re really looking at this as right-sizing,” he said. “We're knocking the rust off of doing this again, you know, getting the chance and opportunity to get back in the game of recruiting, welcoming back prospective volunteers, getting them placed and getting them ready to go. Really, right now, this is the perfect time period to recruit, train and by April, May we should have folks being able to hit trails and working in their respective operations.”
O’Leary said volunteer opportunities are broken down into four categories:
- Community-engagement volunteers help with various programs and engage with the public.
- Habitat-restoration volunteers are out in the park planting trees, removing invasive plants and monitoring resources.
- Trail-maintenance volunteers perform duties from minor trail sweeps to helping staff build and repair trails.
- Resource-management volunteers work with staff on the science of park maintenance.
Volunteers are trained based on the area they choose to work in, shadowing supervisors or other volunteers, with some even receiving first aid and CPR training, O’Leary said. They also can choose how many hours they want to work and, for the most part, when.
“They help us immensely and so we're grateful for any time they can give us,” he said.
Volunteers are recognized for their efforts in several ways, with awards presented at an annual volunteer event, Bates said.
Those who hit the 250-hour mark receive an America the Beautiful Park Pass, which is good for free entrance to any national park in the country that charges an entrance fee, he said.
Volunteers are also awarded for milestones in longevity of service, said Bates, who said he has participated in honoring volunteers that have reached a 10,000-hour milestone.
“The spirit of the program is inspiring,” Bates said. “I've been doing this for 12 years now, and it's still that I kind of take a step back every now and then and go, ‘Wow, this is just cool.’ And it's not a hard group of folks to motivate. They love their park so much.”
Volunteer opportunities include:
- Actor: Assist in presenting programs on Cuyahoga Valley history. Attendance is required at rehearsals and the productions.
- Citizen science: Work with park staff to monitor and survey numerous native plant and animal species throughout CVNP.
- Community engagement: Work with park staff in communities surrounding CVNP, with a focus on Cleveland and Akron neighborhoods. Duties include staffing booths and assisting with the presentation of programs that highlight the resources of CVNP.
- Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad: Train crew positions on the iconic railroad include trainmen, concessionaires, servers, platform attendants, guest ambassadors, education-program assistants, maintenance and mechanical support.
- Cycling school: Facilitate a biking experience for youth from the Cleveland and Akron areas by fitting bikes and helmets to youth, accompanying them on a bike ride along the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail and helping ensure safety.
- Environmental Education Center: Seeking volunteers interested in youth environmental education programming to assist with junior-ranger events and outdoor-education programs.
- First Ladies National Historic Site: Greet and engage with visitors and assist with historical interpretation.
- Gardner/Landscaper: Tend to the Conservancy’s donor garden and keep landscaping at various Conservancy and NPS buildings clean and cared for.
- Get Up, Get Out and Go: Work with park staff to provide recreational opportunities in the park for community groups, including hiking, playing field games, biking, fishing and more.
- Habitat restoration: Assist with invasive plant management at selected sites, collect seeds of native plants under supervision, plant native plants and work in the park greenhouse.
- James A. Garfield Historic Site: Greet and engage with visitors and assist with historical interpretation.
- Park promoter: Promote CVNP and the Conservancy for CVNP at special events, including park concerts and other events in Akron and Cleveland. Greet guests, answer questions, engage in conversations about the national park and invite guests to become more involved.
- Paw Patrol: Provide an opportunity for park visitors to learn more about CVNP and the opportunities that canine companions can have along the trails by sharing personal experiences, dog-related rules and regulations, and general information. Paw Patrol helps provide a unique visitor experience and an opportunity to contact a well-behaved and trained canine volunteer and owner.
- Rail Rover: Present informal interpretation aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad on regularly scheduled runs. Distribute literature, share animal pelts and answer questions about the CVNP.
- Special-events team: Assist with CVNP Concert Series, Conservancy for CVNP programming and other special events. Help with directing traffic flow in the parking lot, taking tickets, and answering visitor questions.
- Trail maintenance: Assist in building, maintaining and improving the bike, hike and horse trails in CVNP using hand tools and power equipment.
- Trail Mix Art Gallery Attendant: Guide visitors through the gallery and answer questions about the artists and art on display.
- Trail Mix Shop Greeter: Assist retail staff in the operation of stores by providing excellent customer service, greeting visitors and providing park information/orientation.
- Visitor Center assistant for Boston Mill, Canal Exploration Center and Hunt House: Assist rangers with the operation of the Visitor Center. Greet visitors, provide information/orientation and complete bookstore sales. Most work will be performed indoors in historic structures.
- Wildlife Watcher: Rove at the Wildlife-Watcher station and on park trails. Provide informal interpretation about the park resources and general visitor information such as directions.
For more information about volunteering opportunities at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, send an email, call the volunteer office at 440-717-3846 or visit the CVNP website.
