Campground host, other volunteer opportunities remain in Mat-Su

WASILLA — Alaska State Parks managers around the state are looking for a few good volunteers to staff parks and other facilities for the upcoming summer season, and the Mat-Su region still has a few openings.

The majority of the openings are for campground hosts, but other opportunities exist as natural history interpreters, caretakers and trail crew members.

Campground hosts typically live in the campground and assist the ranger with maintenance and interaction with visitors. Hosts are provided with a campsite, uniform and a small subsistence payment that ranges from $100 to $500 a month, according to the state. Hosts are required to provide their own RV or trailer.

Other positions, such as trail crew member, ranger assistant and natural history interpreter qualify for field experience and college internship credit. Interns are often provided with uniforms, a small subsistence payment and housing in some areas.

State Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation deputy director and chief of field operations Claire LeClair said Tuesday that when staffing the volunteer host positions, it’s always good to see a few “local” applicants.

“It’s great when we get Alaskans,” LeClair said, “because they have so much knowledge about the area or the state. Visitors want to talk to people who are familiar with the state they’re visiting.”

She noted that many volunteer hosts that come up from Outside can hold their own in the local knowledge department.

“For those that come up, we provide them with plenty of information regarding the area where they’re hosting,” she said. “They do a good job.”

LeClair said in 2015, of the 27 full-time volunteers in the Mat-Su district, 14 were from out of state and 13 were Alaskans.

“We also had many, many short-term volunteers, those people who donate a day or two for a specific project, such as an area wide cleanup or a trail project,” she said.

In the Mat-Su/Copper Basin District, campground host positions remained open Tuesday at the Denali View North and South campgrounds at Denali State Park, a secondary position at the Willow Creek State Recreation Area, the Hatcher Pass Management Area and the Little Susitna Public Use Facility.

Other positions open for the season include four each for natural history interpreters at the Alaska Veterans Memorial at Denali State Park and Independence Mine State Historical Park; a park caretaker at Independence Mine; and four openings for trail crew members at Nancy Lake State Recreation Area.

Many of the applications have a March 15 deadline, but LeClair said positions will remain open until filled.

In Hatcher Pass, hosts will be responsible for designated camping areas at the Government Peak site off Palmer-Fishhook Road, the Gold Mint trailhead and the camping lot at the Fishhook trailhead. According to the state, the Independence Mine caretaker position is responsible for operating the diesel-powered generator, routinely checking the water and heating systems, general maintenance, as well as operating the radio phone and reporting and recording the daily weather conditions. Caretakers can either provide their own RV or stay in the apartment located inside the visitor center.

Along with sharing information, collecting fees and keeping trash picked up, hosts also serve a security function as well.

Two host positions at the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge, which were just recently filled, have gone a long way to keep down vandalism and other illegal activity, said Alaska Department Fish and Game lands and refuges program coordinator Joe Meehan. The hosts are posted at Cottonwood Creek and Reflections Lake, refuge entry points that don’t have organized campsites.

“Having folks out there has been a great help in keeping down the shooting, pallet fires and all the other bad behavior,” Meehan said. He added that the volunteer program also serves to ease the burden on parks’ staff, especially during current lean budget times.

“Those hosts are a huge asset,” Meehan said. “They keep things picked up and can handle duties that the staff might not be able to get to.”

For more on the volunteer program and the current openings, visit dnr.alaska.gov/parks/vip/

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com