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About FWP > Volunteer Volunteer Positions at FWP lands

Would you like to help at a visitor center, host a campground, share your love of history, culture, or science with park visitors, or do a project tailored to a special interest? Consider one of these volunteer positions.

Campground Host

Overview and Volunteer Impact:

One of the most vital volunteer positions at Montana Parks & Outdoor Recreation is that of a Park Host. Being a Park Host is a fantastic way to visit and experience a new place, learn new skills, interact with the public, and to simply enjoy life outdoors. Park Hosts assist park staff in a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, sharing park information with other visitors, ensuring smooth campground operations, and completing light maintenance work as needed. Hosts impact everything from the guests’ experience, to the workload of park staff, to the park grounds and facilities. If you want to experience “the full gambit of Montana” as a former Park Host so wonderfully puts it, then this position is for you.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Greet and assist guests
  • Serve as a liaison between guests and park staff  
  • Provide park information (including rules) to guests
  • Collect fee envelopes and oversee check-in/ check-out of campground
  • Light maintenance work
  • Other duties depend on park needs such as: campground operations, visitor center assistance, monitoring trails, opening and closing parks, etc.

Time Commitment:

  • May 1st- September 30th
  • 24 hours a week for single hosts, 32 hours a week for couples

Qualifications:

** Must provide own housing, equipment, and personal items**

  • Extensive camping experience
  • Effective communication skills
  • Successful completion of the FWP Background Check
  • Strong desire to share knowledge and experiences with people of all ages and backgrounds
  • Friendly, outgoing personality
  • First Aid/CPR certifications are recommended

Benefits:

  • Live on pristine park property surrounded by rivers, creeks, and lakes, or among mountains, prairies, and steppe
  • Be a steward for beautiful natural and cultural park resources
  • Gain an exclusive look into park operations and resources
  • Be an influential part of a visitor’s stay
  • Work with an intimate, close-knit team
  • Some sites eligible for 100/month stipend

Positions:

Select the specific park name for details. If you have any questions, select the contact name next to the park name and send a detailed message.

Region 1 (Northwest) – Kalispell Area

Region 2 (West Central) – Missoula Area

Region 3 (Central) – Bozeman Area

Region 4 (North Central) – Great Falls Area

Region 5 (South Central/Eastern) - Billings Area

Region 6 (North East) - Fort Peck Area

Region 7 (South East) - Miles City Area

Application:

A volunteer application is available below and must be completed to be considered for a volunteer campground host position. If you are interested in a specific site location, you may send the completed application directly to the listed park manager. If you are interested in multiple site locations, you are encouraged to send the completed application to StateParkVolunteers@mt.gov.

Volunteer Application

Group Volunteer

Overview and Volunteer Impact:

Group volunteer events are a fantastic way to help out and support your local state park. This is a great way for your group or organization to give back to the community, and it is in some of the most beautiful places in the state! As a group, the volunteers will help the park with various tasks such as weed pulls, special events, trail maintenance, native plant transplanting, cave cleaning, conducting bio-blitzes and more! If you are part of a group that wants to make a difference with FWP Montana Parks & Outdoor Recreation, then this is for you!

Key Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate with park staff to determine the interests of the group as well as needs of the park
  • Complete assigned tasks to park staff specifications
  • Emphasize safety first in project completion

Time Commitment:

  • Will vary greatly depending on the amount of people and task
  • Will most likely be anywhere from a half day to a full day commitment

Qualifications:

  • Must have a group leader represent the group or organization
  • Willingness to be flexible and accept the agreed upon assignment

Benefits:

  • Spending time in beautiful outdoor settings
  • Positively impacting Montana Parks & Outdoor Recreation
  • Feeling accomplished about the work being done
  • Learning new skills in trail maintenance, noxious weeds identification, or park operations
  • Working with an intimate, close-knit team
  • Qualifying for park specific bonuses such as work for camping stay, cave tours, after hour meals, etc.

Positions:

If you have a local state park where your group wants to volunteer, reach out to the park manager at that location. If your group has an interest in volunteering for a larger project/event, review the Special Event and Special Project tabs below. If you have any additional questions, contact StateParkVolunteers@mt.gov or 406-444-7317.

Park Resource Interpreter

Overview and Volunteer Impact:

Montana FWP Parks & Outdoor Recreation is seeking enthusiastic, flexible, and highly motivated people to fill their Interpretative Guide positions. Interpretative Guides share information about Montana’s cultural and natural resources in an engaging, fun, and thought-provoking way. They assist parks in presenting information to the public in a more intimate and personal fashion. This position often involves presenting at or hosting evening campfire programs, weekend lecture series’, school field trips, and special events. Without Park resource Interpreters telling our stories, Montana State Parks would not be what individuals and families have come to know and love about our state parks. If you enjoy presenting information and ideas to the public in a creative, long-lasting and impressionable way, then this position is for you.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Assist park staff in development, preparation, and presentation of natural and cultural history interpretative programs to all age ranges
  • Lead interpretative tours and school field trips
  • Prepare and present natural and cultural history interpretative programs
  • Develop and care for live and static exhibits
  • May also be involved in designing informational displays, writing informative articles, researching area history, and performing routine maintenance on trails and interpretative facilities

Time Commitment:

  • Any 4-week period OR regularly scheduled hours May through September
  • Anywhere from 5 to 20 hours depending on the task and time of year

Qualifications:

  • Experience leading children 3-12 years old
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Considerable experience/ and or interest in history, American Indian culture, or natural sciences
  • Strong desire to share knowledge and experiences with people of all ages and backgrounds
  • First Aid/CPR certifications are recommended

Benefits:

  • Represent key cultural and natural resources
  • Gain an exclusive look into park operations and resources
  • Be an influential part of a visitor’s experience
  • Work with an intimate, close-knit team
  • Eligible for College/ internship credit

Positions: 

Contact your regional or local Park & Outdoor Recreation office for available positions at a visitor center near you. If you have any additional questions, contact StateParkVolunteers@mt.gov or 406-444-7317.

 

Special Event Assistant

Overview and Volunteer Impact:

The Special Event volunteer position is very fast-paced and versatile. This volunteer helps Parks & Outdoor Recreation staff coordinate and run successful events that include annual marquee events like Bannack Days, Buzzard Days, Chief Plenty Coups Day of Honor, Flying Buffalo Kite Festivals, and Fall Festivals throughout the state. Tasks can range anywhere from assisting with setup and breakdown, to dressing in full historic outfits, opening entrance stations and giving presentations. Special Event volunteers help keep the park running to its full potential and allows the park to give the community the events they’ve come to know and love. If you are passionate about developing and assisting in fun and engaging events, then this position is for you.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Assist with planning, set up and/or breakdown of events
  • Communicate with the public on event details
  • Lead and coordinate other volunteers
  • Possible historic and natural resource interpretation
  • Light park maintenance work as needed

Time Commitment:

  • Varies depending on individual’s availability and scope of each event
  • Time for preparation and breakdown of actual event will need to be taken into consideration

Qualifications:

  • Willingness to be flexible and self-motivated
  • Willingness to accept any assignment delegated
  • Must pass Montana FWP Background Check
  • Must work well with limited supervision and quickly changing schedule
  • Strong desire to share knowledge and experiences with people of all ages and backgrounds
  • First Aid/CPR certifications are recommended

Benefits:

  • Learn how a large event is prepared, coordinated and run among picturesque landscapes
  • Gain an exclusive look into park operations and resources
  • Work with an intimate, close-knit team

Positions: 

Select the specific park name for details. If you have any questions, select the contact’s name next to the park name and send a detailed message. If you have any additional questions, contact StateParkVolunteers@mt.gov or 406-444-7317.

Region 1 (Northwest) – Kalispell Area

  • Flathead Lake State Park Volunteer Stewardship Program: Amy Grout 

Region 2 (West Central) – Missoula Area

Region 3 (Central) – Bozeman Area

Region 4 (North Central) – Great Falls Area

Region 5 (South Central/Eastern) - Billings Area

Region 6 (North East) - Fort Peck Area

Region 7 (South East) - Miles City Area

Special Projects Assistant

Overview and Volunteer Impact:

Working closely with park staff, a Special Project Assistant helps the park to successfully accomplish a one-time special project. The type of work the project entails will vary depending on the skillset the volunteer has to provide the Parks & Outdoor Recreation division. In the past, volunteers have completed projects focused on photography, research, archiving, fundraising, and park maintenance/ operations. These volunteers have also helped with office work as needed. Parks & Outdoor Recreation is continually open to new special project ideas. The help and support a Special Project volunteer provides the park is extremely helpful as these volunteers aid in development and coordination of projects that otherwise would exceed a park’s capacity or skill set of the staff.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Work closely with park staff to develop and perform a special project
  • Communicate with the public on project details
  • Possibly lead and coordinate other volunteers

Time Commitment:

  • Varies depending on individual’s availability and scope of each project.

Qualifications:

  • Willingness to be flexible and extremely self-motivated
  • Must work well with limited supervision and quickly changing schedule
  • CPR and First Aid certifications are a plus
  • Other qualifications dependent on individual park staff and project

Benefits:

  • Travel and see the beautiful sights of Montana State Parks including scenic rivers, towering mountains, and impressive caverns.
  • Gain an exclusive look into park operations and resources
  • Work with an intimate, close-knit team
  • Eligible for College/ internship credit

Positions:

Contact your local park manager if you have a special and unique skill you want to share with State Parks & Outdoor Recreation. If you have any additional questions, contact StateParkVolunteers@mt.gov or 406-444-7317.

Visitor Center Attendant

Overview and Volunteer Impact:

State Park Visitor Centers are positioned at cherished and beautiful sites across Montana. Visitor Center Attendants are an incredibly important part of each center’s successful operation. Attendants are often the first face visitors see and are therefore the first impression of the park itself. Attendants are knowledgeable, friendly, approachable, and set the tone for the guest’s experience. They are truly at the heart of Montana State Parks. Attendants gain valuable skills such as resource interpretation, are front and center with the public, and get to share their love of state parks every day. The impact Visitor Center Attendants have on the park and staff is significant. Having visitor center attendants on board allows staff members to keep the park operating efficiently. Simply stated, Parks would not be able to run without the hard work and dedication of our Visitor Center Attendants.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Greet and assist guests
  • Engage and communicate with the public regarding park information
  • Share the love of State Parks with the public

Time Committment:

  • Any 4-week period OR regularly scheduled hours May through September
  • Anywhere from 5 to 20 hours depending on task and time of year

Qualifications:

  • Excellent communication skills
  • Firendly and outgoing personality
  • Strong desire to share knowledge and experiences with people of all ages and backgrounds
  • First Aid/CPR certifications are recommended

 

Benefits:

  • Be an influential part of a visitor's stay
  • Work with a close-knit team
  • Gain an exclusive look into Parks & Outdoor Recreation operations and resources

Positions:

Contact your regional or local Park & Outdoor Recreation office for available positions at a visitor center near you. If you have any additional questions, contact StateParkVolunteers@mt.gov or 406-444-7317.

Great Reasons to Volunteer

  • Meet new people and build relationships
  • Be an environmental steward
  • Learn about the parks and what they protect
  • Improve health
  • Spend time amongst Montana’s natural and cultural beauty
  • Enhance work and volunteer experience