Visitor Center Volunteer at Dworshak Dam

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We are looking for couples to help run the Visitor Center for the summer of 2017 at Dworshak Dam and Reservoir in Idaho! We need one couple ASAP until mid to late October (negotiable). You are required to work 7 ½ hours per day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with a half an hour lunch break. Both volunteers will need to work all day in order to properly staff the visitor center and give tours. We require volunteers to work at least 16 weeks in order to be reimbursed for gas mileage. The schedule usually rotates four days on and four days off.

Dworshak Dam is 717 feet tall and is the highest straight axis concrete gravity dam in the United States, and the largest dam ever to be built by the Army Corps of Engineers. Our reservoir is 54 miles and the dam holds back about 3.5 million acre feet of water. We have a Class B visitor center, over 15 miles of hiking trails, one full service campground, a marina, three primitive campgrounds, four day use areas, seven boat ramps, and over a hundred mini-camps which are accessible by boat.

Your main job duties as a Visitor Center host are to greet visitors, give tours, and to assist in the daily operations of the visitor center which includes, but is not limited to: answering visitor questions, operating the telephone system and two way radios, turning on lights, operating audio-visual equipment, unlocking, and locking doors. During the peak season, we give 3 tours daily of the dam, the dam is ¾ of a mile long, so you will need to be prepared to walk at least a few miles each day. You may also be asked to assist staff in interpretative programs and special events.

The campsite you will be provided is located less than a ½ mile from the visitor center and is situated behind a gate which is locked at 4:30. The Visitor Center is located in Ahsahka, ID which is about 7 miles from the town of Orofino. We provide you with a full service campsite which has full hookups, propane, and 50 amp electricity. We also provided free laundry facilities, a freezer, and fridge that will be shared with the other volunteer couples. Pets are always welcomed! Due to our mountainous terrain and certain carriers not having service in the area, we cannot guarantee you will have cell or satellite reception.

Dworshak is the tallest straight axis Dam in the United States. The North Fork of the Clearwater River flows into the reservoir. Orofino is seven miles away and has your basic needs covered (hospital, library, movie theater, grocery stores). We are located in a mountain valley; we have amazing scenery, and lots of animals. We are four hours from Missoula, Montana and an hour to the Washington border (Clarkson). The nearest airport is in Lewiston, Idaho about 45 minutes away and a large airport is located in Spokane, Washington, about three hours away.

If you have any questions about visitor center host volunteer job duties, or of the area feel free to call or email me.

Michelle East

Park Ranger and Volunteer Coordination

michelle.b.east@usace.army.mil

208-476-1279