BARK Ranger Ambassadors

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Position Overview

BARK Ranger Ambassadors help educate the public on the park rules and proper etiquette of having a dog in the national park through demonstrating with their own dog while roving the park or at special events. In addition to demonstrating, volunteers will interact with visitors and inform them about the park rules and the B.A.R.K. Ranger program.

The B.A.R.K. program is a nationwide program with the goal of educating pet owners on the

park’s rules regarding pets and on how to be a responsible and curious pet owner.

B.A.R.K. stands for:

• Bag your pet’s waste

• Always leash your pet

• Respect wildlife

• Know where you can go

Minimum Commitment

BARK Ranger Ambassadors are asked to commit to preforming 12 Bark Ranger activities per year. These activities include educating the public while roving the park (this could be by visiting a beach or hiking a trail), assisting a ranger on a guided hike (such as the Hike with Your Hound program), or by participating in a Bark Ranger Pop-up event or any of the park’s other special events. To ensure the comfort and the safety of the BARK Ranger, the 12 activities can be performed at any time throughout the year. This is to allow owners more options on days and weather conditions that work best for them and their dog.

Goal / Outcome of Job:

The goal of being a BARK Ranger Ambassador is to demonstrate and educate visitors on proper park pet etiquette and the rules of B.A.R.K. through roving contact, by assisting park rangers on guided hikes, and at pop-up events. The hope is that by spreading awareness, the number of visitors disregarding these rules will decrease.

Description of Duties

• Be familiar with the rules of B.A.R.K. and be able to explain them to a visitor.

• Be familiar with the park and be able to answer visitor’s questions.

• Report which area of the park and how many hours were volunteered each month to the Park Volunteer office at indu_volunteer@nps.gov.

• Properly wear the uniform provided by the Park Volunteer Office.

• Call 1-800-PARK-TIP for all emergencies or to report a crime.

• Finally, like all other volunteers, Ambassadors must fill out a Volunteer Service Agreement (VSA). Volunteers will also be provided with a Job Hazard Analysis.

Knowledge/ Skills Desired

It is important for BARK Rangers and their handlers to safely interact with visitors in the park:

• BARK Rangers should be well behaved while volunteering.

• Handlers must be able to understand their dog’s capabilities and be able to advocate for their dog.

• Handlers must know when to remove their dog from overwhelming or dangerous situations.

In addition to experience with interacting with people and other dogs, a basic understanding of the Indiana Dunes National Park and the BARK Rangers program is desired, though not required. Material will be provided to assist volunteers in developing these skills.

Start Date - 2023-11-01

End Date - 2024-09-30

Activities include: Visitor Information