Camp Host - Owens Creek Campground

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Campground Hosts are hired through the Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) program and are a valuable asset to the park’s campground operation. Major duties and requirements of Camp Host positions are listed below. 

Location:

Catoctin Mountain Park, established in 1936, is located along the eastern portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Thurmont, Maryland. The 5,890.36-acre mixed hardwood forest includes abundant wildlife, freshwater streams, and interesting geologic formations. The purpose of Catoctin Mountain Park is to provide meaningful recreational opportunities while protecting and interpreting the park’s natural, historical, and cultural resources in the regenerative spirit of 1930s New Deal conservation programs. This National Park’s diverse cultural resources provide several vignettes of our nation's history in one small location. Native Americans quarried rhyolite for the production of lithic tools. Evidence of the charcoal and iron industry are still visible today, along with smaller industries including farms, sawmills, and prohibition alcohol distillation. Historic structures, products of the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, along with the site of our nation's first Job Corps Center, are tangible reminders of the capability of vigorous youth programs to strengthen the nation's economic and social fabric.

Housing and Amenities:

Camp hosts will be provided a concrete pad suitable for a trailer or recreation vehicle and tent pad site. Volunteers must bring their own trailer or RV. No electric hook up. Maximum 22' trailer length and RVs up to 30'. Flush toilets, showers and drinking water are available and centrally located in the campground.

Government Furnished Property:

Volunteers will be issued a key for building access and a handheld portable radio and charging unit.

Uniforms:

We provide Volunteers with shirts, hat, jacket, and name tag. We recommend that you bring brown or khaki pants and sturdy hiking shoes or boots. Shorts are not recommended due to the presence of Poison Ivy and ticks.

Duties:

Assist Park Rangers with operations, and maintenance for Camp Round Meadow. Hosts must possess a valid state driver’s license and pass a background check. Individuals with limited mobility may not be suitable for this volunteer position.

Duties include:

Conduct group check-in orientation and check-out inspection.

Perform routine custodial, re-stocking of supplies and minor maintenance.

Perform minor grounds maintenance.

Review camp rules and regulations.

Enforce quiet hours.

Responding to camper questions and concerns in the absence of camp staff.

Report or address wildlife pest concerns.

Campground hosts serve as volunteers in the National Park Service’s Volunteer-in-Parks (VIP) Program.

• Camp host or hostess will assist park staff with campground operations. They provide a variety of information to visitors ensuring a safe and positive visitor experience. We ask that camp host volunteers donate a minimum of 32 hours each week. Schedules and hours are somewhat flexible however assistance on the weekend and holidays are required. Camp operations, Host responsibilities and training will be provided upon arrival.  

Additional Information:

Additional information on Catoctin Mountain Park : https://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm

Park History: The following link contains a historic resource study on Catoctin Mountain Park written by Dr. Edmund Wehrle https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/cato/hrs.htm

Owens Creek Campground : Owens Creek Campground - Catoctin Mountain Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Additional information on the Owens Creek Campground Camp Host position:

Rich Condon, Volunteer Coordinator (richard_condon@nps.gov) or Christopher Paolillo, Camp Host Supervisor (christopher_paollillo@nps.gov)

Start Date - 2024-07-23

End Date - 2024-10-31

Activities include: Campground/Site Host