Visitor Center Volunteer

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Overview:

As a uniformed volunteer with the National Park Service, the volunteer serves as a front-line representative of the agency. The volunteer is responsible for providing current, accurate information about El Morro National Monument and the National Park Service (NPS) to visitors, along with information on surrounding areas.

This volunteer position is slated to run for approximately 3 months; however, the start and end dates are somewhat flexible. If the volunteer wishes, there may be an opportunity to extend the position, provided there is available housing, and at the discretion of the agency. Before entering on duty, the volunteer must pass a required background check.

Special Physical Requirements:

The volunteer will potentially spend a significant amount of time standing. From time to time, the volunteer may be asked to drive a government vehicle. The volunteer will rove park trails of uneven terrain. Park trails climb 250 feet and are moderately strenuous. The volunteer can assist with light trail maintenance while following park safety protocols in accordance with the volunteer's own comfort level and physical abilities.

Housing:

Please Note: Volunteers must work 32 hours a week to receive park housing. A minimum commitment of 3 months is required.

Housing is provided on-site, free of charge. Depending on availability, the housing may be either an efficiency apartment, or it may be shared housing in a bunkhouse, where the volunteer has his/her own bedroom, and the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and communal spaces are shared (0 to 2 other housemates). Housing is co-ed, and housemates may be of the same or opposite sex. Pets are not allowed in park housing. El Morro is located in a rural area, approximately 50 miles from the town of Grants, NM. A personal vehicle is a necessity.

Supervisory Controls

The volunteer works under the direct supervision of the Lead Interpretive Ranger. After receiving specific instructions, the volunteer performs routine assignments independently. The supervisor is available when problems or unusual situations arise. The supervisor spot-checks routine work for accuracy, with a closer review performed for more difficult or non-routine assignments.

Complexity

The volunteer contacts visitors, conducts sales, disseminates information, and is occasionally required to perform multiple tasks. Assignments are primarily repetitive, consisting of clearly defined tasks. Questions regarding non-routine tasks are referred to the supervisor.

Goal / Outcome of job:

The results of the incumbent's activities contribute to visitor enjoyment and understanding of the park area and the public’s appreciation of the National Park Service mission. These activities affect the NPS and its employees, visitors, land managers, and neighbors.

Compensation

Housing and utilities are provided on-site. There is no stipend or monetary compensation.

Description of El Morro National Monument

All other rocks in America do not together hold so much history as do those of El Morro National Monument. Rising 200 feet above the valley floor, this massive sandstone bluff was a welcome landmark for weary travelers. A reliable waterhole hidden at its base made El Morro (or Inscription Rock) a popular campsite. Beginning in the late 1500s Spanish explorers and missionaries, followed by American surveyors, western immigrants, and soldiers, passed by El Morro. While they rested in its shade and drank from the pool, many inscribed their signatures, dates, and messages. Ancestral Puebloans, living in a 600-room pueblo on top of the bluff over 700 years ago, began this trend by carving hundreds of petroglyphs. El Morro was proclaimed the second National Monument in the National Park system on December 8, 1906. The vast continuum of human history inscribed upon the rock and preserved in the ancient ruins makes El Morro National Monument a handbook of the cultural history of the Southwest. The majestic bluff, shady pool, high desert forest (7200 ft.), and sweeping vistas make this a natural wonder as well.

Start Date - 2025-05-11

End Date - 2025-08-31