Litter & Graffiti Buster - (Locals Only)

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Become a Litter & Graffiti Buster at Zion National Park!

Zion National Park (ZION) is searching for local individuals who wish to serve as Litter & Graffiti Busters! This position is intended for folks who live locally in southwestern Utah throughout the year. This position requires volunteers to serve at least 8 hours per month, for at least 10 months of the year. If you love hiking, talking to travelers, making visible contributions to protecting national public lands, working in a team, and Zion National Park - this might be the position for you!

At this time, the Volunteer Office is hoping to recruit about 5 additional Litter & Graffiti Busters. Application is not a guarantee of acceptance into the Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) Program. Preference will be given to applicants who fully meet the requirements of the position.

• Housing is not available for this position.
• This position is notcurrently available to international applicants.
• This position is not currently available to youth applicants (under 18 years old).
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the intention of new volunteers starting by Memorial Day weekend.

Site Description

Located in Washington, Iron, and Kane Counties in southwestern Utah, Zion National Park (est. 1919) encompasses some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. Within its 232 square miles are high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep, sandstone canyons, and the Virgin River and its tributaries. Zion also has 2,000-foot Navajo Sandstone cliffs, pine- and juniper-clad slopes, and seeps, springs, and waterfalls supporting lush and colorful hanging gardens.

The geologic formations of Zion--formed over approximately 250 million years--record periods of time when this area was covered by a shallow sea; when huge, sluggish rivers, bordered by swamplands, meandered across the landscape; and when a vast desert--perhaps the largest on the planet--covered the region. The sand dunes of this desert are now Zion's famous sculpted and colorful 2,000-foot cliffs.

The heart of Zion National Park is a secluded canyon that lies amidst this striking landscape. It includes lands originally protected by Mukuntuweap National Monument (est. 1909) and Zion National Monument (est. 1918). The soaring sandstone cliffs, the deep ravines, and the seemingly hidden river valleys have been important to both Indigenous people and European American settlers for thousands of years.

Since 2010, the park has witnessed a steep increase in visitation. The number of visits has risen from about 2.6 million to a peak of more than 5 million - this is an increase of about 90%. Zion National Park is among a small group of national park areas to ever exceed 5 million annual visits. In 2024, ZION was the second-most visited National Park, with 4.94 million recreational visitors. Volunteers assist park efforts to meet the needs of visitors.

Service Description - Litter & Graffiti Buster

For purposes of this Service Description, the term "trail" is not limited to hiking trails, but also includes trailheads, parking lots, shuttle stops, visitor congregation areas, overlooks, and points of interest.

Litter & Graffiti Busters serve as an invaluable part of Zion National Park’s continuous efforts to reduce resource damages caused by litter and graffiti build-up in Zion Canyon and East Zion front country areas. While on-duty and in-uniform, Litter & Graffiti Busters are an official representative of the National Park Service. Litter & Graffiti Buster duties include but are not limited to:

• Removing litter, graffiti, and rock cairns in visitor congregation areas such as trails, parking lots, and other points of interest using trash grabbers, gloves, brushes, and other approved equipment. This equipment will be provided by the park.
• Roving front country areas and providing orientational, wayfinding, Leave No Trace, and preventative search and rescue information to visitors.
• Reporting any graffiti found and/or removed to the Volunteer Program Coordinator with the date, location, type of graffiti (ex. rock scratch or spray paint), size, time to remove, and a photograph before/after. Graffiti in Wilderness areas, near cultural sites, or containing offensive language will require more documentation.
• Reporting the number of visitors contacted, observations of interest, and condition of resources in areas of concern (safety, trash build-up, resource damage).
• Optionally, Litter & Graffiti Busters may attend monthly group clean up events with NPS staff in harder hit areas, such as East Zion or the Narrows.
• Contacting emergency personnel and/or ZION Dispatch, when necessary, by phone or by radio.
• Litter & Graffiti Busters may only rove in designated front-country locations unless under the direct in-person supervision and direction of an NPS supervisor.

Uniforms

Zion Canyon Trail Rovers will be provided with a Volunteers-in-Parks uniform. This uniform consists of tan button-down shirts (short-sleeve or long-sleeve) with the Volunteers-in-Parks insignia, a tan hat (baseball cap or wide-brimmed hat) with the Volunteers-in-Parks insignia, and weather appropriate outerwear (raincoat, jacket, vest, winter knit hat). Litter & Graffiti Busters may also be provided with a wicking, sun-protective t-shirt with the Volunteers-in-Parks insignia.

Volunteers are required to supply their own pants (tan or brown preferred), shoes (closed toe and appropriate for hiking), and socks. Reimbursements or allowances for these items will not be provided.

After one-year of service, volunteers will be eligible for a personalized nametag. Volunteers may wear a standard "Volunteer" nametag during their first year of service.

Training

Volunteer training will include general park orientation (natural and cultural resources, recreational opportunities, and park operations), orientation to the Volunteer Program (requirements, statistics reporting, benefits), and emergency training.

New volunteers will be provided with opportunities to shadow NPS staff and experienced volunteers before volunteering on their own.

Group orientation training will be available for new volunteers in-person and online in May.

Housing

Housing will not be available for this position. Applicants must have permanent residency within the local commuting area (Springdale, Rockville, La Verkin/Hurricane, Cedar City, Kanab, St. George areas).

Applicant Qualifications

• Selectees must be available to volunteer for 8 hours per month, for at least 10 months out of the year. Preference will be given to applicants who can commit to volunteering 8+ hours per month year-round.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal residents. This position is not currently open to international applicants.
• Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at time of application.
• Applicants must live within reasonable regular commuting distance of Zion National Park.
• Applicants must have a reliable method of traveling to the park (i.e. personal vehicle or live within walking or biking distance of the park).
• Applicants must possess strong customer service and communication skills.
• Selectees will be relied upon to autonomously represent park policies.
• Applicants must keep accurate record of their monthly hours and visitor contacts made.
• Litter & Graffiti Busters must be able to hike for distances of at least 3 miles on uneven surfaces in temperatures ranging from 20°F to 110°F.
• Litter & Graffiti Busters must be able to comply with the ZION Graffiti Removal Standard Operating Procedure.
• Litter & Graffiti Busters must keep record of graffiti instances found and removed in the park and report them to the Volunteer Program Coordinator.

Directions for Application

• All applications must be for one (1) individual. Couples interested in volunteering must apply separately and have their own Login.gov accounts.
• In the "Skills and Abilities" section of the application, please let us know why you are interested in volunteering at Zion National Park and any relevant skills and/or experiences you have!
• Before applying, please consider your willingness, ability, and availability to volunteer 8+ hours/month throughout the year.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. You may be contacted about a phone interview.

Additional Volunteering Opportunities at ZION:

Other volunteer positions currently available include:

• Zion Canyon Trail Rover
• Bike Ambassador

If you are interested in volunteering under a different volunteer position (ex. with ZION’s Vegetation, Wildlife, Cultural Resources, Physical Science, Maintenance, Visitor Use Management, Campgrounds, Visitor Center, Education, Kolob Canyons or Artist-in-Residence teams), please email zion_vip_mailbox@nps.gov).

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Zion National Park!

Start Date - 2025-05-26

End Date - 2026-05-25