Family Getaways: Volunteer at National Parks

This month's Family Fun magazine has a nice article, beginning on page 45, about "Volunteer Outings," by Melissa Gaskill, subtitled "A mom and veteran volunteer shares four easy ways for familys to make a difference on vacation." The ideas include: 1. Count Wildlife (see frogwatch.org); 2. Beautify Our Beaches (see surfrider.org, and, I might add, coastsavers.org); 3. Protect Native Plants (see togethergreen.org); and 4. Volunteer at National Parks (see nps.gov and, I would add, volunteer.gov/gov). In the final section, your own Mount Rainier Volunteer Manager is quoted!

"Our volunteer programs have benefits beyond physical work getting done," says Kevin Bacher, volunteer program manager at Mount Rainier. "They engage people in the parks. Families who come back in the future can say, 'That's my work. I did that.'"

The quote is based on my own experience. Here's a photo of my son Daniel working on Longmire Campground restoration on National Public Lands Day 2007. He's very excited, now that the campground is available for volunteers to use, to return this summer and camp in "his" campsite!