Thursday, June 30, 2016

Hike with a Purpose!


Volunteers are needed to hike popular trails in the park, such as trails to Comet Falls, Summerland, and Spray Park (3-4 hour round trip hikes); this is to support research on trail conditions and crowding in the park.

Along the trail, volunteers would record the number and time they passed each park visitor. Volunteers would be required to spend a set amount of time at the destination (likely around 20 - 30 minutes) and then asked to record the number and time they pass visitors on their return to the trailhead.

We need approximately 12 - 15 people for this project. Due to a desire for consistent data, preference will be given to folks that can commit to hiking 6 or more surveys (trails to destination and back) on a variety of days.

Required skills:
Diligence in accurately recording encounters
Faithful and timely return of clearly recorded data
The ability to hike in the manner of an "average visitor" (sorry, no trail running)
You will be able to pre-select dates
The ability to fulfill the hiking project in sub-optimal weather (days deemed unsafe for travel will be re-scheduled)
Ability to begin survey at a set time and location (trailhead)

If you are able to fulfill the above description and are interested in Hiking with a Purpose! We would love to talk to you. Please send an email and describe your interest, schedule flexibility and contact information to: shannon_hagen@nps.gov

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Aww Man! I was looking for something like this, Is it still available?

Kevin said...

Austyn, these positions have already been filled for this summer. But check out our blog for lots of other similar options! There's also a good chance we'll be repeating this project next year, so getting in touch with Shannon to let her know your interest wouldn't be a bad idea. Finally, if you send me a note at Kevin_Bacher (at) nps.gov, I can add you to our mailing list for notification of future opportunities. Thanks for your interest!