It seems as though we have skipped right over autumn and jumped headfirst into winter. The nights are getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and snow is starting to accumulate at Paradise. Every morning when I come into my office at Longmire, I am walking across frosted sidewalks and white grass. With winter comes the announcement of the Winter Operations Training for volunteers and interpretation staff.
The Winter Operations training will be DECEMBER 19th FROM 9:00am TO 5:00pm, and we will be meeting in the Community Building at Longmire, adjacent to the Longmire Stewardship Campground, for the first portion of the training. This training will cover the paperwork necessary to become a Snow Rover (the position description and responsibilities are different from Meadow Roving and modified from last year's Snow Rovers, so anyone wanting to Snow Rove this year will NEED to fill out a new volunteer agreement), an introduction to the roles of different divisions in the park, general safety, the art of informal interpretation, and the operations of both Longmire and Paradise programs throughout the winter. We will cap off the day with an example Ranger led snowshoe walk out of Paradise introduce you to "a day in the life" of a snow rover.
It is important to stress that Nordic Patrol, Winter Interpreters, Snow Rovers, and Meadow Rovers are each different volunteer positions, and each requires a separate volunteer agreement. If you are already signed up as a Meadow Rover, for example, you are not automatically also a Snow Rover. The duties and priorities are different, and if you have registered as a Meadow Rover or were a Snow Rover last year but haven't yet signed paperwork as a Snow Rover this year, you are notauthorized to do the work. If you are interested in participating and cannot make it to the training on DECEMBER 19th, contact Ian (ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov) and make arrangements to sign up.
5-Minute Presentations Are Needed!
We will begin the Winter Operations Training with a series of BRIEF presentations on winter safety topics, such as the 10 Essentials, preventing falls, snow shoveling, hypothermia, dehydration, frostbite, winter driving, cold and flu prevention, etc. If you would like to put together a 5 minute presentation on one of these topics, or something similar, please let us know when you RSVP, and we will add you to the schedule!
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Please RSVP to ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov in advance to make sure we have enough materials and space available in the Community Building before December 19th. If you have any questions about registering or that should be brought up in the training, please also send them to Ian in advance so we can better prepare!
Take a look at this list if you are interested in Snow Roving this year:
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We look forward to a fantastic winter!
