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You, too, can help our national gokite parks feel even more special.

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gosurf outthere

gohunt Not all heroes wear capes. Some sport tan shirts. And hats. And carry walkie-talkies.

keep things running smoothly, they create a better experience for everyone. “That’s a park service thing — everyone has This winter, the campgrounds at Oregon rearview to look like a ranger,” says Michael Gould, a semiweekly volunteer at Cape Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke were open year-round — Oregon Inlet for its second consecutive Lighthouse. year and Ocracoke for its first. And, according to National Parks of Eastern NC “I was just thinking I would be in regular Superintendent Dave Hallac, “That is entirely clothes, picking up trash,” the retired air a result of the incredible volunteer support.”traffic controller continues. “I didn’t know I would be interacting with visitors, doing Traditionally, both campgrounds are closed ranger type stuff.” between Thanksgiving and spring break. But now VIP hosts live and work on-site, As part of the Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) checking in guests and cleaning out grills. program, Gould is one of hundreds of Duties that winter’s smaller staffs could never helpful humans who donate time and cover alone. energy to the NPS’ Outer Banks Group (Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort “They are helping us fill gaps,” says Hallac, Raleigh National Historic Site, and the “but they are really helping us do more and Wright Brothers National Memorial). Other do differently and offer experiences that we VIPs work museums and front desks, mow did not offer in the past.” the grass, lead children’s Junior Rangers programs, or feed the Ocracoke Island And not just inside the Seashore. According ponies on the herd staffers’ days off. In days to Scott Babinowich, chief of interpretation, of static budgets, the extra hands don’t just education and visitor services, volunteers

“Slackers wanted!” Deflating tires is one of many duties park volunteers can help perform. Photo: Daniel Pullen

allowed Wright Brothers and Fort Raleigh to develop a distance learning program and make over 1,000 educational contacts during 2020’s COVID months.

“When I think about what we all went through this year, I feel the importance of public lands and the role that they play has really evolved,” he says. “There’s energy behind the parks right now and being active in them.”

All told, Outer Banks Group volunteers — including Boy Scouts, alternative spring breakers, and retirees — number 200-300 and log 25,000-26,000 hours of annual service. Any volunteer who provides 32 hours a week, generally for a 3-monthminimum commitment, can receive free housing — be it an RV pad, campsite or park service housing if available. Volunteers tend to most quickly fill the long-term local campground host, turtle watch, and lighthouse positions. Campground hosts are generally retirees, but also include younger, homeschooling families.

“The lighthouse positions are incredibly popular,” Babinowich says.

No wonder. They’re among the most rewarding roles, providing plenty of oneon-one with curious guests. Usually, Gould answers questions. For adults, that means filling in details on the Hatteras lighthouse’s 1999 move. And kids?

“Kids can throw a curveball,” he says. “One kid asked me how many ghosts lived in the lighthouse.”

Some volunteers, like Gould, work a couple days a week near where they live. Others rove the country, pulling months-long stints in one park, then another, in exchange for housing and personal satisfaction.

“Out of all the things that we’ve done, I like the turtles the best,” says long-time Tennessee resident Donna Ward.

Ward lives in an RV, and usually spends late June to late September volunteering in Buxton with the turtle watch program — the Outer Banks Group’s largest volunteer subprogram. (The 2020 turtle season saw 39 volunteers put in 2,219 hours).

Ward and her husband worked in the evening, marking nests, patrolling the beach, chasing off ghost crabs, and educating passersby about sea turtles.

“It hooked us just on that first experience, that very first nest coming up out of the ground,” she recalls.

But every season could use some help. Posted openings as of January 2021 included two full-time, 4-month interpretation and visitor center volunteers at Fort Raleigh (one for this summer and one for fall) and two 8-hour-a-week visitor center “ volunteers log 25,00026,000 hours of annual servICe. “visitor services volunteers” sought through May — one at Fort Raleigh and one at the Wright Brothers.

Long-term positions often require background and reference checks. And even the short-term spots can fill up quickly. But for those who sign up, the benefits can be as clear and rewarding as helping a struggling camper set up their first tent — or seeing the Milky Way like never before.

“A winter sky might be more spectacular in terms of the stars,” says Hallac. “The wildlife on the beaches may be different; you might see migrating birds instead of nesting birds. You get to see different colors and hues of the sky, and sometimes a more energetic ocean.”

And — thanks to these VIPs — so can we all.

— Corinne Saunders

Want to become a VIP? Go to Volunteer.gov, the national website for volunteer positions, and see what’s available. You can also help the NPS by supporting Outer Banks Forever. Go to www.obxforever.org for a list of current needs.