Volunteer eNews April 2015

Host openings, volunteer projects, summer is coming!

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April 2015

Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites

> IN THIS ISSUE: Host openings, volunteer projects and spotlights, summer is coming!

host

Hosts serve in a variety of ways!

Pictured here are hosts from Laura S. Walker State Park. This past fall they bailed pine straw to help increase park revenue for park renovations and operations. 

Host Availability

Thomas

SAM Shortline

Seeking hosts for immediate openings.  Particularly for the Thomas the Tank Engine train September through November 2015. 

Apply here.

FY

Fort Yargo

Due to last minute cancellations, one of our most popular parks has vacancy. 

Apply here.

HLC

Hard Labor Creek

This quiet park is tucked away from the chaos. Golf and maintenance hosts are needed.

Apply here.

gtb

George T. Bagby

Seeking Marina and Golf Course hosts. 

Apply here.


Jekyll Island

Seeking 4 hosts. Contact Ronnie Douglas at rdouglas@jekyllisland.com. Check out our website at www.jekyllisland.com

 

turtle


Upcoming Volunteer Projects and Events

Stewardship Saturday

panola

Panola Mountain State Park - Stockbridge, GA Join us as we partner with the South River Watershed Alliance to help clean-up and restore native vegetation to the bank of the South River. Wear work shoes and long pants and bring gloves and a water bottle. Meet at Alexander Lakes Area Parking Lot. Registration in advance required. 770-389-7801.

Saturday, Apr 25, 2015 9 AM to 1 PM

View Event

Trail Volunteers Needed

New Echota

New Echota Historic Site - Calhoun, GA We'll be working on the Pond Overlook Trail (1/3 m) and the New Town Creek Nature Trail (1 m) including cleaning signs, staining tables and repairing footbridges to get these trails in great shape for the visitors at New Echota. Pack a lunch and join us during one of the prettiest months at New Echota. 706-624-1321.

Saturday, Apr 25, 2015 9:30 AM to 1 PM

View Event

Help Restore the Power House

High Falls

High Falls State Park - Jackson, GA The park recently received fund to restore and preserve the old powerhouse. If you would like to volunteer, please come to one of our work days. Please bring gloves and garden tools. $5 parking. 478-993-3053.

Sunday, Apr 26, 2015 2 PM to 4 PM

View EventView More Events

Volunteer Spotlight

Columbus Metal Trades Volunteers Help Prevent Electrical Shock Hazards at Florence Marina State Park

Nashville, TN – Under the banner of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Work Boots on the Ground program, members of the Columbus Metal Trades Council (CMTC) volunteered their time and skills on Saturday, Feb. 21, to inspect six boat docks and 66 boat slips at Florence Marina State Park for electrical hazards and make needed repairs, saving the park $1,500 to $2,000.

James Carr, Curtis Culpepper and Mike Culpepper, members of Electrical Workers Local 613, along with project leader Dave Hall, a member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 85, and Trish Carr looked for exposed wiring, broken receptacle covers, bad ground fault circuit interrupters and other hazards that could put boat slip tenants and park visitors at risk.


Rivers Alive

DNR Staff are pitching in to do their part!

Even the staff at Department of Natural Resources volunteer.  Next week the Environmental Protection Division, Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, Law Enforcement Division, DNR Board, Commissioner’s Office and DNR Foundation members will be volunteering for the afternoon on a Rivers Alive project, clearing trash from the trails, lake and Sweetwater Creek at Sweetwater Creek State Park.  One of the closest state parks to metro-Atlanta. We are looking forward to a chance to escape the office and make a difference in the natural surroundings we work hard to preserve.

Volunteer Hours and Admin

Logging Your Hours

We rolled out the new volunteer hour tracking option in December 2014. It took a little longer than expected but now the 2014 hours have been transferred over and all incentives earned since then have been mailed out. 

Here is the website for more information on Volunteer Hours and how incentives are earned.

You can see how many hours you have recorded or were transferred over from 2014 by logging into your time sheet.https://www.ourvolts.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/timesheet

Using this neat Stats feature, you can see where you are in the overall documentation of hours for volunteers all over the state: https://www.ourvolts.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/stats

Thank you for your patience as we transitioned to this new tracking software. Your information is now accessible by you, park managers as well as myself. However, it is completely private and not accessible by anyone outside of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. 


Volunteers Defined: We love and need them all!

Community Volunteers-Help on a day-to-day basis at a Park as they are available. Our community volunteers help with leading hikes, helping with maintenance, assisting with the visitor or retail center, guide new visitors to park activities and locations. Those volunteering more than once per month or planning to volunteer more than 20 hours per year need to update registration.

Hosts (Campground, Yurt, Maintenance, Golf, Train)-Stay in their personal RV at designated free Host Site for 2-6 months in exchange for a minimum of 24 hours of volunteer work.  Host duties include: visitor assistance and maintenance.  All hosts are required to update registration to still be considered for hosting.

Group Volunteers-This is for Churches, Corporations, Scouts and Universities who want a tailor-made project that will strengthen the group as individuals as well as a team morale while assisting Georgia State Parks. Only the group leader will need to be registered in our system.


How are we doing?

In order for Georgia State Parks to continue to thrive and grow, even in these lean budget times, we need to get feedback from those that utilize our services and Parks. As Volunteers and Hosts, you have the same rights and anonymity in park observations and feedback as our Park Staff.  Please use this quick survey form to share your experiences with us.

Thanks for reading!  Please feel free to share with others.  If you need to contact me, Georgia State Parks Volunteer Coordinator: nyleta.wallace@gadnr.org

As always, thank you for being a steward for Georgia State Parks!

Have a great day!

Helpful Links:

eNews Archived - http://gastateparks.org/volunteer/news

Log your Hours - http://gastateparks.org/volunteer/hours

See your recorded hours - https://www.ourvolts.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/timesheet

Volunteer Hour Stats - https://www.ourvolts.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/stats

How are we doing?

In order for Georgia State Parks to continue to thrive and grow, even in these lean budget times, we need to get feedback from those that utilize our services and Parks. As Volunteers and Hosts, you have the same rights and anonymity in park observations and feedback as our Park Staff.  Please use this quick survey form to share your experiences with us.

Thanks for reading!  Please feel free to share with others.  If you need to contact me, Georgia State Parks Volunteer Coordinator: nyleta.wallace@gadnr.org

As always, thank you for being a steward for Georgia State Parks!

Have a great day!

Helpful Links:

eNews Archived - http://gastateparks.org/volunteer/news

Log your Hours - http://gastateparks.org/volunteer/hours

See your recorded hours - https://www.ourvolts.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/timesheet

Volunteer Hour Stats - https://www.ourvolts.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/stats