Georgia State Parks and Historic Site - Volunteer eNews

Georgia Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 09/22/2016 11:25 AM EDT

Your State Parks Day, It's fall, y'all, projects on the horizon

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September 2016

> IN THIS ISSUE: Your State Parks Day, 2017 projects, and more

National Public Lands Day and Your State Parks Day

National Public Lands Day is Saturday, September 24, 2016! This annual event has been celebrated across the country for over two decades, and today it’s the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands in the country. Join friends and neighbors in educational, recreational, and volunteer events on public lands large and small, from national parks and forests, wildlife refuges, historic sites, state parks, and local and regional parks and gardens. Public lands make up 30% of the land in the country, so no matter where you live, there’s a good chance that there’s a great place nearby to get outside and take part.

Whether it’s taking a geology hike, helping in an ecological restoration project, or enjoying a group kayaking trip, there are events planned for people of all ages and interests. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is also a fee-free day on many federally managed public lands, so if there’s a park you’ve been eyeing, NPLD is a great time to visit a new spot, or to revisit an old favorite. Get outside and celebrate the public lands we all enjoy!

Find out what’s happening where you live. Visit the National Public Lands Day map to search for events by state or zip code. Most events take place rain or shine, so check the local forecast and prepare for all kinds of weather.

Follow the latest NPLD updates across the country by checking #NPLD on Twitter and Facebook.

Need more inspiration? Enjoy this beautiful video and share it with a friend! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgCgPrxZBXE

I will see you out there Saturday!

*A big thank-you to Friends of Georgia State Parks for allowing us to offer free entrance to Parks Volunteers on this special day!

Hosts Needed! Apply Within...

Golf Host at The Creek

Train Host at SAM Shortline

Campground Host at General Coffee

Learn more about the specific host sites throughout the state

Here is the document that many of you have already helped us create by sharing your descriptions of the host site at the park and pictures. We would love more information to help share this with incoming hosts. Can you help us make it more complete?

If you have more information or pictures to share you can contact Carly Nielsen, the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator at carly.nielsen@dnr.ga.gov

Link to PDF of Descriptions

Logging Your Volunteer and Host Hours

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.http://www.trackitforward.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.trackitforward.com/site/georgia-state-park-and-historic-sites-volunteers-and-hosts/stats

Thank you for your patience as we transitioned to this tracking software in 2014. 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, Volunteer Manager: nyleta.wallace@dnr.ga.gov

Carly Nielsen the Assistant Volunteer Coordinator at carly.nielsen@dnr.ga.gov

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