By Bob Difley
Volunteering for RVers doesn’t just mean camp hosting. Though there are volunteer positions available to students, retirees and for seasonal needs, RVers who bring their houses with them are top-tier candidates for volunteer positions where local housing may not be available and where there is room to park RVs for the volunteers.
Trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, wildlife census, habitat rejuvenation, leading hikes and nature walks, and many more projects are assignments where volunteers are needed. With budgets pared to the bone, these are often activities/chores that may not be included in that all-encompassing list of things that still need doing, but there just isn’t money for hiring.
When a park or other entity such as a wildlife refuge, state park, national forest or wilderness area can get the job done by offering a free campsite as trade without having to pay a full-time employee or account for it in their expenses, everybody benefits.
Often you can find a volunteer position just by inquiring at the location where you would like to volunteer, making it clear why you want to volunteer at that particular place. Volunteers that are eager for certain locations will win out over those just wanting a free campsite anywhere they can get one.
You never know what might turn up if you just ask — or suggest how you might volunteer. There are several websites that run a list of current offerings. Here are a few:
• At Volunteer Match you can enter your interests and the area where you want to volunteer, and the site will try to match you to a position.
• At Volunteer.gov, volunteers are matched with available positions.
• The book Volunteer Vacations is also a good resource.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing e-books on Amazon Kindle.
photo: public-domain-image.com
