Volunteer Vacations in the Great Outdoors
Adventures in America's Wild Lands with the Wilderness Volunteers
Feb 9, 2009
Volunteers roll up their sleeves and build trails, plant trees, construct bog bridges, and eliminate invasive plant species. It's their bit in encouraging responsible use of America's wild lands. Wilderness Volunteer (WV) projects are set in gorgeous places nationwide, so combining service with vacation travel can create satisfying eco adventures.
Team-based Service Trips
The work projects are team-based, composed of 12 people, including two leaders. It’s approximately a week’s commitment: four work days, one group fun day, and portions of days for arrival/departure. The participants are hard-working, articulate, and well-traveled. The leaders are knowledgeable and accommodating. There’s a spirit of bonhomie. Everyone helps everyone else.
WV supplies all meals and snacks, accommodations, supervision, equipment, and worksite transportation. Volunteers pay a $259 fee, bring their own personal gear (sleeping bag, etc.), and handle their own travel expenses to a common meeting spot. Each trip is unique. Some involve staying at a hostel, tent camping, or packing into a remote region via horses or llamas.
WV stresses that volunteers be prepared physically for hard work and lots of hiking. Big motivation to finally get in shape! Although volunteers do not need previous trail experience for most of the trips, the ones rated “challenging” often have tougher requirements and need more specialized skills.
The Rewards of Eco Tourism
Not only do volunteers walk away at the end of the project in better physical shape, but also with smiles on their faces. They really did make a difference: they installed waterbars (helping to ameliorate trail erosion), enhanced riparian spaces with shade trees (supporting habitat for fish), and removed rusted and rotted fences (eliminating obstacles for migrating elk).
Volunteers have also had a behind-the-scenes view of parks and wild spaces, far beyond the typical tourist contact. Because WV is a proponent of Leave No Trace, the team has learned outdoor living skills and backcountry ethics. Lastly, volunteers have had a bit of an escape from the office and everyday pressures.
Sample of WV Environmental Work Projects
The work projects are carried out in varied settings around the US, usually in partnership with the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and conservancy groups. Trips occur at different times throughout the year and are rated for their difficulty (active, strenuous, and challenging). All details are supplied at Wilderness Volunteers website.
A sample of Wilderness Volunteer trips:
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah
- Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, Hawaii
- Oregon North Coast Habitat Restoration, Oregon
- Caladesi Island State Park, Florida
- Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho
Ready for a challenge? Eager to work in the great outdoors and "give something back"? Pay heed to the wise words of a WV blogger: “Get outside. Have an adventure. Get dirty.”
Volunteer vacations need not be ecologically focused. For those interested in finding other service trips, read Suite101's volunteer travel selection tips from Nate Cavalieri to learn what to look for in picking the right one.
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