Sawtooth NRA Visitor Center Volunteer

Hiring Schedule: We are currently accepting applications through December 7th at which time we review all applications received and reach out to candidates.

Sawtooth NRA Visitor Center Volunteer

One to two volunteer positions or couples with their own RV, are needed to work with the public at the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Visitor Center, 8 miles north of Ketchum. They will be working alongside partners

including but not limited to Environmental Resource Center (ERC) Interpretation and Education staff and Summer Fellows (generally college age). They may also be working alongside other Forest Service Front Desk staff and/or other

partners and volunteers. Managed by the Partnership Coordinator at the Sawtooth NRA Headquarters Visitor Center.

General Responsibilities:

Attend the Sawtooth Interpretive and Historical Association 2-week training and other scheduled trainings throughout the season.

Providing visitor information about the area by phone, email, in person regarding opportunities such as: hiking, backpacking, camping, fishing, rafting, mountain biking, scenic drives, wildlife, historical sites, fire restrictions, wilderness rules and regulations, bear food storage order, and general FS rules and regulations.

Open and close the visitor center daily including maintaining a cash bank and daily sales records. Operate a cash register, point of sale system and credit card machine to sell bookstore items, firewood permits, and park passes. Building maintenance includes vacuuming, dusting, straightening and stocking bookstore inventory and checking public restrooms. Daily copying and folding, stocking breezeway and ordering brochures.

Volunteers need to be able to conduct light physical work such as sweeping, lifting up to 20 lbs (chairs, books, interpretive props), bending/stooping to clean, walking on paved and unpaved trails to and from the visitor center or events.

Special events: Smokey’s B-day, Sawtooth Salmon Festival and/or Farmers Markets. This includes loading vehicles, driving to location, setting up tent and table, plus being in the sun for an afternoon to a full day speaking with the public and take down before returning back home.

Other negotiable duties:

Maintenance- general maintenance of the Sawtooth NRA Visitor Center building itself and grounds around the Visitor Center, fixing small items, mowing the lawn, weed eating, and other small projects that need attention.

Roving- driving around dispersed camping areas and campgrounds nearby engaging campers about bear food storage order, fire regulations and visitor center or campground programs.

Interpretive Services- research, write, and implement interpretive programs including junior ranger, table talks, and campground programs.

Conservation Education- help with summer camps and special program by requests along with ERC staff and Summer Fellows.

Other duties as agreed upon. There may be opportunity to help staff with filing, organizing or scanning documents.

Preferred Qualifications:

The volunteer should have excellent customer service skills, including phone etiquette, and have the ability to read and explain maps. Knowledge of Point-of-Sale systems and Google Suite, or willingness to learn.

Work Environment:

The Visitor Center has about 50-80 visitors per day. If we have two volunteer couples or two single volunteers, hours will be approximately three days on and four days off. You will be working with other volunteers, ERC staff and Summer Fellows, and others. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8-4:30 p.m but could include Saturdays if we have enough staff.

Work will be at the Sawtooth NRA Headquarters Visitor Center which is within walking distance of the RV pad housing. Duties will primarily be inside of the Visitor Center staffing the front desk, tiding up displays inside the visitor center, and some light cleaning and/or general maintenance in and around the Visitor Center. This can involve a lot of sitting and standing.

Work period is generally from around Memorial Day Weekend to after Labor Day. Our busiest times are from mid-June to Labor Day. Evenings can be cold in the early season, but also temperatures in summer months can top out at 90 degrees for a couple of weeks. Our average daytime temps in the summer are mid-60's to mid-80's and lows in the 30's and 40's.

Please bring your own computer to use to research questions and answer e-mails.

Work Schedule:

Volunteer will provide 24 to 28 hours per week of service with possible additional days for special programs or events.

Schedule will be Monday-Wednesday and Wednesday-Friday or Thursday -Saturday if there are special events or we are able to be open on Saturdays.

Benefits Include:

Free RV Pad with electric, water, gas and sewer hook ups. A fire ring and picnic table are not always available.

USFS volunteer and/or Sawtooth NRA volunteer polo shirts available to use.

Please note: There are no lodging quarters, only full hook-up RV pads. Our location has limited cell service directly at the RV site, but most phones work at the Visitor Center, a short walk away. Internet works well in the VC, but not directly at the sites. A mini booster can work at the site (you provide), "star-link" (you provide), or the closest public free Wi-Fi is in Ketchum, 10 minutes away. The two RV pad locations are within walking distance to the Visitor Center. If you wish to have a quieter RV pad experience with lots of wilderness nearby but with close access to town, this is your spot! It is imperative that you get along well with the other volunteer(s), as they are in close proximity to each other. There is a shared laundry that volunteers can use but please be considerate of others as this is a shared space with the Sawtooth Helitack Crew who are also based out of that location. Please make sure to clean up after using the shared laundry facility.

Great location! Close to the wilderness for a hike, mountain or gravel bike on the Harriman Trail, or go fishing in the Big Wood River all of which are nearby! Located about 10 minutes from Ketchum and Sun Valley, you can also enjoy everything the town offers. Many free music opportunities, including the Sun Valley Symphony concerts and other activities abound in Ketchum during the summer months, as well as festivals, farmers markets, and hiking trails. Ketchum/Sun Valley area is truly a wonderful place to be in the summer, with endless wilderness, alpine lakes, towering peaks and hiking trails nearby. We have banks, grocery stores and nearby hospital/clinics in Ketchum. Major chains and box stores are available in Boise, 2.5 hours away, or Twin Falls, 1.5 hours away.

For questions reach out to Sarin LoMascolo at sarin.lomascolo@usda.gov or 208-727-5012

North Zone Partnership Coordinator Sawtooth NRA and Ketchum RD

USFS