Make A Difference: Volunteer At State Parks And Public Lands

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking volunteers to help care for state parks and public lands.

Volunteers are an integral part of providing excellent customer service to visitors, expanding recreation and education opportunities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or a couple of weeks, your service makes a world of difference.

There are many ways to get involved. Opportunities include:

• Attending a volunteer work day to help clean or enhance a state property
• Attending volunteer events held in cooperation with local Friends Groups
• Scheduling group community service projects
• Leading programs as a naturalist or nature center host
• Greeting visitors in a visitor center
• Performing light maintenance and grounds work
• Making habitat improvements
• Constructing, maintaining and cleaning up trails

To make volunteering easier than ever, the DNR launched their Volunteer Impact System, a new online volunteer portal. The online system helps people search and sign up for volunteer opportunities across a variety of Wisconsin state parks, trails, recreation areas and forests. You can see, share and apply for a variety of volunteer positions across the state on your web browser.

“The public can find volunteer opportunities at their favorite nearby property and also use a variety of search topics to locate opportunities that meet their talents and interests at new locations they’ve been wanting to explore all across the state,” said Janet Hutchens, DNR Friends Group and Volunteer Services Coordinator. “The system will also enable active volunteers to view their schedule, log and track hours, complete select online training, discover new volunteer opportunities and stay current on property volunteer information and DNR news.” 

Learn more volunteer opportunities available at properties across the state here.