# Volunteer Positions Available on the Ocala National Forest



## cemmons (Feb 17, 2011)

VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE ON THE OCALA NATIONAL FOREST

Work with US Forest Service personnel on the 383,000 acre Ocala National Forest.  Located north of Orlando, The Ocala is the southernmost national forest in the continental US.  It is one of the most heavily used national forests in the country.

OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE (OHV) TRAIL MAINTENANCE: Assist with the construction and/or maintenance of the Ocala NF (OHV) trails; work alongside Forest Service employees in constructing, signing and maintaining 187 miles of OHV trails.  Spend some time at one of our OHV trailheads and help riders learn about the 187 miles of OHV trails.  Staff provides riders with information about the trails, the fee system, rider behavior, trail safety and required equipment.

HIKING TRAIL MAINTENANCE: Sign travel ways throughout the forest to designate legal routes for forest visitors; construct trailheads; rehabilitate old trails that are not needed for access; educate visitors and local residents about the trail system.

DEVELOPED RECREATION MAINTENANCE:  Assist Forest Service staff and volunteers with the maintenance of recreation areas on the forest.  Recreation maintenance personnel help keep our recreation areas beautiful and safe for our visitors.   Duties include mowing, trash disposal, painting, restrooms, carpentry, and pressure washing.  Recreation maintenance is a great way to see all of the recreation areas on the forest.

VISITOR CENTER OPERATIONS:  Assist with the day to day operations of any of 3 Visitor Centers.  The Visitor Centers play an important role in educating the public about the Ocala National Forest, available activities, and Forest Service policies.  Primary duties include cash register operation, sale of merchandise and passes, and customer education.  We keep the Visitor Centers open as often as we can with available staffing but strive for Friday-Sunday at a minimum.  If you enjoy meeting folks from all over and talking to people the Visitor Centers are great places to work.

CAMPGROUND HOST:  Campground hosts live on site and get a free full hook-up site in exchange for performing various duties.  Hosts first and foremost represent the Forest Service and may be the first representative of the forest that a camper will encounter.  Hosts must provide a pleasant and professional image to the visitors.  Hosts also help maintain the campground by performing a variety of tasks which may include mowing, trash, restrooms- tasks vary by campground.  Campground hosts also log in campers and do compliance checks.  Some campgrounds have day use areas that the host also monitors.

For more information please contact:
Christopher Emmons
cemmons@fs.fed.us


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