Lava Beds is a very special place to many community members, as well as visitors from far and wide. However, our operating budget is limited, and we cannot accomplish all that we might like to create an optimal park experience. Assistance that helps support the monument and the National Park Service is greatly appreciated, whether from individuals or organizations. No commitment is too big or too small! Donations and volunteer hours can greatly enhance the stewardship of Lava Beds National Monument. Listed below are a few opportunities currently available.

If you wish to make a monetary donation, you may send a check made out to the National Park Service, with a note listing a specific purpose to which you wish to contribute.  Our mailing address is: Lava Beds National Monument, P.O. Box 1240, Tulelake, California, 96134. Donations are tax deductable.  If you have further questions or ideas for contributions, please contact the Superintendent via email at e-mail us, or via phone at 530-667-8101.

Katie Eskra

Youth Education

Support nearby schools visiting Lava Beds on field trips. Local school districts in both Oregon and California are suffering from greatly reduced transportation budgets, which in turn has reduced their ability to allow students to experience the national parks right at their back door. A $110 to $300 donation covers the transportation cost for one busload of students (up to 50) to visit Lava Beds for the day (costs vary from district to district). Lava Beds offers a variety of educational programs that meet elementary and middle school standards for both history and science in a fun and exciting environment that promotes hands-on learning.

Bat Conservation

The Adopt-A-Bat program helps support bat research and conservation at the Lava Beds. Find out how you can adopt and name a baby bat! A great gift for kids of all ages.

• A $10 donation allows you to adopt a Lava Beds bat; packet includes stickers, cards, and a puppet for young conservationists, and instructions on how to build a bat house at home for older 'bat parents'
  
  
• A $25 donation covers the cost of one volunteer night with Lava Beds Resource Management staff to survey for rare Townsend's Big-eared bats (in addition to an Adopt-a-Bat kit)
  
  
• A $100 donation covers the cost of one month of volunteer hours to survey for Townsend's big-eared bats (in addition to an Adopt-a-Bat kit)
  
  
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Multi-Media Projector Maintenance

Interpretive rangers at Lava Beds offer a variety of programs in the park's campground and the local community that depend upon  heavily used digital projectors. A donation of $500 will replace a bulb and provide much-needed service to one of our projectors, and allow high quality multi-media presentations to continue.

Cave Restoration and Litter Cleanup

Old cave trails that used damaging materials plus years of public use in Lava Beds' caves has resulted in cinder dust, clothing lint, litter, and other foreign materials accumulating on cave floors and walls. This debris obscures subtle formations and rock colors in the caves, as well as inhibiting the growth of small cave fauna.

• A $25 donation supports volunteer restoration or litter cleanup in 25 linear feet of a typical lava tube cave
  
  
• A $100 donation supports volunteer restoration or litter cleanup in 50 linear feet of a cave
  
  
• A $200 donation supports volunteer restoration or litter cleanup from 100 linear feet of tube cave

Support a Student Volunteer

Lava Beds  utilizes interns from the Student Conservation Association (SCA) throughout the year to do public outreach, interpretation, research, and resource management work that can't be completed by existing uniformed staff. Many interns from this valuable program go on to pursue careers with land management agencies.

• Contribute $500 to support the work of one conservation intern.
  
  
• Contribute $1,000 to support a conservation intern by subsidizing in-park housing or the partial cost of an internship.
  
  
• Contribute $6,000 to fully support a conservation for a 3-month season, including housing.
  
  
  

 Invasive Weed Control and Native Plant Restoration

• $25 covers either the cost of controlling 25 square feet of weeds or the cost of growing and reestablishing native forbs and grasses such as Balsam Root, Yarrow, Great Basin Wild Rye, and Bluebunch wheatgrass
  
  
• $100 covers either the cost of controlling 100 square feet  of weeds or the cost of growing and reestablishing native shrubs such as Rabbitbrush, Bitterbrush or Sagebrush
  
  
•  $500 covers either the cost of controlling 500 square feet  of weeds or the cost of growing and reestablishing native trees such as  Ponderosa Pine or Quaking Aspen

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Volunteering is a great way to support your National Park Service. Volunteering allows you to experience a park in new ways, give back to national parks, meet new people, have fun, earn credit for school, develop new skills and interests, and so much more.    

From late fall through early spring, our opportunities for volunteering are primarily indoors. Between late spring and early fall, there are many opportunities to volunteer both inside and out of doors working with the public or behind the scenes. Opportunities include tasks such as serving as a campground host, assisting first-time visitors with caving, answering visitor questions, mapping and cleaning caves, controlling weeds, and much more. Recreational vehicle campsites with hookups may also be available for volunteers.

If you have questions about volunteering at Lava Beds National Monument please contact volunteer manager Angela Sutton at 530-667-8119 or e-mail us.

Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)

A great summer job for local high school - aged students, the YCC work for two months in the park helping maintain trails, control exotic weeds, and improve park facilities. At the same time, they learn about the outdoors, first aid, wildlife, caving safety, and a variety of other subjects. It is fun, enriching, character-building hard work! More >>>

Volunteer