Volunteer

Volunteers and park staff standing in front of Big Thicket Visitor Center sign

NPS Photo

Volunteering is a great American tradition! We have many opportunities for volunteers here at Big Thicket.

Being part of the Volunteers-In-Parks team means you get treated like a VIP. The work that volunteers do is very important and can include anything from assisting at the visitor center to helping with resource projects. Volunteers can help at the park regularly or can come out once to donate a few hours of their time. For example, we have events where volunteers can help plant thousands of trees on MLK Day, or join other volunteers picking up trash at day-use areas.

Each year thousands of volunteers contribute millions of hours to the National Park Service and the work they do is important. Their work helps to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources and to educate the public about their public lands.

Volunteer opportunities at Big Thicket can be tailored to both individuals and organizations of any size, and can be a variety of lengths. From one day clean-ups to weekly shifts at the visitor center front desk, we can find a volunteer opportunity that is the best for you.

 

Current Volunteer Opportunities

 

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Look below for some of the volunteer opportunities that we have available at Big Thicket. You can apply for some of these on Volunteer.gov and if you have any questions, feel free to call the volunteer program manager at 409-951-6725 or e-mail us.

Plant a Longleaf Pine Tree

Join Big Thicket National Preserve and our partners for our annual longleaf pine tree planting events! Each winter, volunteers help us plant thousands of longleaf pine seedlings in various areas of the preserve. Join us on Martin Luther King Day and other dates each winter (typically 1 day per month in December, January, and February).

Flash Mob Trash Clean-Up

On the third Saturday of each month volunteers gather at various spots around the preserve for a quick trash clean-up. These clean-ups also allow you to work with other community members to help clean up parts of the park that many people use, so that those areas can remain beautiful and welcoming to the community. This event takes only 2 hours and gives volunteers a chance to give a small amount of their time to help clean-up day use areas of the preserve. This monthly clean-up takes place from October through May. If you are part of an organization that requires volunteer hours, this is a great short-term volunteer opportunity. Look for the location of the clean-up on our social media page.

Resource Projects

Volunteers can assist the resource staff with projects, such as dragonfly larvae sampling, brush clearing, tree planting, and native plant nursery upkeep. Volunteers would be working either inside or outside, depending on the project.

Visitor Center Front Desk

Volunteers staff the front desk in the visitor center, once a week for a 4-hour shift. During that time, volunteers answer visitor questions either by phone or in-person. They also issue camping permits and hunting permits.

Site Stewards

Volunteers who live close to one of our many day use areas can sign up to be “caretakers” of the area. This can include regular trash clean-ups and other general upkeep of the area.

 

Volunteers can plant longleaf pine trees on our annual MLK Day of Service tree-planting event.

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga