Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Volunteer, Kent Schlawin helps research, write, and photograph content for online visitors.
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Volunteers-In-Parks brochure displays the diversity of opportunities all over the country in national parks.
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VIP - Volunteer-In-Parks
This page is specific to opportunities at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. You can find us along the Missouri River in downtown Omaha, next to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Our visitor center is located in the Midwest Regional Office of the National Park Service.
Why volunteer?
Help commemorate the legacy of the Lewis &Clark expedition and the history of Omaha by getting involved with your local National Parks site. By volunteering your talents, you help enhance the operations of the Park Service in your local community, and are exposed to numerous learning opportunities in a number of fields. Volunteers have the chance to work closely with the National Parks Service staff and volunteers, and are trained in various skill sets according to position.
Do I need to be a Lewis and Clark expert?
Absolutely not! We welcome anyone who is interested in helping, regardless of their knowledge base. Volunteers will be trained on the basics, and volunteering is a great chance to get a handle on anything from the political history of the expedition to the botanical discoveries made along the trail.
What are the opportunities?
The Lewis &Clark National Historic Trail headquarters is currently looking for volunteers to help with visitor operations, publications management, and social media. On an as-needed basis, we would also love experienced photographers and videographers to contribute their talents. More detailed position descriptions are available below.
Available positions will change, so be sure to check back even if you don't see something you would like to do now.
What's my commitment?
Shifts are available 8am-5pm, 7 days a week, though typically we remain open on weekends only through October. Shift times and flexibility varies by position—for instance, we ask visitor service assistants work 9-1 or 1-5—but can be as short as two hours, and volunteers are asked to commit to at least two months of service. Our greatest need falls during afternoon hours and on weekend days.
What are the requirements?
If under 18, an additional form must be signed by a parent or guardian.
For some positions, a background check may be necessary.
Some positions may require the ability to stand or sit for extended periods of time (see each position for specifics).
How do I apply?
For more information visit volunteer.gov or email lecl_information@nps.gov.
Position Descriptions
Currently available positions are described briefly below.
Visitor Operations
Be the first face visitors see when they walk in the door! Our VO staff is a valuable resource to visitors and appreciated for their ability to tell them more about Lewis and Clark or the National Park Servce than they could get just from our exhibits.
Location: Onsite, Omaha, Nebraska Time commitment: 4 hrs/week
Publication Management
We can always use help managing the ongoing stream of promotional brochures for fellow Natioanl Park Sevice sites that we stock at Lewis and Clark Trail Headquarters, from Rocky Mountain National Park to Death Valley. This person would primarily be responsible for supervising the mailing and receipt of brochures. As well, we are in the process of cataloguing our collection of literature on the land, people, and history of the trail, and could use some help inputting titles into our database, as well as tracking and acquiring new titles.
Location: Onsite, Omaha, Nebraska. Time commitment: Flexible
Social Media Assistant
Do you like to Facebook, Tweet, or otherwise get the word out online? Working with our social media team is a unique opportunity to connect with Lewis &Clark buffs and visitors from across the trail.
Location: Onsite or remote Time commitment: Flexible
Where can I find more information?
If you have questions, please contact us at (402) 661-1804, or email lecl_information@nps.gov.
If you're not in the Omaha area, there are still many opportunities for you to volunteer with the NPS. To find out what opportunities may be close to you visit volunteer.gov or get more information about VIP's from the NPS website.
In the spring of 2021, three AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) were placed at host sites along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. They collaborated on projects to increase capacity at their host sites.
Locations:Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site, Gateway Arch National Park, Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, National Mall and Memorial Parks, National Parks of New York Harbor, New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Sitemore »
Offices:Deputy Director, Congressional & External Relations, Director, Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Directorate, Office of Communications, Partnerships and Civic Engagement Directorate, Volunteersmore »
Current NPS Director Chuck Sams addresses attendees at the 2023 National Trails&Rails Operations Conference.
Locations:Congaree National Park, Fort Monroe National Monument, Gateway National Recreation Area, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Indiana Dunes National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, National Capital Parks-East, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Zion National Parkmore »
Offices:Cooperating Associations, Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Directorate, Junior Rangers, Law Enforcement, Security, and Emergency Services, Volunteers, Wilderness Stewardship, Wilderness Stewardship Division, Office of Communicationsmore »
Date Released:2022-08-25
A variety of National Park Service (NPS) employees, volunteers and partners were honored at a ceremony to Celebrate America’s National Parks and the Dedication of Those Who Serve.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail supports volunteer programs across 4,900 miles. In 2022, volunteers along the trail contributed more than 64,000 hours. Learn about the projects and people that made up this effort.
Ken is now a significant part of the fabric ties Lewis and Clark NHT and Visit Omaha together! Not only has he helped the two organizations collaborate on training and special events, but – even more importantly – Ken is ensuring visitors to both Omaha and the Lewis and Clark NHT get great customer service and tips about the area’s hidden gems.
In the early 19th century, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led an ambitious expedition across the western United States. Lewis and Clark greatly expanded our knowledge of the country’s geography and biological diversity through their specimen collection, mapping of the landscape and detailed journal entries.
This year NASA and the National Park Service encourage the public to follow in these explorers’ footsteps through a new citizen science challenge from June 1 to Sept. 2. Use your smart phone and the NASA GLOBE Observer (GO) app to map land cover along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and elsewhere to assist scientists studying environmental changes.
Hello! Harper here! Today I arrived at Sacajawea State Park, which is located at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers near the town of Pasco in southeastern Washington. Lewis and Clark first passed this spot on October 16, 1805 on their way to the Pacific Ocean. They camped at a well-established gathering place for Native people and it was here the explorers knew where they were for the first time since entering uncharted territory.
It was really exciting to arrive at the trail head for Clark’s Hill/Norton State Historic Site after I learned it follows the same route that Lewis and Clark took on their journey! The Corps of Discovery camped here at the base of what’s called Clark’s Hill. It’s called that because he climbed the hill and wrote about it in his journal. He measured the hill, the Osage and Missouri Rivers, and wrote about Indian mounds that he spotted.
