Volunteer

 

Volunteers work on projects big and small.

NPS Photo/ Kelly Taylor

Each year, approximately 380 volunteers contribute more than 12,500 volunteer service hours to Padre Island National Seashore! Volunteers play an important role in fulfilling the mission of the National Park Service. From campground hosting, maintaining park facilities, answering visitor questions in the visitor center, or helping biologists study and protect park resources, there are opportunities for volunteers from every background and skillset. Volunteers are essential in helping us complete some of the most important projects in the park.

 

During sea turtle nesting season, volunteers assist NPS biologists with examining nesting turtles.

NPS Photo

Benefits of Volunteering

• Volunteers who earn 250 or more hours can receive a pass entitling them to free entry to all Federal lands for 12 months. The Volunteer Pass is honored nationwide at all National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service areas where standard amenity fees are charged.
• Long term volunteer opportunities are offered by the National Park Service. Full hookup RV spaces may be available.
• All volunteers receive orientation and training.
• The National Park Service is an equal opportunity employer.

Volunteering as an Individual

If you are coming to the park for a single day and want to lend a hand, beach cleanup opportunities are available. Free trash bags are available at the Malaquite Visitor Center. You can walk the beach on your own schedule and clean as you go without a time commitment or application required.

For a reoccurring volunteer role in the park, there are several opportunities in various park divisions. Below is a sample of some of the positions that volunteers fill in the park on a reoccurring or time committed basis.

 

Position Descriptions

Campground Host Volunteer (Division of Visitor and Resource Protection)

Job Description: Campground host volunteers monitor the use of their assigned campground. Daily duties include checking arrivals and departures, reporting daily use to staff, providing maps and information to visitors, and explaining rules and regulations of the campground.  Assistance with campground maintenance is required, such as, minor cleaning, trash pickup and restocking bathrooms.   

Skills needed/preferred: 

The ideal candidate must 

• Have strong communication skills 

• Flexibility with schedule 

• Work well as a team member 

• Be a problem solver 

• Able to operate and communicate using a mobile radio 

• Enjoy talking with and meeting people 

• Ability to effectively deal with stressful situations 

• Work outside in the cold or heat for long periods of time 

• Willingness to live in an area with limited to no cell phone coverage/internet 

Season: Year-round 

Time commitment: The volunteer must commit to a minimum of 32 hour per week for 30 days. 

Visitor Center Information Desk Volunteer (Division of Interpretation and Education)

Job Description: The volunteer performs general customer service and visitor orientation duties in the Malaquite Visitor Center. Engages with park visitors to create informal interpretive opportunities to connect the visitor with the park resources.  Answers park phones and provides visitor information.   

Skills needed/preferred: 

The ideal candidate must 

• Have strong communication skills 

• Communicate effectively orally and in writing 

• Work well as a team member  

• Be a problem solver  

• Able to operate and communicate using a mobile radio  

• Enjoy talking with and meeting people  

• Ability to effectively deal with stressful situations 

• Be willing to use common office and communication equipment such as the xerox machine and telephone 

Season: Year-round 

Time commitment: The volunteer must commit to a regular schedule of a minimum of 1 hour per week. 

Administrative Support Volunteer – General (Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery)

Job Description: The volunteer performs various clerical and administrative support duties. Work is performed in an office that is closed to the public. Work is sedentary. 

Skills needed/preferred: 

The ideal candidate must 

• Have strong communication skills 

• Communicate effectively orally and in writing 

• Possess exceptional organizational skills 

• Be able to efficiently file, sort and organize 

• Have mid-level data entry and word processing skills 

• Be familiar with and comfortable using excel and word 

• Be willing to use common office and communication equipment such as the xerox machine and telephone 

• Be able to pass a complete government background investigation prior to beginning volunteer work 

Season: Year-round 

Time commitment: The volunteer must commit to a minimum of 16 hours per month. 

Necropsy Lab Technician Volunteer (Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery)

Job Description: The volunteer performs various clerical and administrative support duties in the Necropsy Lab, assists biologists doing necropsies by taking notes, labeling samples, or taking photographs, assists with the field documentation of stranded turtles, assists with the transport of live and dead stranded turtles. 

Skills needed/preferred: 

The ideal candidate must 

• Have the ability to lift at least 50 pounds 

• Stand on concrete floors for long periods of time 

• Work outside in the cold or heat for long periods of time 

• Communicate effectively orally and in writing 

• Possess exceptional organizational skills 

• Have mid-level data entry and word processing skills 

• Be familiar with and comfortable using excel and word 

• Be willing to use common office and communication equipment such as the xerox machine and telephone 

• Be able to pass a complete government background investigation prior to beginning volunteer work 

Season: Year-round 

Time commitment: The volunteer must commit to a minimum of 16 hours per month. 

 

Every year, volunteer groups help keep our beaches clean.

NPS Photo/ Sue Wolfe

Volunteering as a Group

Organized groups such as scout groups, civic organizations, or business employee groups who wish to volunteer in the park can do so by organizing a beach cleanup. Before contacting the park to plan your group's beach cleanup, please review the requirements below.

• To qualify for free park admission with your volunteer group, each participant is expected to pick-up four (4) 13-gallon bags of trash.
• The park will provide trash bags to your group. Dumpsters are located next to beach entrances.
• Groups must provide their own transportation in the park. 4-wheel drive is recommended when driving on the beach.
• The group organizer must contact the park volunteer coordinator a minimum of 3-weeks prior to the group's arrival to the park to plan the beach cleanup.

 

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Select the open positions below to be taken to the application page.

 

Contact Us

For general inquiries about volunteer opportunities email the park Volunteer Coordinator.

 

NPS Volunteer Homepage

Volunteers-In-Parks