International Volunteers Stories and News

El Programa de Inventario y Monitoreo está dedicado a aportar la información necesaria para que los directores de los parques tomen decisiones acertadas con base científica. Estas decisiones ayudarán a apoyar la misión del National Park Service, que es conservar los recursos de los espacios más especiales y valorados de América para las generaciones futuras.

Meet Wesley Reverdy from France who spent summer 2022 volunteering with the Sonoran Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network and Chihuahuan Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network. He used his background in natural resource management to participate in studies to determine the current state of wildlife, plant species, water, air, and climate and monitor long-term trends.

Four young Mexican women traveled to Cape Cod National Park to present the case for saving a dying lake in their hometown. They consulted with park staff and stakeholders to gain insights and learn from a successful environmental restoration project and to develop strategies to clean-up their beloved lake.

Follow news stories about the National Park Service’s efforts in international cooperation during the first half of 2023. Learn about collaboration with countries for technical assistance, sister park connections, international volunteers in action, World Heritage sites updates, and more.

Meet Sarah Nolan, an international volunteer from the United Kingdom, who was a volunteer interpretive ranger at Lake Chelan National Recreation Area during 2022. She brought her interest in history and the outdoors to help with historical research, as well as assisting park visitors and giving programs.

Meet Elisa Distefano, an Environmental, Natural Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation Specialist from Rome, Italy. She works in national parks and protected areas around the world and chose to volunteer at North Cascades National Park in 2022 helping with a lot of scientific research.

Meet Josefina Polhammer Aliaga, an international volunteer born and raised in Santiago, Chile. She spent the summer of 2023 volunteering at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park in many roles, including a mule care volunteer, trail steward, boat volunteer, and interpreter giving talks to park visitors.

Meet Erwin Lopez Osorio, an international volunteer from Oaxaca, Mexico. Erwin spent the summer at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico with the International Volunteers In Parks program. He shared his expertise as a biologist, including during research and education programs about birds in the park.

Come work for the National Park Service’s premier science program in Tucson, Arizona! Over the past several years, the Sonoran Desert Network has hosted more than 20 International Volunteers in Parks. Ideal candidates include enthusiastic individuals who are interested in getting lots of excellent fieldwork experience while learning about vegetation and soils monitoring methods, plant identification skills, native plant diversity, and best data management practices.

Interns and volunteers play a variety of essential roles at the Sonoran Desert Network and Desert Research Learning Center. IVIP Wesley Reverdy, from France, is helping to evaluate new methods for bird and bat monitoring and gaining experience in several other areas of conservation science.