Each month we will be highlighting various opportunities, events, and notable volunteers. Check out our website, and call or email us for any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you at Indiana Dunes National Park!
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Sheleice Miller
Volunteer Sheleice Miller has made a great impact in the park in less than a year of service. Every week, Sheleice volunteers at the Douglas Center as a Critter Sitter, cleaning the cages of the rescued reptiles and amphibians and making sure they're getting food and water. She has also served the park as a Beach Cruiser and a member of the Farm and Garden Crew. The park would suffer without the help of regular volunteers like Sheleice. Thank you for all you do!
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The sunset over Lake Michigan sets the clouds afire. Photo by Paul Kemiel.
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Volunteer Appreciation Night
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Saturday, August 14, 6-8pm at Chellberg Farm
Join us for music, food and drink, and a big celebration of all your hard work over the past year! Bring your choice of seating (e.g. beach or camp chairs) as none will be provided. Volunteers and their loved ones welcome but please RSVP with your group count ahead of time via email so we can appropriately prepare. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Join the River Crew!
The summer is upon us and the River Crew is BUSY! Join one of our two teams and help clear the East Branch of the Calumet River for paddling. For more information, watch the recording of our season kick-off meeting here. To get started with either River Crew or River Scouts, email us at parkconnection@gmail.com.
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Volunteers Needed for Barn Building
We are having a barn raising! The Indiana Dunes National Park is seeking skilled tradespeople and others who love to build things to assist with the construction of a 72' x 36' pole barn to be used for the Natural Resource division's equipment storage. Construction is scheduled to begin the first week of July at the park headquarters in the NW corner of the property. Work will be conducted both during the weekdays as well as some weekends. If you are interested in helping the park's crew build the structure, please contact Chief of Resource Management Dan Plath at daniel_plath@nps.gov or 219-871-9559.
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Nature Craft Volunteer Needed
The Douglas Center is seeking a volunteer to design a weekly nature craft for the Douglas Center's weekend open houses. The volunteer could come in any time the Douglas Center is open and would find or design a simple nature-themed craft and make an example with step-by-step instructions. The park will provide all materials. Visitors can then make their own version of the craft and take home the finished product. If you'd be interested in this weekly position, please email Ranger Kip Walton.
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Farm and Garden Updates
Community Volunteer Ambassador Sarah Sherwood is working in the garden from 9am-12pm most Thursdays and Volunteer Supervisor Bill Smith is there on Sundays. Feel free to come join them and get your hands dirty! Email parkconnection@gmail.com with questions or to confirm the schedule.
Volunteer Supervisor and Ranger Bill Smith has created a new weekly update for the Farm and Garden Crew as the summer season ramps up. The most recent update (June 26) can be found here; if you'd like to receive future updates, please email williamsmith3704@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.
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Drop-In Volunteering
Saturday, July 17th, 9am-12pm
Meet at Park Connection Office
Drop-in volunteering provides hassle-free opportunities at Indiana Dunes! With no previous sign-up or experience required, drop-ins are perfect for those with just a few hours of free time. Events are held on the third Saturday of the month at the Park Connection Office (618 N. Mineral Springs Rd.). Projects vary by date and season, but can include working with invasive species, and land and building restoration.
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Trash Trekkers
Every day 9am-4pm
Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center
Trash Trekkers is an easy way to get involved at the park at your convenience! Simply check in at the Visitor Center on Route 49 to receive trash bags, then choose from one of our many beaches or hiking trails to collect trash. Visitors are awarded with a free, reusable water bottle for filling up their bags. Together, we can keep our beaches beautiful!
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Public Programming is Back!
After a long year of COVID, we are excited to announce that we have resumed our full schedule of public programs! From guided hikes to campfire talks to stargazing, there is something for everyone. See the full calendar of events on our Facebook page and our website or pick up a hard copy of our schedule at the Visitor Center (1215 N State Road 49, Porter, IN, open every day 8am-6pm).
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Run America's Race on September 11th at West Beach
The National Park is partnering with Leon's Triathlon and Team Rubicon Disaster Response to present the inaugural "America's Race" on September 11, 2021 at West Beach. This event is part of a national recognition of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and honors our military veterans and first responders.
The 5K and 10K championship features obstacles representing numerous American conflicts. Race participants will fight their way through the forests of the Revolutionary War, crawl through the trenches of WWI, and run up sand dunes in the Middle East, among other obstacles. Be prepared to bear crawl, carry sandbags, and drag dummies.
Military veterans and first responders will get the first chance to sign-up. Registration will then be open to the general public and capped at 250 contestants. For more information on this race event, visit the race website.
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what's new
with the Friends
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The Friends of Indiana Dunes, Inc. sponsor invaluable educational and recreational opportunities. Since 1982, our mission is: “to enhance and foster understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the Indiana Dunes through financial and volunteer support of the National and State Parks as well as the Dunes Learning Center”.
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The Friends will not be hosting any events in the National Park in July, but they will be active in the state park. Please email them at angel@dunefriends.org for more information about upcoming activities.
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Interested in helping? Contact Friends Chair Angel Goins at 219-707-3617. Hours donated on Friends projects that benefit the National Park count as VIP hours.
www.friendsofindianadunes.com
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Are you bored at home, missing the excitement of serving the park? Never fear, you can volunteer without ever leaving your computer! Below is a list of free trainings that may help you prepare to get going when we reopen -- or just stimulate your mind! Time spent on training DOES count for volunteer hours, so make sure to include it on your monthly hours report.
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Trail Riding 101
Equine professionals created this course to prepare riders to make informed decisions when riding horses on trails. This 3-5 hour course will prepare you to take on Indiana Dunes' riding trails like a pro!
Find course here.
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Foundations of Interpretation
This introductory course provides the philosophical groundwork for why we do interpretation, what interpretation is, and how interpretation works form personal connections between the meanings of the resources and the interests of the audience.
Earn certificate issued by the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, Indiana University
Find course here.
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Leave No Trace Online Awareness Course
This brief course will provide you with a better understanding of recreation-related impacts, the Seven Principles and how Leave No Trace skills and ethics can help protect the outdoor places we love.
Earn Leave No Trace certificate
Find course here.
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Trail Safe!
This program is a unique safety training program designed specifically for National Park Service (NPS) Trail Volunteers, but is useful to everyone! It's based upon NPS Operational Leadership Training, where the Human Factor of safety is explored. Trail Safe! captures the core learning objectives of the 16-hour Operational Leadership course while allowing volunteers to learn from their homes online.
Earn Trail Safe! certificate, SPE/GAR card, and pin
Find course here.
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Introduction to the National Park Service
Learn about the ideas that formed and later transformed the National Park Service (NPS), the people who generated those ideas, and the laws that continue to shape the NPS today.
Earn certificate issued by the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, Indiana University
Find course here.
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Fire Extinguisher Training
National Park Service employees are required to complete annual fire extinguisher training. It's important to knowing how and when to operate an extinguisher, whether you are volunteering at the park or not!
Find course here.
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Medium volunteer t-shirts have been restocked! If you received a different size during your orientation due to the M shortage, please feel free to come in and grab your correct size. Sarah is in the volunteer office (at Chellberg Farm) every Wednesday 9am-3pm -- drop by or send an email to get a shirt outside of that time. Thanks for your patience!
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We are working hard to restructure and update our database, but we need your help. Please take a brief moment to review these tasks:
1. If your contact information, address, or emergency contact has changed since you were onboarded as a volunteer, please fill out and sign a new Volunteer Service Agreement and email it to parkconnection@gmail.com.
2. We rely on your feedback to be the best supervisors we can be. If you have suggestions or comments about your volunteering experience, please respond to this brief survey and send it to Volunteer Program Manager Jim Whitenack at james_whitenack@nps.gov.
3. The park's resource guide has been updated for 2021 and contains tons of valuable information about the park. Feel free to review it for background on the park's purpose, history, ecology, and more!
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Please don't forget to turn in your times monthly to parkconnection@gmail.com.
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