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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In Memoriam: Jim Jaracz
Indiana Dunes National Parks mourns the loss of incredible volunteer Jim Jaracz. A former firefighter and safety instructor, Jim donated his time to conduct building and fire inspections throughout the park. Beyond his contributions to the Dunes, he dedicated his life to serving the public via fire and occupational safety. The volunteer office would like to thank Jim for his outstanding work and offer our condolences to his loved ones -- we are all lesser for his loss.
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The first snow of the season calls for bonus photos of the month! Volunteers Paul Kemiel (top two images) and Mark Chantell (bottom two images) took to the snowy dunes to capture these wintry scenes over the New Year weekend.
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Sarah's Going-Away Party
Saturday, January 22nd, 4-6pm
219 Taproom, 109 S 3rd St., Chesterton
Community Volunteer Ambassador Sarah Sherwood is leaving her position at Indiana Dunes after two wonderful years with the volunteer program. Come celebrate and raise a glass at 219 Taproom in Chesterton to say good-bye! All volunteers, family, and park staff are welcome to stop in.
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Happy holidays, everyone! The volunteer office and the Friends of Indiana Dunes would like to say thank you. Your compassion, support, and positivity have been such a bright light to everyone over these last few challenging years. We haven't had the chance to formally gather at our annual appreciation dinner and express our gratitude. So, we thought we would pick up a little something for you.
PINT GLASSES HAVE ARRIVED! You can stop by the volunteer office on Wednesdays from 9am-3pm to pick up your special pint glass. If you can't make that time, feel free to email us at parkconnection@gmail.com to make other arrangements.
Thank you for being the most amazing volunteers!
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A huge THANK YOU to the volunteers who helped us tackle maintenance issues in the historic Chellberg Sugar Shack ahead of Maple Sugar Time. Don Frame, Dave Besterman, John Roquet, Pete Wilder, Rudy Moyado, and Cliff Goins helped to replace all the old plumbing and rebuild the storage tanks in the shack. Check out the fruits of their labor during the annual Maple Sugar Time Festival this March!
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Food Drive in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saturday, January 15th, 9am-12pm
Drop Off Cans at the Douglas Center or Visitor Center
*Replaces normal Drop-In volunteering event*
To celebrate his holiday and honor the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his call for service to the community, the National Park Service and the Friends of Indiana Dunes are sponsoring a food drive in lieu of our monthly Drop-In volunteer event! In most years, the park offers a program and volunteer project for the Martin Luther King holiday, but this year, the pandemic makes an indoor program and volunteer project unadvisable. Instead, please bring canned or other non-perishable foods to the parking lot of the Paul H. Douglas Center or the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center on Saturday, January 15th, between 9am-12pm.
Volunteers will be posted in the parking lot at both locations, so you do not even have to get out of your car to donate. Everything collected will be distributed through area food banks. Call the Park Connection Office at 219-221-7098 or email parkconnection@gmail.com with questions.
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Trash Trekkers
Every day 8:30am-4:30pm
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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Winter Interpretive Programs
Indiana Dunes' interpretive rangers are continuing limited public programming throughout the winter. Enjoy the chilly weather and see the dunes from a new perspective with guided hikes and snowshoeing! See the park's event calendar or Facebook events page for the full schedule of guided hikes, interactive events, and presentations.
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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 of Indiana Dunes are committed to making our dunes accessible to all. In the past two years, the Friends have purchased three accessible all-terrain vehicles for use on the Indiana Dunes State Park trails as well as a Freedom Trax off-road wheelchair attachment for use at the Indiana Dunes National Park. This year, we are asking for help to add accessible beach mats to create wheelchair/pedestrian-friendly, rigid, and non-slip access to the waters of Lake Michigan.
For more detailed information on this important project and how to contribute for the State Park's ADA Beach Mat Fundraising Project, please go to our website. All donations are fully tax deductible to the extent provided by law.
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The Friends are happy to also help sponsor the Park Connection Food Drive in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please remember to drop off your canned goods to either the National Park's Visitor Center or the Douglas Center by noon on Saturday, January 15th. Thanks for your help on this call to community service.
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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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The Park Connection office will likely be closed in late January and early February as our new volunteer office staff is oriented. Drop by another Wednesday or send an email with any questions or concerns. 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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