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!

Volunteer Spotlight 

Marti Pizzini

Marti has been a volunteer at the park for many years. She is involved with multiple special events and performs with Save the Tunes. Her love for music and the park has been an inspiration to many. Recently, Marti has become more involved with the Farm & Garden Crew as a chicken care volunteer. Stop by Chellberg Farm this summer season to listen to Marti and other musicians sharing their amazing talents! Thank you Marti; this month is for you.

photo of the month

First Day of Spring!

Paul Kemiel captured these snowdrops. Although they're not native, these flowers are widely enjoyed by many and are known as one of the first signs of spring.

Do you enjoy taking pictures of the park? We're interested in seeing your work! Volunteering as a park photographer is your opportunity to showcase both your photography skills and the work of our volunteers in action. Please contact us at 
parkconnection@gmail.com. for more information.

New park fees and you 


The park now requires an entrance fee. What does that mean for volunteering? While you are actively volunteering, your park fee will be waived. Depending on the type of volunteer work, you will receive either a vehicle parking sticker or temporary paper waiver. 

All volunteers that participate in an episodic volunteer project or special event will receive the temporary paper waiver. All other volunteers will receive the vehicle parking sticker. 
Please note, these passes are only valid while you are volunteering.

Volunteers will be able to pick up their vehicle parking stickers every Wednesday from 9 AM - 3 PM at the Volunteer Office. Stickers will also be available every third Saturday of the month from 12 PM - 1 PM beginning April 16. If neither of these options work, contact parkconnection@gmail.com.

Episodic volunteers will be issued temporary paper waivers on an as needed basis. Contact parkconnection@gmail.com if you have any further questions. 

upcoming opportunities

Park-wide Earth Day Cleanup

April 22 9 AM – 12 PM


Dorothy Buell Visitor Center

Spend the morning at the 2nd annual Indiana Dunes Trash Trekkers Earth Day Cleanup. This year’s cleanup is on Friday, April 22, from 9:00am-12pm and is sponsored by the Friends of Indiana Dunes, Indiana Dunes Tourism, Mermaid Straw and the Park's Volunteer Office. Work alongside park staff and fellow volunteers as we pick up trash throughout the park. Dress for the weather. Equipment and protective gear will be provided. Meet at the Dorothy Buell Visitor Center located at 1215 N State Rd 49, Porter, IN 46304.
 

Drop-In Volunteering 

April 16, 9 AM - 12 PM

The Park Connection Office
 


Drop-in volunteering provides hassle-free opportunities at Indiana Dunes. With no previous experience or sign-up required, drop-ins are perfect for those with just a few hours of free time or those visiting the dunes for the weekend.

Join us every third Saturday at the Park Connection office (
618 N Mineral Springs Rd) from 9am to 12pm for drop-in volunteering. Projects vary by date and season, but can include working with invasive species, land and building restoration, or preparing for special events.

You can also volunteer through Trash Trekkers, a drop-in litter clean up program. Simply check in at the Visitor Center 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.

Farm & Garden Volunteers Needed

Additional volunteers are needed to help take care of the chickens and cows at Chellberg Farm. Please reach out to the Volunteer Office if you're interested.

Park Happenings

Spring Interpretive Programs

Indiana Dunes' interpretive rangers bring in the spring with public programming in April. Join a birding expert from the Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society for this monthly birding series. Meet inside the Visitor Center and carpool to the birding spot of the month. Bring binoculars.
 See the park's
event calendar or Facebook events page for the full schedule of guided hikes, interactive events, and presentations.

Tick Time

The Park reminds you that the warmer weather we are enjoying also brings out ticks. Tick-borne disease can have serious, life-long or even life-threatening consequences. So, please protect yourself. 

what's new
with the Friends 

Friends of Indiana Dunes logo

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."


The Friends of Indiana Dunes will be hosting their 26th Annual Native Plant Sale on Saturday, April 23. This year, the Native Plant Sale will be held at the Friends Office located just north of the Chellberg Farm on the northwest corner of Mineral Springs and Oak Hill Roads. The plant sale will be outside under a large canopy and run from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM For those interested in pre-ordering plants, the Native Plant Sale order forms are available at the National Park’s Visitor Center and at the State Park’s Nature Center. Pre-Orders must be received by April 9, 2022.

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

Virtual Enrichment 

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Administration  

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 2022 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!
Please don't forget to turn in your times monthly to parkconnection@gmail.com.
Time Sheet
Park Alerts & Trail Conditions
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
Website
Copyright © 2022 Indiana Dunes National Park, All rights reserved.


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