Ohio State Parks Volunteer Program
Volunteering can be a rewarding experience and doing so at one of 74 state parks in Ohio offers the advantage of being in the great outdoors and the opportunity to get fit naturally.

Volunteers have been making an important contribution to Ohio State Parks since 1982 and the program has grown dramatically and now enrolls more than 6,000 volunteers who assist park staff in a wide variety of ways.

The Ohio State Parks volunteer program offers these categories of service:

  • Individual Volunteer - These volunteers take on a wide variety of tasks by assisting park staff with nature center programs and animal care, trail clearance and maintenance, litter control, beautification, special events, etc. The category is also open to children 5 to 12 years of age who work alongside their parents or guardian as Junior Volunteers. Teen-agers (13 to 17 years of age) are enrolled as Green Teens and may work individually or with friends.
  • Campground Host - Those who enjoy camping and meeting people are invited to apply for Host positions in parks with a campground. In exchange for 20 hours of work per week, they receive a complimentary campsite. Duties include greeting campers, helping them at their site, beautification, special events, and being a model camper and setting an excellent example for others. This is a great opportunity for a couple that loves camping to work side by side.
  • Group Volunteers - An increasing number of civic, school and church groups have found satisfaction by completing service projects at a state park. These groups are welcome to come on a one-time basis or they may prefer to be involved on a long-term basis with the park. The variety of duties is limited only by the imagination and a park’s needs, and can include shoreline cleanups, trail work (hiking, horse and mountain biking), beautification projects, etc.
I am interested in:
My special talents or hobbies are:
Please send me more information and an application to become a volunteer.
First Name: MI: Last Name:
Address:
City: State Zip
Phone: Home Work
E-mail:
Preferred parks in which to volunteer:

In addition to the satisfaction of completing projects that protect Ohio’s natural resources and enhance the visitors’ experience, volunteers are invited to an annual statewide camp out for a weekend of entertainment, good food and the chance to share ideas and make friends with other volunteers.

To find out what volunteer opportunities are available, stop by or call the state park(s) of interest to you. Click here for profiles of the 74 parks and contact information for them.

Or, fill out the following form above and submit it for more information on the Ohio State Parks volunteer program.

Young and old and in-between enjoyed the weekend activities.

Annual camp-out is a ‘thank you’ to volunteers
Hundreds gather for programs, camaraderie at Cowan Lake

Each year, Ohio State Parks says “thank you” to its volunteers for their many contributions by hosting an autumn weekend camp-out at one of its parks. This year’s event was held at Cowan Lake, near Wilmington.

The volunteers were treated to a wide variety of programs and tours of area attractions as well as good food and fun entertainment for the entire weekend. The 2003 camp-out also served as an opportunity for the volunteers to hear first-hand about the new reservation system that will begin servicing campgrounds and state-operated cottages in 2004.

A special treat was the Saturday night community fireworks display over the lake shared with citizens from nearby Wilmington in celebration of Ohio’s bicentennial.

The Ohio State Parks volunteer program started in 1982 with a handful of workers and has grown to more than 6,000 volunteers who donated almost 320,000 hours of public service in 2002. Their contributions are many, such as assisting staff at nature centers, greeting guests at campgrounds and helping them set up their sites, planting trees and flowers, helping out with special events, picking up litter, etc.

The program is open to all ages and anyone interested in becoming an Ohio State Park volunteer is urged to contact the state park that is most convenient to them. Details and contact information for the 74 parks are available elsewhere on this website.
One of the bands that entertained over the weekend from the portable stage.
Above : Park officer John Patrick demonstrates to the volunteers how well his K-9 partner Yogi is trained.
Above: No one goes away from the Saturday night potluck dinner hungry!
Left : Each volunteer camp site was adorned with this colorful banner.

Page last updated: Thursday, November 6, 2003