You probably know that I’m a big fan of volunteering while traveling, but you don’t have to travel far to help make a difference.
Tauck Tours has a long-running program that incorporates volunteering with outdoor adventure. Its Yellowstone and Grand Teton programs give you the option of spending a few hours a day with conservation projects. That might include repairing flood damage and constructing walkways.
As long as you’re OK with camping, you can join the Grand Canyon National Park Service program. You’ll work side by side with the experts to remove invasive plant species and help repair land damaged by construction. While you’re at it, you’ll learn all about the desert ecosystem and native wildlife. Best of all, this program is geared toward families.
Or get involved with the USDA Forest Service. Their Passport in Time program matches up volunteers with professional archaeologists and historians to work in protected land. Upcoming programs include excavating a Gold Rush town in California and making improvements to Miners’ Park in Utah.
Bottom line: volunteering doesn’t have to mean rescuing elephants in Thailand or working in a disaster zone. Sometimes the best experiences are right here in our own backyard.
For more information, visit the National Park and Voluntourism archives.
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