National Park needs Clingmans Dome volunteers

Clingmans Dome Visitor Center. Photo by Jeaneane Payne

GSMNP - Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to help provide visitor information at Clingmans Dome. The information center sits at 6,300 feet in elevation, providing a unique opportunity for park volunteers to assist in educating visitors about high-elevation, spruce-fir forests, while also providing recreational, trip planning, and directional information.

The information center, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, originally served as a comfort station, but was converted into a seasonal information center in 2010. The center also includes a bookstore area managed by the Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) offering visitors the opportunity to purchase guides and maps, outdoor apparel, and other GSMA products. Volunteers will work alongside GSMA employees. Each volunteer is asked to work one four-hour shift per week from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., April 1 through November 30.

At this time, new volunteers are needed on each day of the week, except Tuesdays and Thursdays. New volunteers must attend an orientation session on Monday, March 9, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.to help learn more about the Clingmans Dome area. At each training, guest speakers will share unique biological and historical information about high-elevation forests and Clingmans Dome. The training will be held at the Oconaluftee Administration Building near Cherokee, NC. Volunteers should bring a bag lunch.

To sign up for this volunteer program or receive more information, please contact Park Resource Education Ranger Florie Takaki by phone at 828-497-1906 or by email at florie_takaki@nps.gov.

Published Feburary 18, 2020