Yosemite Officials Invite Volunteers To Live in the Park Amid Shutdown — But There’s a Catch
Yosemite is seeking volunteers to work at the national park, in an eyebrow-raising update. Lately, the park has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Amid a federal shutdown implied by the government, employees manning the gates of the park were removed, prompting indiscipline among the visitors. Activities like illegal BASE jumping, drone activities, car camping, and more have increased at the park because of a lack of security and free entry. Now, it seems that the park is making up for the scarcity of staff. Volunteer.gov posted a search for volunteers with the job description: "Live and Work in Yosemite. Working in Yosemite Valley Welcome Center and out in the field, we (The Division of Interpretation) try to connect people to place!"
According to the post, the volunteer will be given a dorm room in the Yosemite Valley Rangers Club to reside. The primary duties will include working at the Staff Visitor Center and Public Information Office, keeping the public up-to-date with related information, conducting patrols, and more. However, the job post prompted backlash from the park ranger community who previously worked at the park. The Reddit page for park rangers blew up as many shared their take on the controversial job posting. "Recently retired chief ranger here. Volunteering is very noble, but you are working 40-hour weeks in a position that should be filled with an interpretation ranger," one Reddit user wrote, as per National Parks Traveler.
"On a personal level, unless you have some independent income, I’m not sure how you survive. You have expenses such as food, vehicle costs, and insurance, medical, etc," the user added. Another social media user pointed out that the volunteer job position is otherwise a full-time paid position. "I think the goal is eventually to eliminate visitor center ranger positions beyond the absolute bare minimum needed to supervise volunteers," the user added. "But hey, you could live in Yosemite Valley!! And not get paid for the privilege of seeing those sunsets! And not get paid to deal with literally hundreds of thousands of park visitors," another wrote sarcastically.
One more ranger voiced against the job position that expects volunteers to work for 40 hours, calling it "outrageous." They further argued that 32 hours should be the maximum hours an employee, especially an unpaid volunteer, should work. "This feels like an abuse of the volunteer program. It should never be used to replace a paid position’s work, which this sure sounds like," the Reddit user added. However, one social media user wrote in support of the initiative, claiming that the volunteer program could eventually get a full-time position at the Yosemite National Park. "I think it’s definitely worth it for the experience, but not for the pay," the person wrote.
It makes sense why many former park rangers feel disappointed by Yosemite’s decision to seek volunteers for such a demanding position. However, on a brighter note, this opportunity may allow young nature enthusiasts and aspiring rangers to live in a serene location while getting hands-on experience as they start their careers.
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