Have you ever wondered how you could help preserve, protect or enhance one of your favorite recreational places? Volunteer!
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has close to 200,000 acres of climbing routes, hiking, cycling and equestrian trails, a beautiful Visitor Center and some amazing Rock Stars – the resident desert tortoise. There are also almost 2,000,000 visitors using the area each year so Red Rock can use all the help it can get!
A few of the benefits of volunteering:
- The Bureau of Land Management provides free annual passes to volunteers based on their hours of service.
- Friends of Red Rock Canyon also provide appreciation awards, such as an annual banquet, name tags and Friends wearables based upon their volunteer hours.
What are you interested in doing or learning more about? Red Rock has many opportunities for you to try ranging from volunteering at the Information Desk to working on trails and removing graffiti.
Listed below are some positions that might interest you.
• Information Desk – There are about 500,000 people coming into the Visitor Center annually. The information desk is typically staffed by two people during each morning and afternoon shift. During peak visitation periods, the need for friendly faces dispensing information increases.
• Tortoise Habitat Volunteers – The best job at the Rock involves helping with the care and feeding of the ten resident desert tortoises. The eight females live in one large habitat and the two males each have a separate habitat. Volunteers also interact with Red Rock guests and will likely develop a strong bond with at least one of the Rock Stars.
• Want something a little more active? How about trash collection, maintaining and improving the trees and native plants, helping to increase the monarch population, repairing trails, documenting and preserving our Native American cultural sites, helping on community volunteer days and removing graffiti.
You can find out more about these and other volunteer opportunities by going to the Committees page or by emailing us at volunteer@friendsredrock.org
Scheduling and Posting Volunteer Hours
Volunteers who are set up in Volgistics have access to the Volunteer Information Center (VIC) where they can schedule volunteer days and post their volunteer hours. If you are a registered volunteer you may use the link below to access your VIC account.
If you are not registered in Volgistics and would like to be, please email volunteer@friendsredrock.org.
Volunteer Hours Reporting
These are just some of the areas where you should report or log your time donated to benefit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
- Friends meetings such as attending our quarterly breakfasts, board meetings or committee meetings.
- Trash collection or trail monitoring – did you know that keeping the Canyon clean on a hike counts as volunteer service?
- Special volunteer work events such as National Public Lands Day, Red Rock Day or Make a Difference Day.
- Any time you contribute to areas such as:
- Tortoise Habitat care and information
- Working at the Information Desk
- Assisting with school programs
- Helping to maintain the trails
- Recruiting members
- Serving on the Board of Directors and Friends committees
- Reporting trail damage, graffiti or suspicious activities within the Canyon
- Travel time to and from Red Rock Canyon and other volunteer locations. While the BLM Tort Claims volunteer insurance starts when you are at your volunteer position, your travel time is considered part of your volunteer contributions.
Your donated contributions are so valuable and necessary for the successful operations of Red Rock Canyon.
The Bureau of Land Management is continually facing budget and hiring restrictions. Each fiscal year, Friends volunteers add the equivalent of 10 to 11 full time employees working for the Rock.
Please contact us at volunteer@friendsredrock.org if you have any questions about your volunteer service.
