Volunteers enjoy free government housing in Kotzebue and are paid a per diem of approximately $ 65 per day during field work. Activities during the four days between assignments are at the volunteer’ s discretion. Applicants should be healthy, confident, and experienced with this type work. According to NPS Ranger Scott Sample whom we talked with by phone, previous volunteers have sometimes been offered seasonal positions with the National Park Service. He said past volunteers have varied in age including some individuals in their 70s. To date, none of the volunteers has needed to be rescued.
Additional information about the volunteer backcountry position in Western Arctic National Parklands and a listing with information about this and other National Park Service volunteer opportunities is at www. volunteer. gov.
This article is adapted from a story by the authors previously published in National Parks Traveler.
David and Kay Scott are authors of“ Exploring the Oregon Trail: America’ s Historic Road Trip”( Globe Pequot). Visit them at blog. valdosta. edu / dlscott
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