KIMandALLEN1988
Advanced Member
Hello fellow Grand Designers! I'm not sure where the best place for this post is, but I'll start here in General Discussion and let administrators move it if they like.
My wife and I just retired this fall. We are statistically young to begin retirement and with this, and other considerations in mind, we began looking early in 2023 at productive things we could do in retirement. We stumbled upon the volunteer.gov website. It lists volunteering opportunities for pretty much every federal agency, NPS, FWS, BLM, etc. We were amazed at how many cool positions were available around the country with RV housing in exchange for some level of hours, usually 20 on the low end to 30 on the high side. The site allows you to narrow down your search by region, job requirements, months, etc. As one may expect, there are far more opportunities in the summer when all of the parks are running at full steam. We decided we wanted to secure a winter position and began looking for something with a list of duties and skill sets we were interested in and in an area with hospitable winter weather. Late winter/early spring this year we applied for a number of positions in Texas, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. The selection process seemed a little haphazard at some of the facilities and it was challenging to find a representative to speak with regarding the listings. We eventually spoke with a few coordinators and started to focus on a position with FWS at Nevada Desert National Wildlife Refuge. We were scheduled for a formal interview (via zoom) and I underestimated the formality and depth of the questions asked. We each submitted references AND they were all actually called and queried about our job history, character and applicability for the posted position. The FWS coordinator finally called us back in late spring, answered all of the questions we presented and then formally offered us a winter position at their Ash Meadows complex which we accepted. We arrived at the facility and have been on site working for just over two weeks. Our primary responsibilities center around staffing the beautiful visitor center, greeting guests, walking the adjacent trail and such. However, after completing our defensive driver training we are now using a FWS truck to drive the complex, pick up recyclables, report on damage, etc. We've also already had an opportunity to spend a day with FWS & NPS biologists working in a very restricted area collecting egg larvae from endangered fish. I should also mention that our RV site is pretty nice with full hook ups. The remoteness of the complex is something of a catch 22; it is very pretty and ridiculously quiet, but there are ZERO over the air tv stations and only one over the air radio station. The closest town is about 35-40 minutes away. Not too bad, but definitively lends itself to meal planning and making a shopping list!
I've heard people on this forum reference work camping frequently, but I've not seen much regarding volunteer.gov. I'm happy to report back occasionally on our time volunteering if people are interested. It is a big commitment of time and while the process has been exciting, it also created a touch of anxiety. We drove half way across the country to a place we'd never been, to work with people we'd never met and spend the holidays away from friends & family. That being said, things are starting off great. Aside from some tv issues, the facility is beautiful, our "supervisor" is cool and it has been fun interacting with folks in the visitor center. I'm confident we're going to have a very good experience. See you next time. AP


My wife and I just retired this fall. We are statistically young to begin retirement and with this, and other considerations in mind, we began looking early in 2023 at productive things we could do in retirement. We stumbled upon the volunteer.gov website. It lists volunteering opportunities for pretty much every federal agency, NPS, FWS, BLM, etc. We were amazed at how many cool positions were available around the country with RV housing in exchange for some level of hours, usually 20 on the low end to 30 on the high side. The site allows you to narrow down your search by region, job requirements, months, etc. As one may expect, there are far more opportunities in the summer when all of the parks are running at full steam. We decided we wanted to secure a winter position and began looking for something with a list of duties and skill sets we were interested in and in an area with hospitable winter weather. Late winter/early spring this year we applied for a number of positions in Texas, Florida, Arizona and Nevada. The selection process seemed a little haphazard at some of the facilities and it was challenging to find a representative to speak with regarding the listings. We eventually spoke with a few coordinators and started to focus on a position with FWS at Nevada Desert National Wildlife Refuge. We were scheduled for a formal interview (via zoom) and I underestimated the formality and depth of the questions asked. We each submitted references AND they were all actually called and queried about our job history, character and applicability for the posted position. The FWS coordinator finally called us back in late spring, answered all of the questions we presented and then formally offered us a winter position at their Ash Meadows complex which we accepted. We arrived at the facility and have been on site working for just over two weeks. Our primary responsibilities center around staffing the beautiful visitor center, greeting guests, walking the adjacent trail and such. However, after completing our defensive driver training we are now using a FWS truck to drive the complex, pick up recyclables, report on damage, etc. We've also already had an opportunity to spend a day with FWS & NPS biologists working in a very restricted area collecting egg larvae from endangered fish. I should also mention that our RV site is pretty nice with full hook ups. The remoteness of the complex is something of a catch 22; it is very pretty and ridiculously quiet, but there are ZERO over the air tv stations and only one over the air radio station. The closest town is about 35-40 minutes away. Not too bad, but definitively lends itself to meal planning and making a shopping list!
I've heard people on this forum reference work camping frequently, but I've not seen much regarding volunteer.gov. I'm happy to report back occasionally on our time volunteering if people are interested. It is a big commitment of time and while the process has been exciting, it also created a touch of anxiety. We drove half way across the country to a place we'd never been, to work with people we'd never met and spend the holidays away from friends & family. That being said, things are starting off great. Aside from some tv issues, the facility is beautiful, our "supervisor" is cool and it has been fun interacting with folks in the visitor center. I'm confident we're going to have a very good experience. See you next time. AP

