Well we are about to get really lonely!!!
As of this weekend we will be the only volunteers left here at Balcones Canyonland NWR and we sure would like some company!!

The staff is great to work for and our site here at the ranch is gorgeous. The Texas Songbird Festival is coming up at the end of the month and some extra hands would be welcome for sure.

So if you would like to sit for a month or so in the hill country of Texas not far from Austin please contact Rob Iske ( out door rec planner) or Kelly ( asst manager) at 512-339-9432. 24 hours per week per person per couple.

quote:

Originally posted by nana25k:
24 hours per week per person per couple.

Which is it? 24 per person or 24 per couple?

Sorry, we can't help out. But we were at Pedernales Falls SP over the winter. What kind of experience did you get at Bacones?. Such as duties, no of volunteer sites, camping sites? visitor usage etc. We are going to Goliad SP next winter. We will be looking for another place in the future.

Hey Ed,

Sorry that was confusing wasn't it...we are giving them 24 hrs per person. I don't know if they ask for a few more for a single. Didn't you stop in here earlyier int he year? I think we met you in the parking lot.

Duke, Ron has been helping to rip out old barb wire fencing, build a decorative rock wall, trail maintenance, he handles hauling out the recyclables, keeping the wildlife pool up and running and other light maintenance. I have been helping re organize two wildlife education programs that we present to local elementary kids who come out for field trips and also being an interpreter for the programs. The songbird festival is a big deal and we will certainly be busy that week. I have also done trail stuff. There is a whole list of projects that the refuge needs to complete and Rob & Kelly are all about plugging the volunteer into an area that you will be happy with. They do not have a visitor center yet. But we do get right many visitors who stop in at HQ and are out using the trail system.There are 4 RV spots. Two at the headquarters and two up here at another property called the Flying X Ranch. There is a laundry here and soon to be one a HQ. The large ranch house is available for the volunteers to use for socializing etc. unless there are researchers or the friends group using it.
We work Tuesday thru Thursday unless there is a festival or such going on. That leaves these great long weekends to hang out, travel around etc. Because it is a NWR there is. no public camping. Because we are at the ranch we have to travel to the headquarters but they provide us with vehicles so we don't drive our own anywhere while working.
Do consider contacting them. The whole staffis great to work with.

quote:

Originally posted by nana25k:
Hey Ed,

Sorry that was confusing wasn't it...we are giving them 24 hrs per person. I don't know if they ask for a few more for a single. Didn't you stop in here earlyier int he year? I think we met you in the parking lot.
Do consider contacting them. The whole staffis great to work with.

We did meet; I think it was in Feb. Anyway, 24hrs per each is a bit more than we are accustomed to contributing, even for a volunteer spot. Thanks for clarifying the point and happy camping.

Ron & Linda,

In looking at the info at the website, I see they don't allow pets. Can you have your pet at the volunteer site or is it strictly no pets allowed?

Whit,

The general public is not permitted to bring pets on any NWR that I am aware of....however I do believe that as a volunteer you would be permitted to have your pet. We have several employee's who live in refuge quarters that have dogs. I am sure that you would need to keep it leashed when outside. Both areas that have the RV pads are in restricted areas that do not permit the general public to wonder in. I think that the volunteers who left the same weekend we arrived had a dog. Call Rob and ask 512-339-9432.

48 hours a week for a site is a lot of time. You would have to really love what you are doing.

We don't find 3 days in a row with 4 off over the weekend a problem...we get lots of time to travel around, lots of appreciation from the staff, truly million $ views that are all ours or maybe share with a couple other volunteers.Certainly no rowdy weekend campers.That means when we are off...we are really off.
Our days always end with big thank you's from the staff, we are never asked to do anything that doesn't interest us. For the most part we work the same days. It just never seems like work to us. I understand that anything over 20hrs per week is unacceptable to other volunteers but for us its okay. Not all NWR's require the same amount of time F
or instance the really popular winter destinations are hard to get into and ask 32 hours per person per week. we don't plan on doing those!!!

quote:

48 hours a week for a site is a lot of time.

Actually, it isn't that unusual for volunteer positions. I guess that is one of the reasons that we call them volunteer and no barter. It is also one of the reasons that they are exempt from any tax liability. We are ardent supporters of the national wildlife refuges and have volunteered on many of them. The 3 day per person is pretty standard at many volunteer positions.

One nice side of the refuges is that when you are off duty, no-one bothers you. You live in a place where there are only a few sites and those are very large and are not at all like the "parking lots with hook-ups" that most commercial parks sell you.

In addition, when at this type of location you normally only do things that you enjoy and you don't get stuck doing restrooms and cleaning. We love what we do on the national wildlife refuges and also at the national parks. And best of all is the type of place that we live in our RV can not be purchased for any price, other than some volunteer time. Most of us who are ardent volunteers love what we do and we tend to put in more than the minimum hours anyway.

If what you are looking for is the most that you can get for the very least in effort, they probably do not want you for the positions anyway! Sure wish we had time to stop there for a while.

From those that have done this, is a month or so a suitable time for a volunteer spot like this? What if it is the person's first time at a NWR? I can see doing a month someplace, but would think I would want to wander a bit after that. I suppose if there was an empty pad and the variable electric cost in the large scheme of things is minor, why not take someone for a month, even on the first time. I am sure they all have their "job jars" to putter with. I am also suspecting the effort, even at three days a week, is a lower "volunteer level" of effort by a "retiree" rather than what one expects of an employee. Am I on the right path with my thoughts?

48 hours is not the problem when it is 3 days on and 4 days off. Some parks like Oregon State Pks. 4 hr. days but 5 days on and only 2 days off.
To us it is not the number of hours as much as the number of days off so we can explore the region that we are in.
Mind you we enjoy every minute that we have volunteered as we cannot call it work with a straight face.


Art

Everyone has their own tolerance level for the amount of time they want to "tie up" in a volunteer position.

For us, what we work here at Arches NP is the "most" we will work as a volunteer. We work rotating weeks with another couple. One week we work 3 days with 4 days off. The next week we work 4 days, with 3 days off. When we "work" we log time from 0630-2200 hrs. We actually are "on duty" 24 hrs a day when we work. As campground hosts you never know when you will have an "issue". Is it a lot of "work"? No, it is not.

When doing laundry at Balcones, I would sit out by the pond and think about how wonderful life was and wonder how we got so lucky. Nana....tell the canyon wrens hello for me, I can still hear their song...wish I could be there for the Songbird Festival!

Well tomorrow is goodbye to Balcones. We willmiss the staff here and the adventure. We recommend this refuge highly to everyone.