GSMNP Seeking Elk Volunteers For 2024

Park Rangers with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are looking for volunteers to expand their Elk Volunteer-in-Park program for 2024. Volunteers are needed to help manage elk viewing opportunities in the park.

Elk volunteers assist with traffic management for visitor and wildlife safety. They provide information to park visitors for responsibly and safely viewing elk. Volunteers will also help educate visitors about the park’s natural and cultural resources. Elk volunteers are supervised by NPS law enforcement staff and work closely with them. Interested volunteers must commit to a minimum of one four-hour shift per week starting in May and continuing through mid-November of 2024. All elk volunteers are required to attend an in-person training led by park rangers near Cherokee, North Carolina in April 2024. That training date will be announced in early 2024.

If you are interested in being an elk volunteer, please contact Ranger Lauren LaRocca at lauren_larocca@nps.gov.