Volunteer
- Campground Host
- Large Group Volunteering
- Park Surveys
- Volunteering at LEPR
- Eagle Scout & Silver Awards
Washington County Parks welcomes campground hosts in the campgrounds at Lake Elmo Park Reserve and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park. Campground hosts are volunteers who live in the campground, in their own camping unit, for a portion of the summer. In exchange for a free campsite, they are responsible for providing information to campers, registering campers in the spring and fall, cleaning restrooms as necessary (between staff cleanings), and other related tasks. These positions fill quickly and may not always be available. If you are interested in learning more about these positions, contact the Parks Division at 651-430-8370 or email.
Washington County can accommodate large volunteer groups. This is great for scout troops, company volunteer days, volunteer organizations and more.
If your company or organization is interested in a private group volunteer event for ~10+ people for seed collecting in September, October, please complete this form and email it to our Natural Resources Coordinator.
Volunteer to help us collect information from park visitors at various places around the County. During specific 2-hour periods, volunteers count visitors and hand out visitor surveys. This data helps staff determine park use and visitor preferences. Volunteers are needed at nearly all parks, including the Hardwood Creek Trail in Hugo / Forest Lake. If you are interested in being a random survey volunteer, please contact the Parks Division at 651-430-8370 or email.
Come volunteer in Lake Elmo Park Reserve by helping land stewardship efforts within the park such as cleaning up the trails, planting trees shrubs and wildflowers, weeding and controlling invasive plants. You will also learn about plants, animals, pollinators and the work we do to improve the parks natural resources. The event will be led by either a lead volunteer steward and or Washington County Seasonal employee.
Lake Elmo Park Reserve will be hosting volunteer events in October, November, and December following coronavirus safety guidelines. These events will be capped at 10 people, masks are recommended, and tools will be sanitized prior to events.
Sign up at this link
https://washingtoncounty.maxgalaxy.net/BrowseActivities.aspx
Volunteer activities in October involve collecting and cleaning prairie seed and in November and December buckthorn removal with cut and treat. No prior experience, knowledge or age requirements, all are welcome.
October: Thursday the 8th, 4 pm-5:30 pm, Meet at Nordic Center picnic tables
Saturday the 10th, 10:30 am-12 pm, Meet at Nordic Center picnic tables
November: Thursday the 12th, 3 pm-4:30 pm, Meet at Nordic Center picnic tables
Saturday the 14th, 10:30 am-12 pm, Meet at Nordic Center picnic tables
December: Thursday the 10th, 3 pm- 4:30 pm, Meet at Nordic Center picnic tables
Saturday the 12th, 10:30 am- 12 pm, Meet at Nordic Center picnic tables
For these dates, please wear weather appropriate clothes and hiking shoes.
Washington County Parks regularly receives requests for Eagle Scout/Silver Award volunteer projects, where a scout has identified a project to solve a problem/need in the parks. Below is a list of current potential projects, we also encourage scouts to present their own ideas:
- Construct wooden benches in the parks
- Scouts must show existing bench locations on a map, and include locations for the proposed bench installation as part of the project submittal.
- Natural resource activities (growing high value prairie plants from seed, buckthorn removal).
Please spend time in a county park or facility and think about the project, discuss the project with troop leaders and parents prior to submitting the Eagle Scout Project Description form. Once you have submitted the form, a response will be given within 30 business days. Please email the general parks email with the completed proposal form as a scanned PDF.