Support Your Parks

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. 

To apply to be a campground host, please fill out an application.

These positions fill up 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 staff.

Washington County can accommodate large volunteer groups. This is great for scout troops, company volunteer days, volunteer organizations and more.

Seed Collecting

If your company or organization is interested in a private group volunteer event for about 10 or more people for seed collecting in September and October, please complete our group volunteer application 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 two-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 and Forest Lake. If you are interested in  volunteering, please contact the Parks Division at 651-430-8370 or email.

If you or anyone in your household want to recreate outdoors and help us with oak savanna restoration efforts in the parks, please send us an email to Parks Division. A staff will contact you and provide you or your group with a spot to adopt and restore oak savanna in the park.

Washington County Parks regularly receives requests for Eagle Scout and Silver Award volunteer projects. Typically, a scout has identified a project to solve a problem or a need in the parks. Below is a list of current potential projects.  

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 

Scouts can participate in growing high value prairie plants from seed or remove buckthorn. 

We also encourage scouts to present their own ideas. 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 via email, a response will be given within 30 business days.