Jolene MacFadden - Insiders Guide to Campground Hosting in Florida Parks

By

Jolene MacFadden

Copyright 2014 JoleneMacFadden

Revised in February2015

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition LicenseNotes

This eBook is licensed foryour personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold orgiven away to other people. If you would like to share this bookwith another person, please purchase an additional copy for eachrecipient. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, orit was not purchased for your use only, then please return to yourfavorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you forrespecting the hard work of this author.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank allthe Florida State Parks, Florida State Forests, Florida CountyParks and Recreation Departments, Florida Water ManagementDistricts, Florida Wildlife Management Areas, Florida NationalParks and Forests Volunteer Coordinators and Managers who answeredmy emails and took my phone calls to make this book a reality.Without their assistance it would not have been possible to finishit in a timely manner.

I would also like to thankmy mom and younger daughter for their patience while I wassequestered away trying to collect the information and write thebook. They helped get our volunteer duties done and allowed me thespace to compile the information needed. And to my other childrenand family who always encourages me to keep trying newthings.

Finally, I would like to thank my fellowvolunteer Workampers. All of them have pointed me to newopportunities, encouraged me to keep going and have been kindenough to buy my book, tell others about it and even have written areview.

Thanks so much!

TABLEOF CONTENTS

My mom and I have been traveling around thestate of Florida for the last 2 years visiting our state parks anddecided to become campground hosts to help pay some of tourexpenses. Yes, you can get a job being a campground host at theritzy RV parks around the state and some will even pay you a littlesomething to go along with having a place to park your RV or traveltrailer with water, electric, sewer, etc., but there is nothinglike the great outdoors, being in a tranquil setting and givingyour time and experience to those who appreciate it the most.

Our Florida State, County and National Parksand Forests, like most around the country, are in desperate need ofpeople willing to donate their time, energy and experience to keepthem maintained, cleaned and available for all visitors. Theseparks are a great educational tool for our younger generations aswell as a place to enjoy the great outdoors with your family andfriends. We have gathered as much information as we can about theFlorida State Parks, Florida National Parks and Forests, FloridaCounty Parks and Wildlife and Water Management Areas to give youmore opportunities to explore Florida, learn new skills and helpwhere help is needed.

In the following pages we have included theimportant information about these places that offer FREE campsitesfor volunteers. We list the parks, who to contact, what amenitiesthey offer, some of the duties they require, the hours they requireof live on-side volunteers and the times they really need themost help.

We hope you will consider volunteering in ourgreat public Florida Recreational Areas. They could use your helpand most of the personnel really appreciate your time and effortsspent on their behalf. And we know their visitors do.

This type of volunteering is not just forthose who have retired and are wondering around the country in atricked-out RV Rig. It can be for those who just want to spend acouple of months in the great outdoors but cannot afford to pay tostay at a RV resort. If you have any kind of travel trailer or RV(in some cases a tent or even a boat with sleeping quarters), areable to pay for your own food and gas and any of your other monthlyexpenses then you can be a volunteer campground and/or park host inone of our great Florida Parks. This would be great for writers,teachers, college students or anyone taking a few months off fromwork and just needs a place to park their camper, work a few hoursa day and have the rest of the time to relax, write a book, explorethe trails, learn about ecology and history, work on your onlinebusiness, or just hang out with your fellow campers. The summertime is the hardest time to get volunteers here in Florida. So thatmakes it a great time for you to begin your volunteer career!

We truly believe that volunteering in one ofour many state, county and national parks, forest and managementareas will benefit you as well and the parks themselves. You willgather memories, take pictures, make new friends and have greatadventures to tell your family and friends about for years to come.We hope you will find the information in this guide useful and thatyou will decide to take a chance and join the rest of us here inone of the many great Florida Parks!

INFORMATIONFOR NEWBIES

Be Prepared forEmergencies

When traveling, volunteering and even athome, you should be prepared for bad weather. In Florida,especially during hurricane season, you want to be prepared toevacuate. When you volunteer at a State, County or National Park orForest you will be asked to leave the parks when threateningweather is coming. The park personnel are legally obligated toevacuate all visitors and personnel. Another example is when theFederal Government shut down last year and everyone in the NationalParks had to leave because they had no budget.

It is always a good idea to have a plan inplace, just in case. I know we are not very good about this eitherbut it should be noted that you might want to make sure your RV andpersonal vehicles have full tanks of gas and propane at all times.We recommend personal possessions replacement insurance should theworse happen to go along with your vehicle and camper rig insurancepolicies. You really should have an emergency cash reserve stashedaway so that you can have ready access to it.

And, when you arrive at your new volunteerassignment check with the Volunteer Coordinator for where thenearest emergency shelters are located should an evacuation orderbe given. They should have this information handy. That way whenthe crisis has passed you can return to help the park staff withthe clean-up. A lot of volunteers just walked away from theirassignments when this happens. I know it is hard to come back to aplace you were asked to leave but they will need the volunteerseven more once the crisis has passed. Of course, if you feel youhave to leave the area we hope you will tell the VolunteerCoordinator your plans so that they will not be expecting you backagain.

A Couple ofThoughts on Park Amenities for Live On-Site Volunteers

When reviewing what the parks offer theirpotential live on-site volunteers you need to make sure of a coupleof things before your final decision.

RV/Trailer Rig Length Limits: You willneed to ask if their live on-site campsites set aside for thevolunteers is long enough to accommodate your rig. We have a 31foot Class A Rig so we could never stay at Little Talbot IslandState Park as their limit is 30 feet. The volunteer coordinator atthe park will ask you the length of you rig before you come so thatthey will make sure the site they assign to you will fit. On theother hand, we got our assignment at Myakka River State Park, inpart, because our rig was only 31 foot. The couple who use to havethe assignment got a new, longer rig and they couldnt be assignedto the Old Prairie Campground.