In This Issue
Happy New Year! Mark Your Calendars: Statewide Volunteer Recognition & Training Event March 20 & 21 at Kartchner Caverns
Welcome New Site Steward Program Coordinator Kristen McLean
Arizona State Parks celebrates the Aldo Leopold Centennial
Volunteer Profile: Bob Sweetwood
New Civil War in the Southwest Historical Re-Enactor Standards Posted
Volunteer Emails
We want to better manage & support our Volunteer Program and help reduce waste! Help us get the word out: We want all volunteers with email accounts & access to get on our Newsletter list, so we can start printing less copies on paper.
So please tell your Volunteer friends to visit the Arizona State Parks Volunteer web page for instructions on signing up.
Did You Know?
You can find specific park Volunteer Opportunities on our website?
If you live near one of our recreation, historic, or conservation parks, you may choose to be a local Parks Volunteer on a regular basis. Recruitment of community members occurs throughout the year, with volunteer open houses and trainings occuring during busy seasons. Check out postitions on the Parks Volunteer Support Team page.
On-Site Support Team volunteers may be asked to assist with a variety of tasks, with Campground Hosting being a primary area. Please check specific park web pages for the type of duties you can expect to be assigned at each park. Learn more on the On-Site Support Team page.
Happy New Year! Mark Your Calendars: Statewide Volunteer Recognition & Training Event March 20 & 21 at Kartchner Caverns
All current volunteers are invited to join us on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 for our annual Statewide Volunteer Recognition & Training Event.
This year we will be hosted at Kartchner Caverns State Park. This is your opportunity as current volunteers to experience for free both The Rotunda/Throne Tour and The Big Room Tour of the caverns (some restrictions apply), as well as attend informative training sessions and the award luncheons. Learn more about the Cave Tours on the Cave Tour Info page.
For the first time, the Arizona Site Steward Volunteers will be joining us. These volunteers monitor historical and archaeological sites throughout the state, including sites at State Parks, such as Romero Ruin at Catalina State Park, and the fabulous petroglyphs at Lyman Lake State Park. Volunteers from all programs are invited to any training sessions that they may have interest in, although some sessions will be focused more on park volunteering and some more on steward activities.
We will also host a combined reception and presentation on Friday evening in the theatre at Kartchner. Free camping will be available Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for all current volunteers who would like to attend and have far to travel.
Please watch for a full agenda and registration forms in your e-mail and at your park by the end of January.
Welcome New Site Steward Program Coordinator Kristen McLean
Kristen McLean is our new Site Steward Program Coordinator. Kristen and Nicole Armstrong-Best, ASP Volunteer Resources Planner, are working together to better define both volunteer programs, and to combine resources to better support both programs in these difficult financial times.
Kristen specialized in Canadian Historic archaeology for her MA and Aztec and Roman archaeology for her PhD program. She worked throughout most of the United States including Arizona doing contract archaeology in the 80s and 90s and switched to museums as a curator and volunteer coordinator for the last ten years in Florida, Louisiana, and Arizona.
Kristen has already made updates to much of the information on the Site Stewards Home Page, including making available by download for the first time the entire Site Stewards training manual. The manual is the ultimate resource for Site Stewards, containing over 50 pages of important information including a number of forms such as: Vandalism Report Form, Discovery Form, Site Steward Site Date Form (OPS), Activity Log Form, Historic Property Inventory Form for Cemeteries and Graves, and the Photo Log Form.
Kristen brings us a wealth of knowledge, as well as practical experience with volunteer management. She is a great addition to the volunteer support team!
Arizona State Parks celebrates the Aldo Leopold Centennial
In March of 2009 the states of Arizona and New Mexico, in conjunction with the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, will kick off a yearlong celebration of Aldo Leopold’s arrival in the southwest (in Springerville Arizona). Leopold was an ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was influential in the development of modern environmental ethics and in the movement for wilderness preservation. He was also author of the book A Sand County Almanac.
The goal of the centennial celebration is to promote Leopold’s vision that an ethical relationship with the land is essential to a vibrant and healthy community.
The theme of this yearlong celebration is the relevance of Leopold’s Land Ethic to how we address today’s pressing environmental issues and make policy decisions about our future. Our goal is to engage the citizens of our community in the meaningful commitment to promise our children the inheritance of a beautiful and healthy physical environment.
Arizona State Parks has committed to hold centennial events at 8 State Parks over the next year. As many of you will recall during our 50th Anniversary in 2007, each park involved will need volunteer support for specific aspects of their events. In addition, 5 or 6 additional volunteers will be needed to support children’s activities and informational areas that will be the same at each event. A list of the parks and events will be available soon, and the additional volunteer support areas will be posted under the Service Project area on our website. Please see your park volunteer coordinator, or sign-up on line if you would like to help with these great events.
Volunteer Profile: Bob Sweetwood
Bob Sweetwood and his wife Carol began volunteering at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park in October 2003 and have been active volunteers ever since. Bob is a retired US Air Force jet fighter pilot. He has a great interest in all types of history and public speaking. His job in the park is a Park Ambassador and he is extremely informative to visitors, fellow volunteers and park staff alike. He is always extremely pleasant, polite and friendly -- getting rave reviews from visitors to the park. When the need arises for a park "tour guide," Bob is one of the volunteers that steps in and does presentations on very short notice. He also assists Arizona State Parks by working on several internal committees. Bob is always very willing to assist with just about any need that arises, including leading caroling at the Tonto Holiday Party! Bob has a wonderful voice and certainly helped keep everyone in tune.New Civil War in the Southwest Historical Re-Enactor Standards Posted
On March 14 & 15, 2009, Civil War in the Southwest comes alive at Picacho Peak State Park. The most significant Civil War battle in Arizona took place near Picacho Peak on April 15, 1862. Over 200 Re-Enactors participate at this event.
To assist Re-Enactors to make this a historically accurate event, Christopher DeMille, Re-Enactor Liaison, has compiled a great new online resource library that includes example period clothing photographs and complete lists of Preferred, Accecptable, and Unaccecptable weapons standards. Re-Enactors should also read the Re-Enactor Event Guidelines that should be followed by all event participants.
Visit the Re-Enactor Home Page. Or go directly to a standards category: See Clothing Standards, See Artillery Standards, See Battle Weapon Standards, See Cavalry Standards.
