The C&O Canal Trust is the official non-profit partner of the C&O Canal National Historical Park and works in partnership with the National Park Service to protect, restore, and promote the canal. The Trust seeks to ensure the Park’s  natural, historical, and recreational potential is fully realized.

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Bridging the Watershed Program

Recruiting Volunteers for the 2013 Season!

What is Bridging the Watershed (BTW)? An outreach program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF), in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and area schools, designed to promote student academic achievement, personal connections with the natural world, lifelong civic engagement, and environmental stewardship through hands-on curriculum-based outdoor studies in national parks and public lands. www.fergusonfoundation.org/bridging-the-watershed/

What are the duties of a Volunteer Educator? C&O Volunteer Educators assist BTW Educators, teachers and park staff in the delivery of environmental education programs at the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, including one or more of the following: welcome/orientation to the park, assistance with BTW education program, or leading a park education program.

Who should apply? Preferred candidates will have experience teaching, substitute teaching or working with K-12 students in an educational setting. Knowledge in environmental education, related sciences and the C&O Canal National Historical Park’s natural and cultural resources.

Interested? Candidates are encouraged to submit a resume and letter of interest to Hollie Lynch, Education Coordinator, at hollie_lynch@nps.gov. Upon selection, Volunteer Educators will complete training including Safety/First Aid, C&O Canal Interpretive/Education Training and the Bridging the Watershed Institute Training. In addition, volunteers will shadow a minimum of two Bridging the Watershed Field Studies with BTW Educators, schools and park staff, gaining “on the ground” experience for delivering BTW programs beginning in fall 2013.

Give Back to The Park You Love

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park has many opportunities for our visitors who are interested in volunteering for the park. Whether your interest is in living history, bike patrolling, park maintenance, or staffing a visitor center, the C&O Canal has many rewarding volunteer jobs.

Throughout the country, thousands of individuals assist the National Park Service by volunteering their time and talents. These people who work side-by-side in partnership with NPS employees are called Volunteers in Parks, or VIPs. VIPs care about the parks- their past, present, and future- and care about the people who come to visit the parks.

Wherever they work, whatever their job, VIPs help the park service in its challenging mission: To conserve the parks’ natural and historical resources and to provide for their enjoyment in a way that will leave them unimpaired for future generations. Volunteer opportunities available at the C&O Canal National Historical Park are listed under “Get Involved”.

Check back with us regularly for upcoming volunteer opportunities! Give back to the park you enjoy, love, or want to improve!