“Our tradition of voluntary association is still vital. And its vitality is rooted in good soil -- civic pride, compassion, spiritual commitments, a sense of individual responsibility and, whatever cynics may say, a commitment to the great shared effort to improve our life together and to ensure a good future for our children and our children's children.”
John Gardner, 1979
40 Years Later, 2.5 Million Volunteers and 100 Million Service Hours Valued at $1.2 Billion
Gloria Owen, first official Forest Service volunteer, served as a volunteer camp cook, camp tender and crew member on the "Mary Mary" trail on the Moose Creek Ranger District, Nez Perce National Forest in Idaho. Ms. Owen is recognized by Regional Forester Leslie Weldon, now Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
On May 18, 1972 the Volunteers in the National Forests Act was signed into law. This act “authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to recruit, train, and accept without regard to the civil service classification laws, rules, or regulations the services of individuals without compensation as volunteers for or in aid of interpretive functions, visitor services, conservation measures and development, or other activities in and related to areas administered by the Secretary through the Forest Service.” Since then, 2.5 million volunteers have contributed over 100 million hours of service valued at $1.2 billion helping to care for the land and serve people.
From serving as campground hosts, to transporting supplies to Wilderness areas, to manning lookout towers overlooking a canopy of hundreds of acres of trees, to introducing youth to the beauty and majesty of America’s Great Outdoors, Forest Service volunteers are contributing in every resource area. We are immensely grateful for the citizen stewards that have made such a significant difference on the national forests and grasslands. A great big THANK YOU! to all the volunteers that have served in the past 40 years!
Enjoy Your National Forests, Be A Volunteer!
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