For the past year, I’ve had the honor of being Voyageurs National Park’s first Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA). CVAs are part of an AmeriCorps program that debuted in 2016 to support parks’ volunteer programs during their centennial celebrations. The program was so popular that it has since become a regular part of National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) operations around the country.
Cassie Olson, Voyageurs National Park’s first-ever Community Volunteer Ambassador (CVA)
The main goal of all CVAs is to create opportunities for local communities to get involved in volunteering at parks. We especially focus on engaging folks who are less represented in outdoor spaces, such as minorities, veterans, and youth. Since every park is unique and situated in a different community space, it is vital to provide staffing that is keyed into that community. The communities surrounding Voyageurs are rural, very close-knit, and have different needs than large urban communities.
With these goals in mind, my main objective this year was to identify areas in which community members were interested and how volunteers could best assist the park. I connected with awesome community groups like the Northwoods Shutterbugs, an amateur photography group, and Women of the Water, a community-wide boating group in Crane Lake. The unique skills and insight of these community groups were invaluable assets to the volunteer program.
In June, I worked alongside the Voyageurs Conservancy and Women of the Water to construct monofilament recycling systems. These receptacles are designed to collect discarded fishing line. Since fishing line is a dense plastic, it can be recycled at special processing centers. Fishing is one of the primary forms of recreation at Voyageurs and therefore one of the biggest sources of litter along shorelines. The Women of the Water volunteers played an important role constructing these recycling stations to use throughout the park.
Cassie Olson (left) and Mariah Reading (right) installing a monofilament recycling system featuring a loon and sunset scene.
The plain white PVC pipe of the monofilament recycling systems served as a blank canvas for another volunteer opportunity. Mariah Reading, a park ranger and eco-artist, helped develop this volunteer concept by decorating a system with a scene from Black Bay. The recycling receptacle depicts a gorgeous sunset and loons. You can check out this receptacle in person at the Rainy Lake Fishing Pier this summer! I recruited youth from Indus School and a local Girl Scouts troop to decorate the other systems, which will be finished and installed at the other visitor centers by summer 2022.
Another important event I was able to initiate was a wild rice harvest for National Public Lands Day. This event was held in collaboration with the Wetland Restoration Project, which has been monitoring and treating areas of the park impacted by hybrid invasive cattails. Hybrid cattails outcompete other plants and destroy vital animal habitats. One way of treating these areas involves removing the hybrid cattails, which leaves the environment bare and vulnerable. Native plant seeds such as wild rice can be used to re-vegetate treated areas and prevent hybrid cattails from returning. With the help of 10 awesome volunteers, we spent a whole day harvesting wild rice from a robust patch located in Cranberry Bay. The seed we harvested was planted nearby, assisting the natural processes already at work.
Volunteers participating in a wild rice harvest during National Public Lands Day
One activity we tried to cultivate throughout the year was a spirit of appreciation for our volunteers. The Voyageurs Conservancy helped kick off two appreciation events: an ice cream social and a recognition dinner. At these events, volunteers were able to socialize with other volunteers and staff with whom they didn’t regularly work with. Volunteering at Voyageurs is much more than a job, it’s a way to get in touch with the park and your community in a deeper way.
Cassie leading a Volunteer In Parks (VIP) recognition dinner.
My time here has taught me so much about communication and connection, and I’m grateful for all the unique opportunities I’ve been able to experience. Boating on glassy waters through island-studded lakes and the eerie loon call echoing in the background, is not something I will soon forget.
