Volunteer at La Jara!

[This Gift Shop at La Jara during a winter event]

A message from our Gift Shop Coordinator, TK Thompson:

Amigos,

Some of you have expressed an interest in helping out at the gift shop if it was at the La Jara location (Valles Grande Staging Area – VGSA) on the Preserve. Well, now’s your chance! The Preserve has changed their policy regarding volunteering at the gift shops to our advantage! We are now being asked to help out at the main preserve store at VGSA. This store is normally open 7 days a week from 7am until 5 pm. Volunteers are needed to help greet people coming to the preserve. The volunteers will not have to handle money (this is good news, since more complex money handling procedures are now in place following an audit). The volunteers will be working with a Preserve Staff person who will do the money handling. They could use volunteers for full or part days. We are now in a position to tell the Preserve what days we want to work!

The Jemez Springs store will now be closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; it will be open the rest of the days of the week. There is still a need for volunteers at the Jemez Springs location. This may appeal if you live in Jemez Springs or vicinity – anything to save gasoline!

The store at Banco Bonito Gift Shop and Information Center is located in the Banco Bonito Staging Area on the southwest corner of the Preserve. This store is not regularly open; it mainly is open for events (equestrian, mountain biking, etc.) originating there. This volunteer opportunity would be ideal for Amigos living in the Sierra Los Pinos, La Cueva, and Thompson Ridge area of the Jemez!

Volunteer duties include greeting visitors and informing them about the Preserve history and the current Trust experiment in public land administration. A positive attitude on the part of the volunteers is essential! Volunteers will also be expected to inform visitors about current and future events in additional to items for sale in the stores. They will also cover the store so the staff person on duty can take a break when needed.

This is an extremely important activity in support of VCNP. Volunteering at the Preserve currently is in the top five income/money-saving activities. The presence of a volunteer in a store will free up a staff person for running events and other Trust business. The extra volunteers will be very helpful to accommodate questions and information requests and assist in merchandise sales when large numbers of visitors descend all at once, which regularly happens. The donated hours by volunteers go a long way to helping the Trust to obtain grants for Preserve restoration; they are a method to quantify support for the Preserve and its projects! The trust needs volunteers to make this experiment in land management work!

NOW IS OUR CHANCE TO SHINE! DO YOU KNOW OF A BETTER PLACE TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON ADMIRING WHAT NATURE HAS PROVIDED US AND MEETING KINDRED SOULS?

If you are interested, please respond to TK Thompson (tktincnm@msn.com) who will be coordinating this worthwhile activity.”