Wild River State Park

Purpose

Help make maple syrup! We tap maple trees at the park to demonstrate maple syrup making to visitors. It takes a lot of time to boil sap, and you can help! It's cozy to stand outside in early spring, near the hot wood-fired evaporator, and watch the steam billow out of the pan.

In addition to boiling sap, you can chat with visitors who wander by about the process. You can facilitate tasting some of the products, including sap from the tree, sap as it becomes sweeter, various grades of finished syrup, and even maple sugar! 

Responsibilities (duties and tasks)

Authorized work:

• Run the wood stove evaporator safely. Add wood from the pile, skim the sap every 30 minutes, and add more sap as necessary. You won't have to start up the stove or dump the syrup, so it's pretty easy.  
• Talk with visitors about maple syrup making and offer samples. 

Restricted work:

The duties assigned to this volunteer position are laid out above. Tasks pertaining to other programs and projects at this park/trail or any other park or trail unit must be agreed upon in a separate Volunteer Agreement form.

Qualifications Desired (education, skill, experience)

• Ability to work safely around a hot stove.
• Comfort chatting with people in a friendly way. 
• Experience with customer service is preferred.
• No experience making maple syrup is necessary. 

Safety training topics to be covered with volunteers: 

• Naturalist will be present at the beginning of your shift for training, and will usually be nearby for questions. You may be on your own during more of the Saturday shifts when the naturalist has programs, but you'll still be trained. 
• Personal safety and security.
• Appropriate response to injured visitors and emergency situations. 
• Wearing leather gloves (provided) and working near a hot stove.

Sign up:

• After you're accepted at a Wild River State Park volunteer, click on the "opportunities" tab to sign up for shifts. 
• Contact Sean at sean.hoppes@state.mn.us or 651-583-2125 x227 with any questions.

Our vision is to create unforgettable park, trail, and water recreation experiences that inspire people to pass along the love for the outdoors to current and future generations.