Dakota County Parks

General Description

Enjoy the outdoors while also assisting park visitors with questions, directions and first aid care. Our patrol units offer a vital service to the trail programs by being trained individuals who are onsite to assist our park users with day to day operations and emergencies. Qualified candidates are enthusiastic and frequent users of our parks that want to serve as friendly ambassadors to our guests. Volunteer on your own time (no set schedule), while personally enjoying the trails, it doesn’t get better than that!

Various modes of recreation and transportation can be performed with our Greenway & Park Trail Patrol teams including:

• Bike
• Hike
• Jog
• Roller skate
• Run
• Scooter
• Skateboard
• Snowshoe
• Walk
• Wheelchair

Locations

Be a part of the Greenway & Park Trail Patrol team at all of our county parks and greenways.

Click here to learn more about our county parks.

Click here to learn more about our greenways. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Help provide a safe and enjoyable experience to all park visitors.
• Provide directions and help answer questions.
• Assist in an emergency if you are onsite.
• Carry a cell phone with you while on patrol to be accessible to visitor center contact.

Qualifications

• Must be 16 years old or older.
• Good physical fitness and customer service skills.
• Must provide your own equipment (snowshoes, hiking gear, bike, rollerblades, etc.).
• Completion of all required training.
• Complete a background check with the county (if applicable).

Benefits

• Free CPR/First Aid Training.
• Great way to gather hours for school requirements, professional development, etc.
• Set your own schedule and times.
• Great opportunity to grow personally: customer service, emergency prep, and people skills.
• A great team full of people who love what you already like to do.

Time Commitment

The Park Trail Patrol team is a one-year commitment with two starting "seasons", Winter-Spring (December - May) and Summer-Fall (June - November). Volunteers are asked to commit to 30 hours per year.

Required Training

Volunteers must complete all training before volunteering on patrol.

• Volunteers must complete all training before volunteering on patrol.

  • Volunteer Patrol Training (Required) - June 18 at 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. (Zoom Meeting). This event will be recorded and made available for viewing at a later date if you cannot attend the live meeting. Meeting link will be sent out by email. 
  • CPR & First Aid Certification (Required) - (Online training provided by the county). This can be completed by volunteer on their own time. Email will be sent out with training link. 

Activity Level

Active - Involves physical exertion for an extended period of time; can involve rough, uneven or steep terrain. Not recommended for volunteers with physical limitations.

Contact Information

Garrett Zaffke | Community Relations and Volunteer Services Coordinator

Dakota County Communications

1590 Highway 55| Hastings, MN 55033

Direct: (651) 438-4635 | Fax: (651) 438-4405 | Email: garrett.zaffke@co.dakota.mn.us