California State Parks


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Adamson House / Malibu Lagoon

General Interests

Interpretation for Visitors

Docents are highly trained volunteers who interpret the cultural, natural and recreational features of state parks for visitors. 

Docents receive initial and continuing enrichment training to which they add their own unique approach and experiences. If you have a passion for sharing and enjoy speaking to the public, a docent position may be a good fit for you.  

Interpretive activities that docents become involved with include:

  • Museum Tours and Tours of the Historic Adamson House  
  • Educational Programs for School Groups and International Visitors
  • Group tours, Garden Tours, and Holiday Tours
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Angel Island State Park

General Interests

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Angeles District - Mountain Bike Unit

General Interests

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Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve SNR

General Interests

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Auburn Mounted Trail Patrol

Volunteer Opportunities

Auburn State Recreation Area - Mounted Assistance Unit

The Mounted Assistance Unit performs volunteer patrol duties at the Auburn State Recreation Area, augmenting official regular patrols by Park Rangers.

Auburn SRA volunteers assist park staff by protecting the natural and cultural resources of the park, performing needed trails and facilities maintenance, promoting safe and responsible recreation practices to park visitors, providing public education and interpretation to inspire stewardship.

Members provide information and assistance to park visitors concerning trail conditions, directions, park use fees, and park rules and regulations.

MAU participates in trail improvement and maintenance projects, and in education and interpretation that complements MAU’s mission in the park (i.e., trail etiquette or member recruitment).

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Bay Area District

General Interests

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Big Basin Redwoods State Park

Volunteer Opportunities

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CA State Parks Monterey District

General Interests

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Calaveras Big Trees State Park

Volunteer at Calaveras Big Trees State Park!

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California State Parks - Angeles District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Channel Coast District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Colorado Desert District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Diablo Range District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Gold Fields District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Great Basin District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Inland Empire District

Available Volunteer Opportunities

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California State Parks - Northern Buttes District

General Interests

Anderson Marsh SHP

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California State Parks - Oceano Dunes District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Ocotillo Wells District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Orange Coast District

General Interests

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California State Parks - Sierra District

General Interests - Sierra District - Volunteer Information

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California State Parks - Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District

General Interests

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California State Railroad Museum & Old Sacramento SHP

California State Railroad Museum - Old Sacramento SHP

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Canyon Keepers

Volunteer Opportunities

Auburn State Recreation Area - Canyon Keepers

The Auburn State Recreation Area Canyon Keepers is a volunteer group that promotes healthy recreation by providing assistance and information for visitors to the state park. They organize hikes, conduct trail maintenance, provide guided history walks, maintain a native garden, remove litter, perform roving trail education, and assist the professional ranger staff through volunteer work.

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Capital District

General Interests

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Capitol Museum

General Interests

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Castle Rock SP/Portola Redwoods SP

Volunteer Opportunities

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Central Valley District

Volunteer Programs in the Central Valley District

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Coastal Programs

General Interests

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Columbia State Historic Park

General Interests

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Eel River Volunteer Program

General Interests

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Elephant Seal Docent Program

General Interests

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Empire Mine State Historic Park

General Interests

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Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park & Adopt the Parkway Program

General Interests

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Forest of Nisene Marks SP/New Brighton SB

Volunteer Opportunities

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Fort Ross State Historic Park

General Interests

  • Docent
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Half Moon Bay State Parks

Volunteer Opportunities

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Henry Cowell Redwoods

Volunteer Opportunities

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Henry W. Coe State Park

Uniformed Volunteer Program at Henry W. Coe State Park

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Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park

General Interests

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Malibu Creek Docents

General Interests

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Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

General Interests

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Montane Sector Parks

General Interests

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Monterey State Historic Park

Monterey State Historic Park

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Morro Bay Programs

General Interests

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Mount Diablo State Park

General Interests

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Mount Tamalpais State Park

General Interests

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Natural Bridges

Volunteer Opportunities

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Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

Ways To Volunteer at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

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Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park

Volunteer Opportunities

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Point Sur State Historic Park

General Interests

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Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Volunteer Opportunities

Train Crew

Train crew operate the excursion trains. Positions include Conductor, Engineer, Fireman, Brakeman and Fire patrol.

Train Engineer

Train Crew

Train Crew

Speeder Car Crew

Interpretive

The interpretive team engages with the public to tell the Railtown story.  Positions include Greeter, Tour Guide, Roundhouse Host, Car Host, Narrator, Station Agent, Ticket Agent, and more.

Leading a tour group

Deck Interpretation

Station Agent

Living History

The Living History program at Railtown participates in special events such as History Train and Tales of the Roundhouse. Volunteers also demonstrate important skills such as blacksmithing.

History Train Cast

Tales of the Roundhouse Cast

Blacksmith Demonstration

 

 

Photo Club

Railtown photo club take photographs and video of activities throughout the park for use in volunteer recognition, social media marketing, etc.

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Rancho del Oso

Volunteer Opportunities

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Redwood Coast Volunteer Program

General Interests

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Santa Cruz District

Volunteer Opportunities

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Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park

General Interests

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Seacliff State Beach

Volunteer Opportunities

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Sonoma SHP & Petaluma Adobe SHP

General Interests

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South Yuba River State Park

General Interests

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Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods

General Interests

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Sutter's Fort State Historic Park

General Interests

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Trione-Annadel State Park

General Interests

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Wilder Ranch State Park

Volunteer Opportunities

The History of Wilder Ranch

Wilder Ranch has a history going back thousands of years including the indigenous Uypi people, the Santa Cruz Mission Period, the Mexican-owned Rancho Refugio, Moses Meder's dairy ranch, the Wilder-Baldwin owned (and later Wilder alone) operation, and finally to it's designation as a state park. If you're interested in local Santa Cruz history, this may be the volunteer job for you! Opportunities include:

Leading tours of the historic dairy ranch

Living history events

Operating and educating visitors about the Blacksmith Shop (certification needed) 

Operating and educating visitors about the water powered machine shop and Pelton wheel

Helping with school field trips and teaching small groups of children about the ranch's history

and more! For questions or more information, contact wilderranch@ports.ca-us

Wilder Ranch's Natural Beauty

Wilder Ranch has opportunities both coast-side and mountain-side of Highway 1, which divides the park. Lead tours with ocean views on the Old Cove Landing trail! There are birds, harbor seals, whales, plants and more that park visitors are just waiting for you to tell them about. Lead monthly backcountry hikes to show intermediate hikers some of our most popular trails, and help them connect with the history and nature of Wilder Ranch

Opportunities include:

Leading birding walks along the Old Cove Landing trail to help visitors spot and identify local birds

Leading coastal walks to show park guests the trail and inform them about the local flora and fauna

Roving at the Wilder Beach Overlook to answer visitor's questions

Leading or co-leading backcountry hikes. These hikes are around 5 hours, 8 miles with 1,000 feet of elevation gain. 

and more! For questions or more information, contact wilderranch@ports.ca-us

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Will Rogers State Historic Park

Interpret Will Rogers, the man, his career, and the history of the ranch and artifacts it holds.

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