Senior Culminating Projects
Options with Olympic National Park
To learn more about or sign up for the following projects, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Heather Stephens (Heather.Stephens@nps.gov).
Visit the Student Conservation Association (SCA) website or contact the ONP volunteer coordinator about seasonal internship opportunities for after you complete your SCP.
A student can earn credit for any of the projects listed on this website through North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center Natural Resources (contact Dan Lieberman, 360-565-1892, dlieberman@portangelesschools.org).
Visit the Student Conservation Association (SCA) website or contact the ONP volunteer coordinator about seasonal internship opportunities for after you complete your SCP.
A student can earn credit for any of the projects listed on this website through North Olympic Peninsula Skills Center Natural Resources (contact Dan Lieberman, 360-565-1892, dlieberman@portangelesschools.org).
Project Logistics - Forks
Number of Students: From 2 to 6 students
Schedule: FHS students on Wednesdays from 2 to 6pm; Alternative High School students flexibly scheduled
Schedule: FHS students on Wednesdays from 2 to 6pm; Alternative High School students flexibly scheduled
Project Logistics - Port Angeles
Number of Students: Discover Olympic: from 1 to 4 students for each crew (Sun and Tue/Thu); Other Projects: number of students varies
Schedule: Discover Olympic: Sundays 10am - 1pm or Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 - 4:30pm Othe projects are flexibly scheduled
Schedule: Discover Olympic: Sundays 10am - 1pm or Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 - 4:30pm Othe projects are flexibly scheduled
Project Options - Forks
Tsunami Marine Debris Surveys
At least one day per month, monitor beaches in Olympic National Park recording data on and collecting marine debris.
At least one day per month, monitor beaches in Olympic National Park recording data on and collecting marine debris.
Project Options - Port Angeles
Discover Olympic (Visitor Education)—with Ranger Greg Marsh and/or Ranger Dean Butterworth
Learn the job of an Interpretive Park Ranger. Work in-person and behind the scenes to provide National Park visitors with information. Take on an independent project to help with visitor education in Olympic National Park. Work at Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles with Ranger Greg Marsh and/or Ranger Dean Butterworth of Olympic National Park and Skills Center Natural Resources staff.
Following are opportunities that are not currently supported - check back to see if they move up to the 'Project Options' section above:
ONP Museum Archive Project—with Gay Hunter
Work with ONP collections staff to document, archive, and catalogue museum collections.
Coastal Clean-Up Management and/or Logistical Support—with Heather Stephens ONP
Work with Park staff to plan the annual coastal clean up event. This could involve both pre and post event planning. Management would involve participating in decision making meetings. Logistical support would involve scouting beaches before the event to locate trash deposits, staffing check in locations and ensuring distribution of supplies.
Elwha Restoration Greenhouse Planting and/or Structure Work—with Dave Allen
Work at the Park’s greenhouse preparing plants for propagation. Also invoves physical labor to prepare the greenhouse for work (building outbuildings, soil bins, etc).
Community Trail Video for Stock Use—with Heather Stephens/Larry Lack/Barb Maynes
Work with local stock users to prepare video trip planners for stock users. Document stock facilities in the park, how trips are planned, and edit for web use.
Adopt-a-Trail Trail Work in ONP—with Heather Stephens/Larry Lack
Help kick off our Adopt A Trail program. Work would involve compiling a handbook, promoting events, and teaching trail work skills to new volunteers. This could also involve some behind the scenes management possibilities as well as we present new topics to the Park’s planning team.
Complete the ONP Search and Rescue (SAR) plan—with Larry Nickey
Every National Park is required to have a Search and Rescue(SAR) plan. We need someone to complete our plan. It is about 75% done, just need someone to finish it up (compile the resources, pictures, etc)
Plot Park SAR events—with Larry Nickey
Someone with GIS skills to plot our past SARs into a GIS layer. (where the SAR started, dates, basic information in the SAR label)
SAR analysis—with Larry Nickey
Someone looking at our past 30 years of SARS (that is what we have paperwork wise) and determining cause/effect, outcome and anything else we deem we might want to capture in a SAR analysis. Ideally this would be someone interested in statistical analysis or really good at GIS or Excel
Discover Olympic (Visitor Education)—with Ranger Greg Marsh and/or Ranger Dean Butterworth
Learn the job of an Interpretive Park Ranger. Work in-person and behind the scenes to provide National Park visitors with information. Take on an independent project to help with visitor education in Olympic National Park. Work at Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles with Ranger Greg Marsh and/or Ranger Dean Butterworth of Olympic National Park and Skills Center Natural Resources staff.
Following are opportunities that are not currently supported - check back to see if they move up to the 'Project Options' section above:
ONP Museum Archive Project—with Gay Hunter
Work with ONP collections staff to document, archive, and catalogue museum collections.
Coastal Clean-Up Management and/or Logistical Support—with Heather Stephens ONP
Work with Park staff to plan the annual coastal clean up event. This could involve both pre and post event planning. Management would involve participating in decision making meetings. Logistical support would involve scouting beaches before the event to locate trash deposits, staffing check in locations and ensuring distribution of supplies.
Elwha Restoration Greenhouse Planting and/or Structure Work—with Dave Allen
Work at the Park’s greenhouse preparing plants for propagation. Also invoves physical labor to prepare the greenhouse for work (building outbuildings, soil bins, etc).
Community Trail Video for Stock Use—with Heather Stephens/Larry Lack/Barb Maynes
Work with local stock users to prepare video trip planners for stock users. Document stock facilities in the park, how trips are planned, and edit for web use.
Adopt-a-Trail Trail Work in ONP—with Heather Stephens/Larry Lack
Help kick off our Adopt A Trail program. Work would involve compiling a handbook, promoting events, and teaching trail work skills to new volunteers. This could also involve some behind the scenes management possibilities as well as we present new topics to the Park’s planning team.
Complete the ONP Search and Rescue (SAR) plan—with Larry Nickey
Every National Park is required to have a Search and Rescue(SAR) plan. We need someone to complete our plan. It is about 75% done, just need someone to finish it up (compile the resources, pictures, etc)
Plot Park SAR events—with Larry Nickey
Someone with GIS skills to plot our past SARs into a GIS layer. (where the SAR started, dates, basic information in the SAR label)
SAR analysis—with Larry Nickey
Someone looking at our past 30 years of SARS (that is what we have paperwork wise) and determining cause/effect, outcome and anything else we deem we might want to capture in a SAR analysis. Ideally this would be someone interested in statistical analysis or really good at GIS or Excel