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Get Involved With DCNR

There are many ways to get involved with DCNR to help support, maintain, and care for our natural resources.

Volunteer at State Parks and Forests

By volunteering at Pennsylvania state parks and forests, you can help with conservation projects and efforts, including:

  • Trails/wildlife habitat -- Assist with creating or clearing trails, improving wildlife habitat, and cleaning and stabilizing stream banks.
  • Maintenance -- Plant trees and flowers, repair foot bridges, improve accessibility to recreational areas, install park signs, and perform light maintenance.
  • Campground assistance -- Serve as a "live-in" host at a state park campground or cabin colony by greeting and assisting campers and performing light maintenance.
  • Interpretation/environmental education -- Help develop programs, assist with visitor centers, conduct guided walks, and present interpretive programs and outdoor programs to schools.
  • Technical and engineering -- Help DCNR design general engineering projects, maintain technical specifications and catalogs, and develop computer databases.
  • Forest fire prevention and protection -- Volunteer to assist with Smokey Bear appearances and present fire prevention programs in schools.
  • Research -- You can help research and write the history of forests and state parks, develop checklists of flora and fauna, and assist with geological and topographic studies and field research.

How to Get Involved

To get involved in DCNR conservation work, you can look for volunteer opportunities at state parks and forests near you. You can also contact your local state park or state forest directly to ask about opportunities to support their work.

DCNR Conservation Volunteers

Conservation Volunteers are people who care about protecting and enhancing our natural resources. People of all ages can participate in the program, which matches interests and abilities with appropriate outdoor projects. You can join us as a group or as an individual. Some parks and forests have specific projects for volunteers.

Sign up to become a DCNR Conservation Volunteer by completing the Conservation Volunteer Application. Once registered as a volunteer, you'll be assigned information to log in and report your hours.

Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) is a DCNR partner and is a statewide nonprofit organization that provides a voice for state parks and forests across the state.

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation provides citizens the opportunity to become active and involved volunteers in the park and forest system.

Through the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, interested volunteers can get involved by viewing park and forest needs, and then helping to address those need by joining or starting a friends group.
 

Join a Friends Group

Friends groups are made of people who enjoy volunteering their time, services, and support to our state parks and forests. Chapters form for a variety of reasons but all understand the value of their state park or forest and share a common goal to make that park or forest the best in the commonwealth.

Friends groups connect people to the natural places of Pennsylvania while enhancing the role of public lands in local communities.

Check the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation map of friends groups to find out if one already exists at your state park or forest.

Help Support the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation

There are many ways to help support the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation and their work to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests through public engagement in volunteerism, education, and recreation.

Visit the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation website to learn more about ways to give.