Watarrka volunteer wrap-up
2024 has been another busy year for Watarrka National Park and we want to highlight the incredible volunteers who came from all around the world to work here.
While the weather has been heating up and the visitor season is cooling off, the park rangers working at Watarrka National Park have been fortunate to have had a long list of volunteer rangers to assist in managing the park this year.
Since March 2024, we have had 12 vollies (volunteers) don the khaki volunteer shirt and since that first vollie we have had a volunteer working alongside the rangers in every month after that. Tallying over 900 volunteer hours, the level of effort these vollies have put in has made a lasting impact on Watarrka!
Ana volunteered at Watarrka for 3 weeks from July - August, contribut over 120 hours. The feedback she gave regarding her time at Watarrka summarises what you can expect when volunteering at Watarrka National Park.
“It was a privilege to assist the rangers in their day-to-day work and gain valuable insights into what being a ranger entails. I think this program truly brings the community to the heart of the National Park and fosters a great connection between the rangers and the broader community,” Ana said.
Like many other volunteers who spent time at Watarrka this year, Ana had exposure to the day-to-day tasks that rangers carry out while also contributing to the conservation work completed out in the park.
Doug, a park ranger who has been working with the Northern Territory Government for 20 years, praises the volunteer program and the enthusiasm that the vollies have brought to Watarrka.
“The amount of work and time the volunteers put in this year has been really impactful, we have been able to complete jobs that would have been deferred if it weren’t for the volunteer numbers we had this year. It’s also been great getting to work with people from all walks of life,” Doug said.
The work hasn’t stopped at Watarrka National Park and the volunteers are still coming in to get their hands sandy. If you’re interested in volunteering in the Northern Territory, email Volunteer.Parks@nt.gov.au
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who spent time working with us at Watarrka National Park!
