Volunteers needed to liaison with elk viewers
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to impart wildlife viewing etiquette in high-traffic tourist areas at the N.C. entrance to the park outside Cherokee, as well as interact with the public and provide general park information.
An orientation and training will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday, April 26, at the Oconaluftee visitor center at the park entrance on U.S. 441.
Volunteers will rove the Oconaluftee River Trail, Mountain Farm Museum and fields along Newfound Gap Road, which are frequented by a herd of Smokies elk.
Volunteers are needed through spring, summer and fall.
The volunteers will explain national park rules on disturbing wildlife and approaching wildlife. When elk are in the fields, the U.S. 441 roadside is often lined with stopped vehicles and people watching and photographing the herd.
Volunteers will also assist rangers and other park staff in traffic management around herds of elk and provide visitors with information on viewing the elk and their history in the park. They will also provide basic park information, such as picnic spots, historical sites and hikes.
828.497.1904.
