Can you make it in the corps? The Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs volunteers to join the Elk Bugle Corps and assist rangers with managing traffic and providing information to visitors in Cataloochee Valley. 

Cataloochee is a remote mountain valley in Haywood County where elk were reintroduced in 2001 as part of an experimental release. Approximately 140 elk now live in the herd, and their presence attracts throngs of visitors and lines of vehicles. Rangers have difficulty keeping up with the numbers and demands of visitors. Volunteers teach visitors about elk behavior and biology and impart ethical wildlife viewing.

Volunteers work at least two, four-hour shifts per month, starting the second week in May and continuing through November. This target period is during the high tourist season from elk calving season through their mating season. Volunteers will spend time roving the valley in a zero-emission electric vehicle or by bike. Volunteers who prefer to rove by bike are required to bring their own bicycle and helmet. 

828.506.1739.