Volunteering is an American tradition that, over the years, has made an immeasurable contribution to communities, organizations, and individuals throughout the country. National Park Service volunteers come from every state and nearly every country in the world to help preserve and protect America's natural and cultural heritage. Yellowstone National Park has benefited for many years from the VIP program. This number of hours translates to the equivalent of an additional 80 paid employees each working a 6-month season. Yellowstone owes a huge debt of gratitude to each of these individuals whose only motivation and reward has been the love and concern each holds for the park.
Individuals contribute their time and energy to a myriad of endeavors.
There's trail clearing and rehabilitation for work groups wanting to spend time in Yellowstone's backcountry in exchange for chopping trees, constructing water bars, pulling noxious weeds, or engineering a trail reroute. Many of the historic photographs in the park's curatorial office are categorized and filed by volunteers. The wolf reintroduction program has and will continue to be supported primarily by volunteers who track wolves, record kill sites, and gather other kinds of data for biologists. Many of Yellowstone's 3 million annual visitors are greeted by visitor center and museum volunteers who help distribute information about the park. Unfortunately, Yellowstone can only accommodate a fraction of the 2,000 volunteers who submit applications each year.