Volunteer

Washington County Parks welcomes campground hosts in the campgrounds at Lake Elmo Park Reserve and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park. 

Camp hosts are volunteers who live in the campground, in their own camping unit, for a portion of the summer. 

In exchange for a free campsite, they are responsible for providing information to campers, registering campers in the spring and fall, cleaning restrooms as necessary (between staff cleanings), and other related tasks. 

Interested in begin a camp host, find information on how to apply. These positions fill up quickly and may not always be available.

Washington County can accommodate large volunteer groups. This is great for scout troops, company volunteer days, volunteer organizations and more.

Seed Collecting

If your company or organization is interested in a private group volunteer event for about 10 or more people, please complete the volunteer interest form or email Parks staff for more information. 

Volunteer to help us collect information from park visitors at various places around the county. During specific two-hour periods, volunteers count visitors and hand out visitor surveys. This data helps staff determine park use and visitor preferences. Volunteers are needed at nearly all parks, including the Hardwood Creek Trail in Hugo and Forest Lake. If you are interested in  volunteering, please contact the Parks Division at 651-430-8370 or email. 

Washington County Parks regularly receives requests for Scouts and Silver Award volunteer projects. Typically, a Scout identifies a project that addresses a problem or need in the parks. Scouts can propose their own projects. Read on for a list of current potential projects.

Construct Wooden Benches in the Parks

Scouts must show existing bench locations on a map, and include locations for the proposed bench installation as part of the project submittal.

Natural Resource Activities 

Scouts can join the efforts being made by our Natural Resources team by participating in seeding or gardening events to help grow high value prairie plants or assist with removing invasive species, such as buckthorn, in the park. We can help you plan on joining an upcoming event or create an opportunity if staffing allows.

Bird Houses, Feeders, and Nests

The parks love to accept bird houses or feeders from time to time to have in our parks. This is a high interest item, and we are often full on bird house donations. Please reach out to staff or fill out the form if you are interested in constructing one of these items to determine if and where there is a need.

Submit a Scout Project Request

After reviewing the options, please complete this online form to submit a scout volunteer project request by email and a staff member will be in touch with you on the next steps within 2-3 weeks of submission.