By Mont McAllister
My volunteer work at Chimney Rock has multiple benefits in my life.
To start with, it helps me get my steps in when I’m out walking the upper and lower trails being a roving interpreter. I enjoy all the aspects of volunteering, but if I were to pick a favorite, it is school week when the fourth-graders come out to experience the history. Every year I ask them what they think will be found in our midden piles 1,000 years from now. I get a resounding, “Plastic” from all the classes.
It’s an honor for me to walk around where some pretty fantastic people left their legacy for us over 1,000 years ago. Today we get visitors from all over the United States and the world. I enjoy hearing their stories and answering their questions. The ones that are present for our full moon events always let me know how special it was for them. Through volunteering, the little I’ve learned about the people and communities that were here over a thousand years ago makes me wonder what they are going to say about us a thousand years from now.
It’s peaceful here at Chimney Rock and the full history is a mystery to me, so I keep coming back to help preserve a little bit of the history in our area. With all the man-made structures around the world, it’s special that this is the only natural structure that captures the 18.6-year cycle of the moon. The major lunar standstill is just part of the history of the ancestors that were here. I’m still amazed how in tune with the cycles of earth and the moon they were, and the community effort it took to build and live around Chimney Rock.
There is a great community with all the other volunteers and the Forest Service staff that keep this National Monument open, and I want to thank them for allowing me to participate as long as I can.
To learn about the various volunteer opportunities at Chimney Rock National Monument, the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA) will host a volunteer recruitment event at the Ruby Sisson Library on March 27 from 1:30 to 2:30pm. Another recruitment event will be held at the Ross Aragon Community Center on April 11 from 5 to 6pm.
A number of CRIA volunteers will be on hand at each event to introduce guests to volunteer positions available for the 2024 season — May 15 to October 21. Some of the volunteer positions include: gift shop, mesa host, night programs, plaza host, tour guide and youth workshop.
In addition, CRIA offers a yearly volunteer orientation for those of you interested in joining our team.
This year, the volunteer training will take place on April 26 from 9am to 2pm at the Methodist Church, located at 434 Lewis St. The second day of training will take place on April 27 at the monument from 9am to noon.
If you cannot attend one of our volunteer recruitment events, you can find more detailed information about the various volunteer positions on our website: www.chimneyrockco.org.
A volunteer form can easily be filled out online and submitted electronically, or feel free to call our office at (970) 731-7133.
For more information about Chimney Rock National Monument and volunteer opportunities, we encourage you to stop by one of our two volunteer recruitment events. Come join our team and “meet the world” through our many visitors at Chimney Rock.
CRIA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that runs the gift shop and interpretive programs/tours at Chimney Rock National Monument in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the San Juan National Forest.
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