By Sue Fischer
Why do I volunteer for the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association (CRIA)? It’s fun and rewarding.
I love archaeology and learning about the first Americans, especially the Ancestral Puebloans. They were, and still are, an incredibly resilient people.
I love to give guided interpretive tours at Chimney Rock and try to increase the public’s understanding of how the Ancestral Puebloans built their homes, how they used their environment to provide food and medicine for their families, and how they organized their society. This is not only a history lesson involving a cultural experience; it is also relevant to today’s problems with drought, resource depletion and social unrest, all of which lead to lively discussions with visitors.
Although this sounds serious, and it is, the fun part of giving tours is interacting with visitors. Every tour is different, with visitors asking different questions and having different perspectives. Almost all the visitors are interested in learning about Chimney Rock and its place in the prehistory of the Southwest. The Mystery Tours are the best because they take place before or after the monument is open, which is perfect for allowing visitors to quietly enjoy the views and take time for photographs.
Another rewarding aspect of vol- unteering is interactions with other volunteers. They are a wonderful, supportive group of people who are amazingly hardworking and imaginative. Collectively, they represent a remarkable collection of all types of skills — and are happy to teach them to new (and old) volunteers. I also like that there are a variety of ways to volunteer, from helping with school week to helping staff at the gift shop in the visitor center and, of course, giving various types of tours.
Want to have fun, learn new things and help people? Be a CRIA volunteer.
To learn about the various volunteer opportunities at Chimney Rock National Monument, CRIA will host a volunteer recruitment event at the Ross Aragon Community Center on April 11 from 5 to 6pm. A number of CRIA volunteers will be on hand 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.