PARK VOLUNTEERS: State parks are on the lookout for 
talented, helpful people. We'll tell you how to put your 
time to use, coming up on Passport To Texas.
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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Just because summer is coming an end, doesn't mean state 
parks are any less busy. Texas state parks and historic sites 
are always looking for volunteers year-round. 

"Well without our volunteers, some of our parks couldn't operate. We 
have about 200 parks hosts or volunteer opportunities." 

Carolyn Gonzales is State Parks Program Services Director. She 
says volunteering provides park lovers an opportunity to give 
something back to their favorite state park.
 
"Park volunteers provide campground services and visitor services in 
the office. With opportunities to serve as tour guides or interpreters 
and perform facility and trail maintenance."

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department estimates that state park 
volunteers save the agency roughly 7-million dollars a year in 
labor costs. And unlike most businesses, state parks are open 
365 days a year and need to be staffed to keep up with the 
demand.

"We have many volunteers that flock to Texas in the winter months 
and provide great assistance there, but in the summer months our 
parks are very full and we are lacking support services we need."

To learn how you can volunteer at a state park, just log onto 
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Web site. Click on the link for state 
parks.

That's our show for today ... thank you for joining us ... Joel Block 
engineers our program ... in Austin, Texas, at the Production 
Block studios...For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I'm Cecilia Nasti.