80: Ocean Pond Campground Host 2020

For a lucky few, the perfect camping option is serving as a volunteer campground host. The year-round, short-term post, which can last from three months to one year, offers a free campsite in exchange for 25 hours a week of volunteering.

Volunteer camp hosts greet visitors, perform general facility and groundskeeping maintenance, cleaning bathrooms, fire rings, mowing, performing visitor compliance checks. We provide tools and equipment to do the job and reimburse for propane.  We prefer longer stays of six months or greater, depending on vacancies and time of year.  

Ocean Pond is a serene, popular campground along the shores of the lake that provides 67 campsites with either electric, water or primitive set ups.  Olustee Beach is a day-use site with a fishing pier, boat ramp, beach and interpretive trails. Conveniently located between Jacksonville and Lake City, Florida, it is a popular destination for both local visitors and traveling snowbirds.

The Osceola National Forest (NF) is within a short driving distance to many popular attractions in Florida and some of the more popular north Florida cities, Jacksonville Beaches, Gainesville, University of Florida and Shands Medical Center, St. Augustine (oldest city in Florida), and Tallahassee (the State Capitol).  Osceola NF is set between the Atlantic beaches and the nature coast with many local rivers, caves and scenic points of interest. Outdoor recreational activities on the forest are centered around Ocean Pond, a mile-long lake that includes campgrounds, beaches, hiking, fishing, boating and swimming. Off-highway vehicle and equestrian trails, along with undeveloped campgrounds, are located around the forest. Other attractions include the Florida National Scenic Trail, Olustee Battlefield State Park and the Big Gum Swamp Wilderness.

Prefer federal experience but will consider all.   Share golf cart and landscape tools.   Trainings as available.

To apply, fill out an application at volunteer.gov with the dates of interest and relevant experience.  Email:  Leslie Canciglia ltcanciglia@usda.gov or Travis Roberts travis.roberts@usda.gov 

Check out our website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/osceola  to learn more about the forest.