Campground Host Program
MTRA supports the Minnesota DNR Volunteer Campground Host Program and will work with any forest or park management that would like to have a Campground Host at their facility. We are currently working with the management at Zumbro Bottoms to pilot a Campground Host on most weekends. We may not be able to cover all weekends but as a pilot program, we would like to have a host every weekend for a month or so. This would be a test to determine if campground camping fee compliance is improved with the presence of camp ground hosts. Campground hosts would be asked to perform the following campground host duties:
- Walk through the campground once or twice daily as needed to check with campers and day visitors to greet them, offer them trail maps and advise them of the camping fees (if overnighters) and the opportunity to donate to trail maintenance (day visitors).
- Give campers a self-registration envelope if they have not registered upon arrival and did not pick up an envelope. Answer any questions the visitor may have. If you do not know the answer, take the question down and the person's phone and address so the park staff can get back to the person with an answer.
- When walking through the grounds, pick up litter and check the toilets for paper and major messes. Park staff will do regular cleaning of the toilets.
- Remove any expired camping registration slips from campsite posts.
- If any rowdy behavior or major violations are observed, call park staff and or the county sheriff's office.
- Offer trail maps to visitors upon request.
- Unlock the power switch for the well when you are on site and lock it again when you are not there.
- Perform any other duties that management may request.
Zumbro Bottoms management is agreeable with the pilot weekend host program, but it will create more paperwork for them. MTRA can minimize this work by submitting all the host applications at once and scheduling the volunteers. Please contact Russ Wright, rlwright@frontiernet.net or 507-775-2512, if you are interested in being a host at Zumbro Bottoms.
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