Volunteer events take place on a specific date and time, are facilitated by our program or a partner organization, and are usually open to drop-in participants (though some might require pre-registration). These events don't require long-term commitments. You can find upcoming events on our calendar. 

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Protect Water - Only Rain in Drain: Volunteers install medallions next to storm drains to raise awareness that only rain can go down the drain. There are no filters in storm drains and stormwater does not go to a treatment plant to remove pollutants like indoor water. Most storm drains lead directly to the nearest stream, river or lake. These medallions serve as an important reminder that our community can help protect water by preventing anything except rain from entering a storm drain (including soap, grass, pet waste, etc.).  
During the dry season, groups of two or more, including schools, scout troops, community organizations, faith-based organizations and neighborhood associations, can help mark storm drains. Volunteers can propose a project area on public roads that have speed limits 25 miles per hour or less. The volunteer coordinator will try to assign an area in or close to the proposed project location. Volunteers schedule a time to borrow the storm drain marking kit and have flexibility to complete the project within that timeframe.
We provide the supplies, tools, medallions and training you'll need to complete the job, stay safe and have fun. All you need is an area that needs marking, and dry weather!

→ More information 

Adopt A Storm Drain - Protect water quality, prevent localized street flooding and inspire stewardship in your community by adopting a neighborhood storm drain. Adopting a storm drain is a fun way to supplement Public Works' street sweeping and annual maintenance efforts. You'll get a free yard sign and you can even name your storm drain!

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Independent assignment volunteers are residents who help on their own time, not as part of a sponsored volunteer event, specific volunteer program or group activity. Independent assignment volunteers can work with the volunteer program coordinator to identify an activity, task or project that they are passionate about. Examples include litter pickup, invasive species removal, wildlife surveys and pet waste pickup. Independent assignment volunteers receive important safety information and training, tools, supplies and staff support. Volunteers are recognized via a year-end awards program. Contact us to get started as an independent assignment volunteer!

→ Contact us! 

If there's a park or open space owned or managed by Clark County that you love, this is the activity for you! Volunteers choose a park, trail or open space to adopt. Adopters organize and facilitate one volunteer activity each month April through September, and at least once between October and March. Activities usually consist of litter pickup but can sometimes include projects like cleaning picnic tables, adding bark chips to a playground, clearing vegetation from around a trail, and more. We provide all supplies, tools, materials and the training you'll need to complete the job and stay safe. 

Not sure which park to adopt? Contact us. If you're ready to apply to adopt a specific park or property, fill out an application.

Please note: Adopt-A-Park is NOT the same as the volunteer park host program. If you are interested in a park host position, please do not fill out an Adopt-A-Park application. 

→ Apply now! 

Black icons are adopted parks. Green icons are parks available for adoption. House icons are park host locations.
 

Roadside litter can reduce property values, increase the spread of disease, injure wildlife, and increase the risk of collisions on the roadway. In the U.S. there are over 6,000 pieces of litter for every mile of road. Help keep Clark County beautiful by adopting a road! Adopters work with us to find a road segment that is safe for volunteer litter crews. Adopters complete an orientation and brief training, then gather friends, neighbors, family, and coworkers to complete three litter cleanups along their adopted road segment each year. We provide supplies and dispose of the litter; you bring the helping hands!

Ready to Adopt-A-Road? Contact us. If you know which road you want to adopt, or a general geographic area you'd like to work in, let us know. 

→ Apply now!

Churches, clubs, businesses, and organizations can work with us to schedule a volunteer event for their group. Contact us to get started. Be prepared to give information about your group size, preferred dates and times, and if you have preferences on the location of service or type of volunteer activity. 

→ Contact us! 

Clark County's Parks and Lands division cares for over 11,000 acres and 84 parks spread across 650 square miles. Volunteer park hosts live at select park sites to help ensure that, despite the geographic spread, our parks are always clean, safe and well-cared for. Park host positions are posted here when they become available.

Please sign up for our volunteer program newsletter, where we announce open park host positions when they become available.

 Clark County Public Works is seeking volunteers to serve as the park hosts at:

- Captain William Clark Regional Park 

→ Apply now!

Volunteer park hosts live at their assigned park and assist with creating a safe and welcoming environment for all visitors. Host duties include (but are not limited to):

Cleaning park restrooms daily, and as needed in response to messes.
Opening park gates by 7 a.m. daily and closing gates at dusk daily (a half-hour after sunset).  

• Hosts notify park users that the park is closing.
• Emptying park garbage cans.
• Picking up litter daily.
• Notifying staff of emergencies, urgent maintenance needs, or impacts of severe weather.
• Helping identify and responding to safety and security concerns. 

Park hosts report to the Public Works volunteer program coordinator and receive additional training, direction, and support from parks maintenance and operations staff. 

Clark County provides basic utilities for the host including electricity, water, sewer, and garbage/recycling. The host must provide their own phone and internet service. The host must also provide proof of renter’s insurance.

Park hosts must serve for a minimum of one calendar year; this position would serve through Dec. 31, 2025

To complete an application online, click the button below. To request a paper copy of the application, contact volunteer program coordinator Cindy Gonzalez at cindy.gonzalez@clark.wa.gov 564.397.1679. 

Selected applicants will be interviewed by phone. Finalists will meet with staff in-person at the park home. 

The applicants offered the position must submit to a state and federal background check and fingerprinting. The successful applicants must also provide a rental history.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. 

The successful candidates will not be able to move into the park residence until they have supplied all required documents (rental history, proof of renter’s insurance), signed the park host agreement, and been cleared through the federal and state background check and fingerprinting process. This can take six to eight weeks or longer, from the time the position is offered and accepted. Successful candidates should plan accordingly. 

For detailed information about park host duties and expectations, please read the following: 

Park Host Policy
Clark County Equal Opportunity Employment and Harassment Policy and Employment Standards Policy (sections 3 and 13 of this document)

Clark County Public Works has several community advisory boards. Click the links to learn more about these boards. 

• Parks Advisory Board
• Noxious Weed Control Board
• Heritage Farm Advisory Team
• Clean Water Commission
• Railroad Advisory Board

• Sturgeon Fest (Vancouver Water Resources Education Center) • Rita Davidson at 360-487-7111 or vanwrec@cityofvancouver.us o Website: https://www.cityofvancouver.us/publicworks/page/water-resourceseducation-center • Environmental education, including Columbia River Watershed Festival (Columbia Springs) • Apryl Corey: 360-882-0936 ext. 222 or volunteering@columbiasprings.org • Website: https://www.columbiasprings.org/volunteer/ • Heritage Farm (website: https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/volunteer-events) • Clark County Food Bank: 360.693.0939 or volunteer@clarkcountyfoodbank.org • Partners in Careers: 360.696.8417 or christine@swwpic.org • Restorative Community Service: 360.397.6060 ext. 5713 or jodee.nickel@clark.wa.gov • Master Composter Recyclers: 564.397.7333 or mcr@clark.wa.gov ; website: https://clarkcountycomposts.org/ • Natural Demonstration Gardens at Pacific Park (Clark County Green Neighbors and the Master Gardeners) • 564.397.7352 or info@clarkgreenneighbors.org • Website: https://clarkgreenneighbors.org/en/demonstration-gardens • Naturescaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens • 360.737.1160 or use their online form at https://naturescaping.org/join/volunteering/ • Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (including plankhouse, environmental education, habitat restoration, trail work) • ridgefieldvolunteer@fws.gov • Website: https://ridgefieldfriends.org/volunteer-support/volunteer/ • Columbia Gorge Refuge Stewards o volunteer@refugestewards.org or 360.835.8767 o Website: https://www.refugestewards.org/volunteer-opportunities • Friends of the Columbia Gorge: There are different staff to contact for various types of volunteer work with this group so it is best to go to their website to get information about the various opportunities at https://gorgefriends.org/. • Their volunteer coordinator can be reached at 971.634.0037 or sarah.skelly@gorgefriends.org . • Watershed Alliance of Southwest Washington • info@theweatershedalliance.org or 360.852.9189 • Or submit a volunteer interest form via their website at https://thewatershedalliance.org/ • Camp Hope • camphope@camphope-wa.org or 360.666.9136 • Website: https://www.camphope-wa.org/volunteer • DOGPAW • volunteer@dogpawoffleashparks.org or 360.553.5344 • Website: https://www.dogpawoffleashparks.org/volunteer-1 • Whipple Creek Restoration Committee o whipplecreekproject@gmail.com or 360.607.3130 • Website: https://www.whipplecreekparkrc.org/ • Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Southwest Chapter • southwestchapter@evergreenmtb.org • View volunteer events on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenSouthwest (you don’t need a Facebook account to view their page) • Washington Trails Association • volunteer@wta.org or 206.625.1367 • Or sign up at https://www.wta.org/volunteer/schedule • Clark Public Utilities Stream Team • https://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/community-environment/environmentalstewardship-programs/ • 360.992.8585 or online at https://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/contact/ • Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership o https://www.estuarypartnership.org/get-involved/volunteering • sdumont@estuarypartnership.org or 503.226.1565 • Clark County Master Composter Recyclers • https://clarkcountycomposts.org/ • mcr@clarkcountycomposts.org or 564.397.7773 • Clark County Green Neighbors (Clark County Recycled Arts Festival, Natural Garden Tour, more) • https://clarkgreenneighbors.org/en/opportunities and https://clarkgreenneighbors.org/en/60-volunteering-opportunities • 564.397.7352 or info@clarkgreenneighbors.org

Residents can report litter on county roads at clark.wa.gov/public-works/report-park-road. Issues reported via this form are entered into work orders to dispatch road maintenance crews. Volunteers with the Adopt-A-Road program also use this form to report collected litter for disposal. If you see illegal dumping in progress, call law enforcement. If you want to report illegal dumping, please contact code enforcement.

We love that we live in a community with so many wanting to help make it a great place to live, work, and play! Anyone who wants to help Clark County parks, roads, or open spaces by volunteering to pick up litter, trim vegetation, maintain trails, etc., MUST get approval from the Public Works volunteer program. Our Volunteer Coordinator will work with you (or your group) to ensure volunteer safety by providing safety information, tools, supplies, and personal protective equipment. We can also help by disposing of the litter you collect, so you don't have to put it in your own household waste bin. We can alert you if there are any hazards in the area you wish to work in, and make sure that you have a safe and enjoyable volunteer experience. We also need to know ahead of time what work you plan to do, so that we can make sure it won't impact other park users, scheduled events, planned projects, or neighbors, and that we have staff available to support your efforts if needed. Additionally, those who perform volunteer tasks or activities in county parks, roads, or rights-of-way without prior authorization are personally liable for any claims anyone might make related to their actions. We make volunteering safe, easy, and fun. Contact us if you want to volunteer and we'll make sure you have everything you need!

Volunteers should always wear closed-toed shoes and long pants, even in the summer months, to protect them from the most common types of injuries seen during activities. Long-sleeved shirts are a good idea for volunteers who will be working with brush or vegetation. Volunteers should dress for the weather, wearing layers that can be added or removed to ensure comfort in changing temperatures and conditions. Waterproof layers should be included when the forecast includes a chance of precipitation. We provide gloves for volunteers. 

It depends on the volunteer activity or the organization hosting the volunteer event. Generally, minors ages 13 to 17 can volunteer without their own parent/guardian present if there are enough staff assigned to an activity to property supervise, or if the volunteer group has at least one adult to supervise every five minors. Once you identify a volunteer activity your minor child would like to participate in, follow the sign-up instructions for that activity and ask the activity coordinator about the minor child policy for that activity. 

We try to provide snacks to keep our volunteers fueled and ready to help, but sometimes we are unable to provide snacks. Events hosted by our partners may or may not provide snacks.

Volunteers should bring a water bottle. Volunteers should also bring anything they might need during prolonged periods outdoors including sunscreen, an asthma inhaler, or an epinephrine pen. Volunteers may bring their own work gloves, but we provide gloves for all participants to use during the volunteer activity. 

Residents volunteering as part of court-ordered community service are welcome to participate in any available volunteer opportunities. They must meet all applicable requirements for specific volunteer assignments, e.g., background checks and fingerprinting for unsupervised volunteering in parks. The volunteer program does not have additional or separate volunteer opportunities for court-ordered service and cannot create additional opportunities to meet an individual's deadlines for required service. Residents may participate via an individual assignment position if one is currently available. 

If you have an idea for a project, contact us. We can help connect you with the appropriate staff to review your project. The decision about whether or not to approve a project is made with consideration of the project type, staffing levels, impact of the project on maintenance and operations, budget, location of the project, and impact of the project. Some projects have legal requirements for proposals, review, and installation. 

Currently the Clark County Public Works volunteer program does not participate as a host site for Eagle Scout projects. 

Students seeking volunteer activities to meet school or club service requirements are welcome to participate in any available volunteer opportunities and must meet all applicable volunteer requirements, e.g., minimum age for participation and a parental consent form signed by a parent/guardian. The volunteer program does not have additional or separate volunteer opportunities for student service and cannot create additional opportunities to meet a student's deadlines for their required service. Students (with parent/guardian supervision) may participate in an individual assignment position if one is currently available. 

School clubs, student groups, educational programs, and trade schools can participate in existing programs as long as they meet all applicable requirements. For the Adopt-A-Park program, for example, this would include having an adult facilitator and committing to a minimum one year of service. 

Contact us about using a county park or facility as part of a student project. Project approval is based on mutual benefit (must provide a benefit to the public patrons of the park or facility), season, site availability, and the details of the project. If a project is approved, the student must follow all applicable requirements which may include submitting to a background check/fingerprinting if age 18 or older, and signing a volunteer agreement outlining the parameters of the project and use of a county facility. 

Contact us to schedule a volunteer activity for a group, club or organization. Maximum allowable group size is dependent on season, staff availability, activity type and location. 

First, read about the different ways to get involved in the Activities section of this webpage. Decide which option is best for you, then follow the instructions for signing up for that activity. Volunteers do not need to complete an application for drop-in volunteer events or for group events. All volunteers must sign the proper release forms before participating in any volunteer activity.

When we are accepting applications for a vacant park host position, the announcement will be posted on the parks webpage and this volunteer webpage. We also announce the open position via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor) and via local news outlets. We also work with local clubs, organizations, and associations to share information about the open positions with their members. You can also sign up for the volunteer program newsletter where we will also announce open positions. 

We coordinate volunteer activities in unincorporated areas of Clark County. Volunteer activities taking place within a city's limits are coordinated by that agency. Click these links to find out more about volunteer opportunities in: Camas, Battle Ground, Ridgefield, Washougal, and Vancouver.