Umatilla National Forest Seeks Volunteer Campground Hosts for Summer 2026

The Umatilla National Forest put out a call Thursday for volunteers to staff campgrounds across the Blue Mountains this summer, opening host positions at Jubilee Lake, Olive Lake, Tucannon, and Woodward campgrounds for the 2026 season.

Hosts at those four sites handle the day-to-day work that keeps campgrounds running: greeting visitors, cleaning restrooms, restocking supplies, performing light maintenance, and sharing resource-protection information with campers. Positions typically run for multiple weeks or the full summer season and come with a designated camping site. Depending on the hosting agreement, some positions also include a small stipend or a site-fee reduction.

For Baker County residents with an interest in outdoor stewardship, the opportunity carries direct local relevance. Jubilee Lake and Olive Lake draw regional visitors to Umatilla National Forest lands adjacent to Baker County, and the Forest Service depends on volunteer hosts to manage that visitor flow during peak recreation months. In rural districts where permanent staffing is limited, hosts provide a consistent public presence and absorb day-to-day stewardship tasks that would otherwise fall to Forest Service employees stretched across a large landscape.

The host program also supports the recreation economy in communities from Baker City to smaller towns along the forest edge. By improving the visitor experience and helping preserve natural resources, hosts contribute to the broader tourism infrastructure those communities rely on through the summer months.

Beyond maintenance and logistics, hosts function as informal ambassadors, reporting infrastructure problems, providing on-site assistance, and offering interpretation to campers unfamiliar with the area's resources and regulations.

Those interested should contact the Umatilla National Forest office directly for position descriptions, available start dates, and application instructions.