Kathy and I spent early spring 2019 as Camp Hosts at the Fort Peck Downstream Campground – Fort Peck Montana. This is a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Project and our campground is just one of the recreation areas at the project which includes Fort Peck Reservoir, Fort Peck Dam and spillway, the Interpretive & Visitor Center and about a dozen other outlying recreation centers that are along the shores of the 135 mile long reservoir where visitors can use the boat ramps, picnic shelters, and camping areas.
Campground hosts volunteer 24 hours per week to the park in exchange for their camp site and utilities. There are paid Gate Attendants to handle camper fee collection and the park has contractors who; cut the grass, clean out fire pits, and keep the restrooms and bath houses clean.
Our job as hosts are to be another set of eyes on the park when the ranger can’t be here. There are four rangers here at Fort Peck Project who are responsible for about a dozen outlying recreation areas and the Interpretive Center, so they’ve got plenty to keep them busy.
I’ve gathered some pictures to help illustrate what sorts of things we get involved in. Some of these are things we’ve been asked to do while many of these are things we’ve volunteered to do just to help out and to keep us busy.
We cleaned the inside of the Gate House 
Kathy helps with a school group at the Interpretive Center 
We raked leaves near the Gate House 
We removed all the old flyers and posters and washed down the information kiosk 
We emptied, swept, and organized the recreation shed filled with fishing poles, life vests, balls, bats, horseshoes, and lots more 
We assembled 400 “Goodie Bags” for the elementary school field trips 
We repaired Invertebrate “Viewing Cups” that had been damaged during previous field trips
We used the Mule to collect downed tree limbs after the winter storms 
We removed old broken site number posts 
And replaced them with new posts 
Have chainsaw, will cut firewood 
Helping Ranger Sue install a dock in the Donut Pond 
After installing the dock at the donut pond 
We pulled all the utility flags after the comfort station construction was completed 
Kathy and I prepared the electric boats to take over to the pond for the field day kids to use
There’s lots to do here, and lots of “pieces parts” and equipment to do it with. The challenge is having enough staff to get it all done before the onslaught of visitors each spring. That’s where volunteers can help out. We can do the “little jobs” that might otherwise require time from the (4) rangers and (2) maintenance personnel on staff here at the project. That way these folks can utilize their time more wisely doing the types of jobs that their specialized training allows them to do.
One example of the specialized training I mentioned is shown in the photos below. Last year the campground received a new comfort station. The staff here at the project performed the complete operation. They poured the concrete pad for the comfort station to sit on, they did all the trenching and back fill for the supply lines, they did all the rough in plumbing and electrical, they’ll be doing all the final connections, and they will set forms and pour all the concrete curtain and approach walks.
Trenching for the power lines to the new bath house 
Trenching for both power and water lines 
New Comfort Station w/ private showers 
Setting the form for concrete to support the electrical transformer 
Setting the form for an electrical sectionalizer 
Just some of the equipment these guys use to get the job done 
Scott on the back hoe 
Hooking up the power 
Just one of the typical mundane maintenance jobs
We enjoyed our time at Fort Peck. The folks we worked with and for were very kind, professional, and courteous and they appreciated everything we did to help out.
We also made some great new friends. Dan and Bev came in early May and were contracted as the paid Gate Attendants. They’ve been full time RV’ers for 21 years!
If you have any interest in working as a volunteer in exchange for your RV site and utilities, go to www.volunteer.gov where you can search by; state, agency, and position type.
Thanks for following along and remember to visit our You Tube channel herbnkathyrv to see some of the videos we’ve published lately.
Interesting Herb. You guys are living the dream.
We are having fun Mike, hope you are too, or are you still in ABQ? We are in SD now through Sept then to AZ for the winter. Thanks for riding along and commenting. Take care and safe travels to you.
Thanks for keeping us informed. We’ll definitely consider doing what you did, AND, you actually have us curious to see Fort Peck. Their Chamber of Commerce should get you on the payroll!
Thanks for following along Hamilton. I’ll do another post about the dam and its construction a little later on. It’s a fascinating acting story (I think)