Your volunteer stories could be used on park social media accounts during National Volunteer Week or on the next VIP newsletter. Email us your story at cabr_volunteers@nps.gov

NPS Photo | Collage of three images. Upper left: A peek inside cabinet to show where TPERP vehicle magnets, TPERP keys, TPERP radios, check-out forms, and VIP radios will be going. Upper right: A peek inside cabinet with roving backpack and bin with additional equipment on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf there is a monitoring backpack, drop box for VIP supervisor, and additional equipment. Bottom: Three clipboards with pens labeled, “Radio Check Out,” “TPERP Key Check Out,” and “Interpretive Contacts.”

NPS Photo | Old Point Loma Lighthouse at sunset.

The VNC is open to all volunteers at Cabrillo National Monument (CNM). It is a group comprised of volunteers who care about the oversight and management of the Volunteer-in-Parks (VIP) program at CNM. The group provides volunteers with a voice in the decision-making processes related to the VIP program at the park. Our current, long-time Chair is retiring and we need to fill his shoes.

The Chair of this important VIP group coordinates VNC meetings, provides the agenda, ensures action items are tracked to completion, leads meetings or ensures the vice chair is available to do so, provides leadership in determining VNC priorities and activities, and works directly with the park service liaison in guiding the VNC and the VIP Program.

The Recording Secretary (Scribe) keeps us organized. They record minutes and keep track of status of action items of all VNC meetings, seeks approval of meeting notes from park staff, ensures they are distributed to all interested parties in a timely fashion, and archives them. This role is very important in making sure the VNC stays on track!

We usually meet once a month to share information across all focus areas of volunteering at the park and to assist park staff in developing processes, procedures, and products for the park and the VIP Program. We aim to make the volunteer’s experience easy, successful, educational, and fun for both the volunteers and the public they interact with.

For more information about the VNC, its mission and accomplishments, and why it is so critical to the success of the VIP Program and the park, please see https://cnmvipvoice.org/volunteer-navigation-committee/

Can you lend your leadership talents and passion for the park to fill these position for two years…or longer if you’d like? Please contact cabr_volunteers@nps.gov

Let's keep it going! Thinking of a fellow volunteer who deserves to be celebrated? Send us your Kudos and Spotlights to cabr_volunteers@nps.gov so we can share them in the next newsletter, and celebrate each other together!

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse, Assistant Keeper's Quarters, and Visitor Center have sure been feeling a lot of love lately, thanks to you all! Thank you to those who have been signing up for Cleaning Days at Cabrillo National Monument. Transitioning back into the Visitor Center definitely could not have happened without you all. Have you noticed how shiny that lighthouse lens has been looking? How about how much less dusty the Old Point Loma Lighthouse exhibits are? It's been fun!

Would you like to nominate a hot spot in Cabrillo National Monument that could use a little love from our volunteers? Please email cabr_volunteers@nps.gov to help set up a Cleaning Day in the future!

We need your help, VIPs! This year’s community effort to catalog biodiversity on April 29th, 5pm – April 30th 5pm is going to be a BIG ONE. We have many researchers, scouts, students, families, and other community members coming out to participate! This is great news, of course, but it also means we’ll need plenty of help from our amazing VIPs to juggle the logistics and execute it smoothly. Here’s where:

We have an updated mask policy. As of March 7, 2022, San Diego County COVID-19 case numbers have been in the LOW category on the COVID-19 Community Level tool. This will be assessed weekly, so don't throw your masks away yet! Let's continue to be safe.

While masks are currently not required, staff and volunteers can continue to wear a mask if they are comfortable doing so. Please respect the decisions of your colleagues either way, as some people have very good reasons for continuing to wear a mask.

Please reach out to the cabr_volunteers@nps.gov or your VIP Supervisors should you have any additional questions or concerns.

If you need assistance checking-out a radio, be sure to let the entrance station rangers know to radio 799 with your name and duty for the day. The ranger on duty will meet you at the traffic circle with your radio and any additional necessary equipment.

Please reach out to the cabr_volunteers@nps.gov or your VIP Supervisors should you have any additional questions or concerns.

Never volunteered at these ceremonies but would like to give it a try? Email cabr_volunteers@nps.gov so we can provide more details and ensure you are able to sign up!

Our unigrids (park brochures) are running low, so please be conservative when handing them out; only when visitors ask. Maintenance reports they find about 10 of them every week in the bushes and we see a lot of them in the trash!

We don’t want to order too many since we are adding a new trail and will need to update the brochures accordingly (and currently there is a supply chain issue that is making it hard to replenish our supply). We can encourage visitors to download the NPS app (pictured on the left).

We have a contractor coming out to automate the Visitor Center closing announcements, so staff do not have to do that every day. The announcements will automatically play in both English and Spanish except during times when we have sunset park hours.

NPS Photo | Rangers pointing at things.

The Coast Guard family has a new dog named Sadie you may see running around. She is very good at escaping from the yard. She has short red fur and a pink collar.

Never volunteered for a CMNF Special Event, but would like to give it a try? Email cabr_volunteers@nps.gov so we can provide more details and ensure you are able to sign up.