Thursday, November 10, 2016

Workamper Travel Adventures

How many national wildlife refuges have you visited? A special presentation is planned for Saturday, November 12, at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, when we will enjoy virtual travel to a number of other refuges and recreation areas in the U.S., thanks to workampers Carol and Bill Powell and Barry and Lynn Burkhardt.

According to Wikipedia, “workamping”, a contraction of "work camping" is a form of RV camping involving singles, couples or families who work part-time or full-time and exchange volunteer work for RV-camping privileges.  There are many settings for workamping, national and state parks and other public recreation lands, private RV campgrounds, etc.

Bill and Carol Powell started their workamping travels in October, 2003,  at Cibola NWR, in Arizona. Since then they have been at Great Bay, New Hampshire; Mattamaskeet, North Carolina; Lower Suwanee, Florida Panther, Merritt Island, all in Florida; Mackay Island, North Carolina; and in Texas, Hagerman and Anahuac. They also volunteered for TPWD at Sabine National Battlefield in Sabine, Texas.  Carol and Bill are now veterans at Hagerman NWR, spending each fall at the Refuge since 2009. They also returned in spring, 2013, to assist with BirdFest Texoma.

Barry and Lynn Burkhardt entered retirement five years ago and began their "legacy" work as full-time RV volunteers. Their experiences include two summers with the Corp of Engineers in Branson, Missouri, at Table Rock Dam visitors center, and two seasons with the Georgia State Park system at Highland Walk Golf course. The 2013 winter was their first experience with a national wildlife refuge, in Anahuac Texas. They worked with Bill and Carol Powell who extended an invitation to apply at Hagerman NWR, and will return  for their third stint at HNWR, in January, 2017. 

NOTE: at 10 am, Saturday, November 12, winners in the 2016 HNWR Nature Photography Contest will be announced and awards presented, then the regular program will begin.

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