Photo By Samuel Weldin | Mike Bryan, Rathbun Lake volunteer, helps manage the campgrounds at Rathbun Lake,...... read more read more
Rathbun Lake, located in southern Iowa, is one of the largest in the state and boasts approximately half a million visitors annually. With over 22,000 acres of land surrounding the lake, there is plenty of work to be done to keep the lake project operable for one of its congressionally authorized purposes: recreation.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the lake, which began operations in 1970. Managed by the Kansas City District, Rathbun Lake hosts recreators from all over the U.S., and even from around the world, at its over 400 campsites, 12 recreation areas, 21 trail miles, 11 boat ramps and three swimming areas. Spend a little time at the lake and you’ll understand why — the scenery in the area is beautiful. It might come as a surprise then, to learn the lake depends on dozens of volunteers rather than paid staff to keep it operating at a capacity able to satisfy the recreational needs of its visitors.
‘They feel beneficial’
According to Kansas City District staff, Rathbun Lake has always had a few volunteers working at the project. However, after experiencing a stagnant budget, coupled with increasing costs of labor and materials due to inflation about six years ago, the staff decided to try something a little different.
“The volunteer program started roughly six years ago,” said Phil Brown, operations project manager for Rathbun and Long Branch lakes. “Contract costs [were] going up with inflation and our budget wasn’t keeping up, so that’s when we started strategizing. We took a lot of services from contractual services and put them in the volunteer services.”
Using volunteer services to complete maintenance tasks like mowing, custodial services and general groundskeeping services, as well as using volunteers as park attendants, has saved Rathbun Lake – and in turn, taxpayers – an impressive amount of money each year.
“We’ve reduced roughly $300,000 in contract services [annually],” said Brown.
Considering annual recreation operating costs at Rathbun Lake run around $500,000 per year, this is no small feat. But using volunteers to help manage the lake benefits the volunteers as well. They receive a free campsite in exchange for their work.
“We compensate [the volunteers] for their services [by giving them] a full hookup campsite with 50-amp service, water and sewer for 20 hours of service a week,” said Jordon Griffin, natural resources manager at Rathbun and Long Branch lakes.
Additionally, volunteers who reach 100 hours of service receive an annual day use pass good for one year to USACE lake projects nationwide. However, according to Jamison Davis, volunteer coordinator at Rathbun Lake, the volunteers don’t donate their time and skills to receive free camping.
“A lot of [the volunteers] have tried it here in Iowa and they love it, and they keep coming back,” said Davis. “They feel beneficial. They are beneficial way beyond what they realize a lot of times. I like to see that.”
‘They see a lot’
Davis, who has been the volunteer coordinator for three years, has a waiting list of volunteers wanting to come work at Rathbun Lake. However, it wasn’t always that way. He has put in a lot of hard work to make the program as successful as it is today. The first year of the program, Davis had around 15 volunteers. Now, he has 34 volunteers with several more waiting to join the program.
“When we first started, it was ‘oh my gosh, how are we going to fill all these spots?’ because there were lots of opportunities for things that needed to be done around the lake,” said Davis. “It’s been a hard road to build up a waiting list but it’s a big project and I was eager to do that.”
The staff at Rathbun Lake initially tried traditional methods of advertising the volunteer program. While they still use some traditional advertising like radio spots and local flyers, they primarily rely on word of mouth to recruit new volunteers.
“The best thing I can do is have my good volunteers recruit for me. The word of mouth,” said Davis. “A lot of my people work together and that’s one of the successes of this – I team them up so they’re not lone-wolfing a job. They’ve got some companionship, which is good for safety and some social time. It just makes those days go by quickly.”
But the benefits of having a well-staffed volunteer program go beyond saving on contract costs. With a limited workforce themselves, the USACE park staff often rely on the volunteers to be their eyes and ears around the lake project.
“Jamison [Davis] can’t be everywhere at once; I can’t be everywhere at once,” said Griffin. “[The volunteers] can clue us into things that are happening at the campgrounds … and they see a lot that we are not able to sometimes.”
‘They can set the tone’
Rathbun Lake, the Kansas City District and USACE as a whole, benefit from having a trusted group of volunteers. Beyond the financial savings, the volunteers, often from the surrounding communities themselves, help spread the message of USACE’s mission and the benefits the agency has on the local communities and the region.
“[The volunteers] are our best allies out there,” said Davis. “If they associate well with the public, they respect them, and the public respects us. It’s just a win-win situation.”
Brown attributes the volunteers’ positive attitudes towards USACE to the level of pride they take in the work they do at the lake project. He believes the work they put in results in a higher appreciation of Rathbun Lake.
“They have more pride in the work – taking care of things in the parks and providing customer service,” said Brown. “The difference between a contractor and a volunteer … is the level of pride.”
Like Brown and Davis, Griffin recognizes the value the volunteer program brings all of USACE, not just locally at Rathbun Lake.
“[The volunteer program] showcases … the value [USACE] brings to visitors and people that recreate at the lake,” said Griffin.
Often the first line of contact with the public, the volunteers at Rathbun Lake have the added responsibility of acting as middlemen between the public and the USACE staff. However, the volunteers have taken this in stride and understand the importance of representing USACE in a positive light.
“They are ambassadors for [USACE],” said Brown. “They can set the tone for people coming to the lake.”
‘A hidden gem’
Ask the volunteers at Rathbun Lake what they like best about the program and the answers are almost always the same: the people. A tight-knit community, the volunteers enjoy meeting people from all over and spreading their joy for camping.
“We really like meeting all the different people because it’s not just locals, we get some from all over,” said Terra Williams, volunteer park attendant. “We love being out here and being able to help people and make sure they enjoy camping as much as we do.”
Williams and her daughter, Ember, have been volunteering at Rathbun Lake for three years. They work as park attendants but will also complete other tasks assigned to them by Davis. Ember, 13, is great at connecting with younger visitors and helps educate them about water safety.
“Meeting new people is one of my favorite things,” said Ember Williams, park volunteer. “I’m very social.”
Other volunteers agree – interacting with recreators and campers is the best part of the job. Wesley Woten and his wife have been volunteers at Rathbun Lake for eight years. Woten is the unofficial carpenter at the lake, often working on projects that require woodworking and construction skills. The Wotens are well-known around the lake and often hold dinners for the other volunteers.
“The other volunteers we work with are all good people,” said Woten. “We have get-togethers and have dinner together.”
Having a robust volunteer program goes beyond saving money. For Brown and the USACE staff at the lake project, the volunteers are helping to put Rathbun Lake on the map by spreading the word of all it has to offer.
“We are not a destination point [like other national parks],” said Brown. “But I feel like more and more people are starting to discover Rathbun [Lake] and that word of mouth is getting out that it’s a beautiful area of the country. A hidden gem.”
| Date Taken: | 07.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2024 09:53 |
| Story ID: | 476713 |
| Location: | CENTERVILLE, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
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