Opportunities From: Tennessee State Parks

The Miller Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places because it represents the history of Appalachian subsistence farming. The farm features an early 20th century farmhouse and outbuildings, a (retired) horse, chickens, native and ornamental gardens, orchard, and composting operations.

This month, we will need general assistance with a variety of projects, including:
- Chicken Coop Cleaning
- Composting
- Mulching
- Spring Cleaning the Miller Farmhouse
- Pruning, Planting, Clearing, & Weeding Garden Beds

Please sign up for a shift and come prepared for general outdoor work with sturdy shoes, plenty of water, and weather-appropriate clothing. Please bring a pair of outdoor work gloves or gardening gloves if possible.

Join Roan Mountain State Park and Patchwork Meadows of Black Mountain, NC to maintain our native pollinator gardens along TN Highway 143 by Picnic Shelter 1.  Volunteers are needed to work alongside Patchwork Meadows each month to maintain the native plants within our 2-acre pollinator fields through means of planting native plant seed/plugs, weed non-native plants, and take photographs of and log what species of wildlife are utilizing the pollinator fields.  

Dates will be given shifts with some shifts being rain dates, but a rain date will still meet to do additional tasks around the field.  This event is on-going, so be sure to look over each shift you are interested in and register for that shift.  The park will provide volunteers with work gloves and water/snacks will be provided.  Each shift is limited to 10 volunteers and lasts for 3 hours.  Be sure to bring plenty of your own water and dress for the weather with good close-toed shoes for gardening in.  

Working with professional native landscapers with Patchwork Meadows is a great way to learn about native gardening and how to maintain healthy gardens that will reduce mowing and provide for local wildlife.  We hope to learn from you and teach our volunteers something to take to their own gardens.

Interested in learning to work with birds of prey?  Join Roan Mountain State Park for a series of volunteer workdays with Park Ranger Phil Hylen and our park owls: Shiloh and Sunshine.  Volunteers will help the park to clean owl cages, complete minor aviary maintenance, and assist with the care of the owls (obtaining weights, checking housing conditions, and learning their stories to educate the public).  Each shift will begin by meeting Ranger Phil at the Park Headquarters building to sign in and brief for the shift.  While 3 volunteers will help to clean, a handler will be present to work with the owls directly and train cleaners on skillsets necessary to work directly with the owls.      

Shifts vary on time and the maximum number of volunteers.  We will be trying to conduct two volunteer days per week to allow for more enrichment time with the owls and volunteers.  

On Saturday, May 2 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is partnering with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC), Roan Mountain State Park, and the Cherokee National Forest to remove invasive garlic mustard around the Appalachian Trail and TN Highway 143 through the park and Forest Service lands.  This event will meet and end at the Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center located at 1015 Highway 143; Roan Mountain, TN. 37687.

All are invited to join us for a fun day of helping to protect the natural habitats and biodiversity found in the A.T. landscape - no experience needed. Plucking out the pesky invaders when they are young is relatively easy and very rewarding work, but it does take a lot of hands! You also might get to see spring wildflowers that are able to grow in the area, thanks to the hard work of volunteers who pulled garlic mustard in the past.

Schedule:

9:00 AM to 9:15 AM - Introduction, safety talk, etc. Volunteers will be briefed, divided into groups, and dispersed across the Park and along public roadsides to pull garlic mustard. There will need to be some shuttling and driving of personal vehicles to make this happen.

9:15 AM to 1:00 PM – Pulling and bagging up garlic mustard!

Food/Drinks: Please bring your own snacks, lunch, and bottled water. Lunch is not provided. Water and light snacks are available from the Conference Center vending machines.

Equipment/Precautions: Work gloves and trash bags will be provided. Feel free to bring personal gloves or a trowel. Pulling garlic mustard is usually easy, but a trowel can be helpful for compacted roadside soil and stubborn roots.

You will need: A hat and/or sunscreen, long pants, sturdy shoes, lunch, water, a warm layer for high elevation hiking, and rain gear. If you are allergic to poison ivy or insects, consider wearing long sleeves and pants as a precaution.

Note: It may be difficult to return to your car while we are working, so bring a bag to keep your items with you throughout the day. Some work sites are very steep. Please let us know in the morning, if you prefer to work on flatter terrain or have medical conditions. First aid kits will be on site.

Some work sites are very steep. Please inform your trip leader before the workday if you prefer to work on flatter terrain or have medical conditions.

RMSP is looking for volunteers interested in hiking and trail building to assist our park with maintaining and improving park trails.  Trail maintenance can be done in a general fashion or by adopting a trail to monitor and maintain on a regular basis.  Maintenance duties include lopping overgrowth, leaf blowing, blazing trails, assisting park rangers with trail structures, and utilizing Avenza Maps to mark any issues found while inspecting trails.  

To register as a trail volunteer, please contact Ranger Marco Rodriguez at Marco.Rodriguez@tn.gov to schedule a time!

Are you a farm kid at heart? Want to get your hands dirty for a good cause? Many hands make light work and we need more hands!

The Miller Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places because it represents the history of Appalachian subsistence farming. The farm features an early 20th century farmhouse and outbuildings, a (retired) horse, chickens, native and ornamental gardens, orchard, and composting operations. 

Throughout the year, we need general assistance with a variety of projects, including:

Please come prepared for general outdoor work with sturdy shoes, plenty of water, and weather-appropriate clothing. If you'd like to help with routine maintenance at the farmstead, we'd love to have your help and we will work with you to schedule service hours at your convenience. If you have a specific relevant skill (fencing, landscape design, historic home maintenance) you'd like to offer, please let us know. 

The Dave and Louisa Miller family came to Ripshin Mountain in 1870, having leased the land from General John T. Wilder. Over the following 90+ years, 3 generations of Millers lived a subsistence farming lifestyle characteristic of those who populated the lands that now comprise Roan Mountain State Park. Throughout the warmer months, park interpreters offer tours of the Miller Farmstead to share the story of Roan Mountain's pre-park history. 

We are seeking volunteer tour guides who are interested in telling the story of the Miller Farmstead to park visitors. Interested volunteers must be able to:

Tour volunteers have the option of dressing in period clothing, subject to site manager's approval. 

Tours are offered Tuesday – Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day & on weekends in October. Tours are scheduled each day at 11AM, 1PM, and 2PM. Volunteer schedules can be flexible, but must accommodate the scheduled tour times. If you have an interest in helping us fulfill our park's historical mission by hosting tours at the Miller Farmstead, we welcome your assistance!

Please leave a note in your initial sign up with your availability to host tours this summer and fall. Sign-ups may be asked to provide previous tour guiding or interpretive experience. If selected, volunteers will be asked to attend select Miller Farmstead Volunteer Days to help prepare the house for the season, receive training and a copy of the tour outline, and practice giving the tour with Ranger Price.

The Miller Farmstead was built in 1908 and is preserved as a reminder of the communities that populated these mountains in the early 20th century. The farmstead is open for daily tours from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and weekends through October. Because of staffing limitations, we rely on volunteer service to support our farmstead programs.

We are seeking living history enthusiasts to demonstrate historic crafts, farm work & trade skills at the farmstead. If you have an interest in historical research, costuming, and skills, we'd love to help you develop a living history program to deliver at the Miller Farmstead this summer.

All living history programs at the farmstead are subject to site manager review and should be centered on early 20th century subsistence farming and regional history. 

We have a multitude of container and traditional gardens leading up to and surrounding the Miller Farmstead. Over time, we'd like to convert each of these plots into arrangements of native and traditionally-relevant perennial plants that will provide eco-services to local wildlife and be beautiful to look at for our visitors. 

We are currently recruiting regular service volunteers to adopt small garden plots to maintain on a regular basis. Maintenance can be as little as tackling weeds in an existing plot for half an hour twice a month during the growing season, or as much as designing appropriate plantings and working with staff to renew a bed from start to finish.

This is an opportunity where experienced gardeners can work relatively independently, but we are happy to provide training and direction to inexperienced gardeners where needed. Bring your own tools and gloves, or use ours. 

If you'd like a smaller project to manage that will make a big difference and be seen and enjoyed by millions of visitors, we welcome your help. 

Before claiming a plot, please sign up for our Miller Farmstead Volunteer Days opportunity to visit the Miller Farmstead with Ranger Price, assist with garden set-up, and establish a plan for your plot. We look forward to gardening with you soon!

Interested in history or have experience with historic preservation? Are you needing volunteer hours to receive or maintain a related certification? Roan Mountain State Park is in the process of researching and cataloging holdings into our newly established park archives. We are looking for volunteers to assist with preservation and archival activites.

Shifts are flexible and will be scheduled as volunteers and park staff are available. Activities will include coordinating as a team to carefully move objects (which may be both heavy and delicate), bending, reaching overhead, climbing a step ladder, and more. 

For more information, please respond to this opportunity. Ranger staff will contact you to discuss what you are interested in contributing and to coordinate further.