National Parks Use Volunteers to Fight Invasive Species

Invasive species have been wreaking havoc on two beloved national park properties, but a new program is turning the problem into a win for nature and taxpayers alike.

The National Park Service just announced it will use qualified volunteer hunters to control destructive feral hogs and nutria at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park near New Orleans and Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia. These invasive animals have been tearing up wetlands, accelerating erosion, and pushing out native wildlife for years.

Here's the brilliant part: On about 30 Park Service properties, commercial sharpshooters currently handle this work at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars annually. By activating citizen volunteers instead, the service saves money while giving skilled hunters a chance to directly protect the places they love.

"This is hunters performing a public service that the taxpayer would otherwise be paying for," said a Park Service official familiar with the policy. "I think that's a big deal."

The program isn't a free-for-all hunt. Volunteers must pass proficiency exams, background checks, and follow strict safety protocols and park supervision. They'll work under carefully managed conditions designed to protect both the parks and other visitors.

These opportunities came from a directive by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in January, which asked National Park Service managers to identify new ways the public could help manage their lands through hunting and fishing.

The Ripple Effect

This model could reshape how America manages its public lands. Seventy Park Service properties already allow some form of managed hunting, but this marks a major shift toward using volunteers instead of paid contractors for invasive species removal.

The approach has proven successful before. In 2020, volunteer hunters helped remove invasive mountain goats from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Thanks to the 2023 EXPLORE Act, volunteers can now donate usable meat from removed animals rather than leaving carcasses behind.

Acting Southeast Regional Director Darrell Echols put it simply: "Our parks benefit greatly when skilled volunteers step forward. Through these programs, the public can actively help protect native species, wetlands, and cultural resources."

Protecting America's natural treasures while saving taxpayer money? That's conservation everyone can celebrate.