Big Bend- BOR Primitive Camping and Day Use Host

At Prineville Reservoir, we regard our park hosts as integral members of our team. Your contributions, efforts, and ideas are always valued.

As OPRD's first designated IDA park (International Dark-sky Association), Prineville Reservoir offers exceptional star- gazing opportunities.

The site for this position is located at Big Bend Campground on the Crooked River. The host campsite is a full-hookup site (electric, water, and sewer). Cell phone service and internet are very limited, but hosts with dishes or antennas can successfully connect.

Prineville Reservoir Management unit resides on federal land (Bureau of Reclamation). While we often focus on our main, developed campgrounds, OPRD is also charged with managing dispersed camping and day use areas on the other side of the reservoir. The BOR host provides support and maintenance for Roberts Bay (dispersed camping), Powder House Cove (day use area next to the dam), and Bear Creek (day use area mostly used for hiking or fishing access).

We ask the BOR host to drive between these properties (seasonal park truck provided). The responsibilities include: light cleaning of 2 CXT restrooms, picking up litter, cleaning out rock fire rings, performing landscaping (weed pulling, string trimming), and acting as our “eyes and ears.” We have a ranger who is designated to this area; and they will patrol that side of the lake 2-3 days a week. We ask the BOR host to take notes and inform the ranger about any concerns with facility damage, unsafe visitor actions, or simply park rule violations.

For single hosts, we ask for 20-25 service hours/week. For a pair of hosts, we ask for a combined 30-35 service hours/week (Thursday-Monday with Tuesday/Wednesday off).

If you believe that this position is a good fit for you, or simply have questions about it, please do not hesitate to contact the volunteer coordinator, Katrina Bielenberg, via email or phone.