Park Volunteers
Volunteers work alongside rangers and other staff to study and manage Ise-Shima National Park, where they can be recognized by their official logo emblem and distinctive caps.
Volunteers help with park maintenance, removing fallen branches and keeping the walking trails in shape. They also carry out ecological surveys in the Yokoyama area, tracking the population of animals like the Japanese eight-barbel loach (hotoke-dojo) and brown frog (aka-gaeru). For example, each year volunteers count the clutches of frog eggs in the ponds and wetlands of Sozo-no-Mori. The result is used to determine the number of breeding females.
Park volunteers also help fight invasive species in Yokoyama. This is a long-term, ongoing activity where volunteers uproot plants and reclaim areas for native species under the guidance of rangers and Visitor Center staff.
Outreach is another important task for volunteers. They lead groups on tours of Yokoyama and surrounding areas and hold crafting and other events for children.
There are around 40 park volunteers in all, and volunteer activities are scheduled on over 100 days every year in the Yokoyama area and elsewhere. The Ministry of the Environment handles volunteer recruitment, orientation, and registration. Rangers and Yokoyama Visitor Center staff support the volunteers in their activities, using the Visitor Center as a base.