Today’s episode will feature interviews with two companies that employ workampers. One is Whiterock Conservancy, an outdoor recreation area in Iowa, and the other is with Good Sam, a company that evaluates campgrounds and RV parks across the country.

Our first interview is with Daniel Gudahl, the executive director of Whiterock Conservancy, a 5,500-acre nature preserve west of Des Moines, Iowa. It features 40 miles of trails for mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding.

Workampers help manage a 13-site RV park, three campgrounds for tent camping and six houses that are rented out as well.

It is located in the Raccoon Valley, in an area being preserved as a natural prairie. It is almost void of light pollution; which makes it a favorite area for people who enjoy stargazing.

Volunteer workampers typically work three to five days for one month or even an entire season doing things from lawncare and trail maintenance, to office work and painting in exchange for a free RV site.

Whiterock Conservancy would be a fun place to work, especially if you love nature. Living among remnants of traditional prairie land would offer a unique experience reminiscent of the Old West.

Then, at night, the ability to scan the sky in an area that offers clear viewing of the Milky Way galaxy would be just as amazing.

As a volunteer at Whiterock Conservancy, you can serve as a campground host who checks guests in and out and tidies up after they leave. Or you can work as a gardener doing agricultural work. Workampers also help with prescribed burns to properly maintain the prairie.

It would be an ideal volunteer job for someone who enjoys nature and wants to help other people discover the benefits of being outdoors.

With miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, there are lots of opportunities to spend time in nature when you’re not working.

For more information about what Whiterock Conservancy is all about, and the types of jobs workampers can do, check out their website at www.whiterockconservancy.org.

Our next guest is Peggy Halloway, with Good Sam, a membership organization serving more than 2 million RVers. There are more than 2,400 RV parks and campgrounds affiliated with Good Sam.

For many years, people have come to rely upon Good Sam’s campground ratings when making decisions about where to stay when traveling. When a campground achieves a Good Sam rating of 10-10-10, people know it is one of the best RV parks in country.

Good Sam is looking for workampers to travel the nation conducting those campground evaluations. There are currently 38 teams of workampers who visit each private campground in their territory once a year to check out the types of amenities it offers, and evaluate its appearance and cleanliness.

These teams also sell advertisements to the campground to promote the business in the annual Good Sam Travel Guide. They don’t have to design the ads, just sell the space and the Good Sam staff handles the rest.

Peggy is looking for independent contractors who are experienced in sales and marketing to work from March to March every year.Good Sam is looking for campground evaluators for the 2021 season. The firm already has teams in place for the coming year.

There are some good perks that come with the job that experienced salespeople will enjoy, such as protected territories with an opportunity to earn very good commissions on the types of ads they sell.

Good Sam offers a good training program to not only help people sell the ads, but, more importantly, to know what to look for when evaluating a campground to ensure the ratings are consistent between one team and another.