Want to volunteer to help Hunting Island reopen next week? Here’s what you need to know

Hunting Island needs volunteers next week to get the park ready to reopen, but there are some parameters.

Friends of Hunting Island will host work days from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, an organization release said Thursday. A Friends of Hunting Island decal on your car is needed for entry into the park, but anyone is welcome to help, communications director Carol Corbin said.

Volunteers will paint the lighthouse fence, build 300 picnic tables and clear trails on the barrier island.

“Whatever needs to be done to get the park open on May 26,” Friends of Hunting Island president Denise Parsick said.

That’s the date some of the park, including the beach, will reopen for the first time since Hurricane Matthew devastated the island in October.

The storm destroyed bathroom facilities, the oceanfront campground and much of the available parking. The nature center and part of the pier reopened shortly after the storm.

Here is how volunteers will be broken down and necessary supplies:

Team 1, painting the lighthouse fence: Bring paint brushes, rollers, trays, buckets or old paint cans and gloves.

Team 2, building picnic tables: Bring charged cordless drills, screw drivers, wrenches, and hammers. Some tools will be available from the park.

Team 3, clearing trails: Volunteers must arrive by 9 a.m. at the lighthouse. Bring clippers, gloves, and branch trimmers. Apply bug spray and bring hiking shoes.

Team 4, volunteer support: This team will direct the workers to the teams, provide membership information, take pictures or videos and distribute water.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own snacks, water in reusable water bottles, bug spray, sun block.

Those who want to volunteer should RSVP to communication@friendsofhuntingisland.org and include your name, number of people coming, days coming, times coming and team preference.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Want to volunteer to help Hunting Island reopen next week? Here’s what you need to know."