CALUMET — At a press conference Tuesday, Ranger David Dean previewed some of the Keweenaw National Historical Park’s (KNHP) upcoming Summer activities and events. Dean said the park was happy to announce the park is now operating under its Summer hours — open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with daily programs beginning at 11 a.m. Dean added the KNHP will feature three rounds of exhibits on the area’s history, including a display about the Calumet Theatre and its 125th anniversary.

Also discussed were volunteer opportunities for those looking for a chance to get involved with the KNHP. The park will host several Volunteer Work Days, which will include projects such as cleaning and maintaining various heritage sites within the park’s domain. A full list of volunteer dates can be found at volunteer.gov.

Dean said these work days are open to anyone who wants to “get out, clean up, and beautify your community. All you need to do is show up. We provide everything, gloves, safety equipment needed, definitely wear some closed-to shoes, but we provide all the tools needed to do the clean-up … typically at the site we conduct a tour as well, to give you a little more insight into the area.”

He also shared his own personal connection to the park’s volunteer program.

“I started as a volunteer before I became a ranger.” Dean said. “This is not just one person’s access. [The park] is for everybody here, this is for the enjoyment of future generations. Taking care of these heritage sites, that share the national significant story of copper here, is something I think is beautiful.”

The park’s many fishing programs will return this summer as well. KNHP has partnered with several organizations in the Keweenaw, such as the Calumet-based Keweenaw Sportsman Club and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to host more than ten family-friendly fishing opportunities.

“If you love fishing, or even if you’re never gone fishing, you’re going to want to come and check these out.” Dean said. The full calendar of fishing events is available online at nps.gov/kewe.

Along with the many fishing programs and volunteer chances coming, Dean took a moment to showcase the park’s Junior Ranger program. Kids and teens can participate by picking up the Junior Ranger Activity Book and Explorer Book from the park. These pamphlets are full of activities, puzzles, and information to help youth become better acquainted with the park.

“These are great for kids to help understand and develop connections with the history here in a more digestible manner,” Dean explained. “They’re not too complicated, but they’re really fun activities. Once you complete your book, you can come in, you can take the ranger pledge, and they can get their own badge. All of the national parks have these.”

According to Dean, this is one of his favorite parts of being a park ranger.

“My favorite part is the school programs,” he said. “I love educating children to get them to connect with their own community … Educating the youth for future generations is something that drives me to do my job.”