Petition Training Estes Park Field Manual
Illustrated Rocky Mountain National Park landscape at sunrise

Training Manual

Protect Rocky Mountain and our national parks.

Our Mission

Protect the Parks That Belong to All of Us

National parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park, belong to the American people. We are out here in Estes Park because Coloradans and visitors deserve a voice in how our most treasured public lands are protected, staffed, and cared for.

The campaign is focused on protecting Rocky Mountain and America’s national parks from loss of staff, underfunding, wildfire risk, and efforts to remove or cover up factual history and science from places that exist to tell our national story honestly.

How We Do This

We keep conversations brief, respectful, and clear. We connect Rocky Mountain National Park to the broader National Park System, explain why parks need funding, rangers, staff, honest history, and science, and ask people to sign the petition urging President Trump to protect our national parks.

Our Plan

Engage Voters. Get Signatures.

  1. Start with the quick ask. Let people know you are with National Parks Conservation Association and have a quick petition to protect national parks.
  2. Use the right message. Use the Rocky Mountain message: this is one of America’s most iconic landscapes, the fourth most visited national park in the country, and a point of pride for Coloradans and visitors alike.
  3. Keep it public and practical. These parks belong to everyone. Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park deserve safe trails, reduced wildfire risk, supported surrounding communities, and a park protected for future generations.
  4. Ask for the signature. Use the petition ask directly: invest in more rangers and staff, and protect factual history and science in our parks.
  5. Close cleanly. Thank them, record the interaction, and move to the next voter.

Do

Canvasser Standards

  • Lead with a smile and a quick, friendly greeting.
  • Be kind, courteous, and respectful with every person.
  • Keep a positive attitude, even when people say no.
  • Follow the script as your guide and keep the petition ask clear.
  • Keep your phone charged and your tablet ready for signatures.
  • Stay alert, aware of your surroundings, and in contact with your supervisor.
  • Stay within the approved public canvassing areas assigned by your supervisor in Estes Park and around Rocky Mountain National Park outreach locations.
  • Record signatures, refusals, and interactions accurately.
  • Represent the team professionally at all times.

Don’t

Hard Lines

  • Do not debate, argue, pressure, or chase anyone down.
  • Do not use profanity or match someone else’s frustration.
  • Do not speculate beyond the approved script, quick notes, and talking points.
  • Do not enter restricted areas, homes, vehicles, park buildings, or private spaces.
  • Do not accept or give gifts of any kind, solicit donations, or imply NPS endorsement.
  • Do not use your phone for non-work activity unless it is an emergency.
  • Do not block pedestrian walkways, building entrances, exits, or visitor flow.
  • Do not post campaign-related material on personal social media.
  • Do not speak to press. Contact your supervisor immediately if approached.

Quick Notes

Fast Answers in the Field

Use these when someone asks a quick question, seems unsure, or needs the issue boiled down before signing.

What are we asking people to do?

Sign the petition urging President Trump to invest in more rangers and staff and to protect factual history and science in our parks. The ask should be simple: it only takes a few seconds.

Why talk about Rocky Mountain?

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of America’s most iconic landscapes, the fourth most visited national park in the country, and part of the same National Park System that protects Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia. It belongs to all of us.

What is happening to park staffing?

The National Park Service has lost about a quarter of its permanent staff over the past year, including thousands of rangers, maintenance workers, and educators. In Colorado, parks have had to cut educational programs and have lost experts needed for research, science, and stewardship.

What should I say about factual history?

Visitors come to national parks to learn the full, honest story of our nation and the science behind the places they experience. The ask is to protect factual history and science, not remove or rewrite it.

What if someone says they’re unsure?

Acknowledge it and bring them back to shared support for parks: a lot of people feel that way, and that is exactly why we are out here. Protecting parks is not a left-or-right thing; parks unite us all.

What if someone says this sounds political?

Keep it grounded in public lands, safety, staffing, history, and science. The ask is simply to fund the parks and keep their history and science accurate, not to start a partisan fight.

Where are we allowed to canvass?

Stay in the approved public canvassing areas assigned by your supervisor in Estes Park and around Rocky Mountain National Park outreach locations. Follow supervisor, venue, and park staff instructions.

What permit rules should I remember?

Do not block walkways, entrances, exits, businesses, trail access, or visitor flow. Do not solicit donations. Keep equipment attended. Do not imply NPS endorsement. Comply with instructions from supervisors, venue staff, and park staff.

What if someone wants to argue?

Do not debate. Stay kind, thank them for their time, and move on. The goal is meaningful conversations and petition signatures, not winning arguments.

What if press approaches me?

Do not comment. Contact your supervisor immediately and let campaign leadership handle media questions.

Materials

What You Need in the Field

01

Vest

Wear your vest while engaging voters so people can quickly identify you as part of the field team.

02

Badge

Keep your badge visible. It helps establish trust and makes the interaction feel official and transparent.

03

Literature

Use literature to reinforce the message, answer basic questions, and give voters something they can read after the conversation.

04

Tablet

Use the tablet to collect petition signatures and accurately record interactions in the app.

Admin

Pay & Connecteam

Pay

Compensation

  • Canvassers are paid $25 per hour.
  • Canvassers must provide two forms of ID to process paperwork.
  • Each weekly pay period begins on Friday and ends on Thursday.
  • Hours worked from Friday through Thursday are paid the following Friday, eight days after the last day of the pay period.
Example pay period calendar showing Friday as the first day, Thursday as the last day, and payday the following Friday
Example pay period: Friday through Thursday, paid the following Friday.

Connecteam

Clock In, Clock Out, Sign In

  • You are responsible for clocking in and clocking out in Connecteam for every shift you work.
  • You are also required to sign the sign-in sheet each shift. This is how you get paid.
  • After signing in, start your time clock and leave it running for the entire shift.
  • Location services must remain on for the entire shift. If location services are turned off, you will be clocked out.
  • Connecteam is also used to upload weekly availability and receive updates from managing staff.
Connecteam home screen with Clock In button
Open Connecteam and tap Clock In.
Connecteam map screen with Clock in button
Confirm your location and start the clock.
Connecteam job selection screen
Select the correct job when prompted.
Connecteam active time clock screen
Keep the time clock running until the shift ends.

Script

Script

Canvass Script (Rocky Mountain National Park)

Introduction:

Hi! We’re out here with the National Parks Conservation Association. We have a quick petition to protect our national parks. Would you have about 30 seconds to hear more?

A) Yes
B) No
C) Unsure

If Yes:

Main Message

Rocky Mountain is one of America's most iconic landscapes — the fourth most visited national park in the country, and a point of pride here in Colorado. It's part of the same National Park System that protects Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia, and it belongs to all of us.

We want to keep it that way. Our national parks need the funding and staff to be protected. The rangers and staff here maintain the trails, keep visitors safe, help reduce wildfire risk and protect the surrounding communities, and bring the park's history and science to life. They deserve to be fully staffed and supported.

So we're asking President Trump to do two things to protect Rocky Mountain and keep it a treasured place for generations to come: first, invest in the rangers and staff who care for our parks; and second, protect the full, honest history and science that visitors come here to experience.

________________________________________

The Ask:

We're collecting signatures urging President Trump to invest in more rangers and staff and to protect factual history and science in our parks. It only takes a few seconds — would you add your name?

[Canvasser presents petition/sign-up form]

If Unsure:

A lot of people feel that way, and that's exactly why we're out here. Protecting our parks isn't a left-or-right thing — parks unite us all and Rocky has a long history of people standing up to defend it. Adding your name just tells decision-makers this place matters. Want to sign on?

If No:

Thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your visit to Rocky Mountain National Park.

If They Sign:

Thank you, we really appreciate it. If you'd like to hear about volunteer opportunities, events, and other ways to support the parks, you can add your contact info here too — totally optional.

Close:

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Enjoy the rest of your time at Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park!

Talking Points

Talking Points

Additional Talking Points

  • Over the past year, the National Park Service has lost about a quarter of its permanent staff — thousands of rangers, maintenance workers, and educators. In Colorado, parks have had to cut educational programs and have lost experts needed to manage the parks: including for ongoing research, science, and stewardship.
  • Rocky ranks among the highest in the country for search-and-rescue incidents, and wildfire risk keeps growing. Fewer staff means less capacity to keep visitors safe and respond when something goes wrong.
  • The ask is simply to fund the parks and keep their history and science accurate — that's why we frame it as two things for the President to do, not a partisan fight. Polling has shown broad, bipartisan opposition to removing factual information from national parks.
  • We need to protect our parks for current and future generations because they unite us all and belong to everyone.

Literature Message

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of America’s most iconic landscapes and a treasured resource and destination. It needs funding to remain open, accessible, and protected.

Support the park rangers and staff who care for our national parks, help reduce wildfire risk, safeguard surrounding communities, and help visitors experience America’s history.

Sign the petition to protect our parks.

Literature

Literature

Use this literature to reinforce the petition message after a short conversation. The front introduces Rocky Mountain National Park as a treasured Colorado landscape; the back gives voters the two clear petition asks.

Front of NPCA Rocky Mountain literature about protecting America's national parks
Front
Back of NPCA Rocky Mountain literature with petition QR code and two park protection asks
Back