The Opportunity Board — Week of April 30, 2026
The Great Basin NPS food & beverage contract officially closes today. Gillette Castle in Connecticut closes tomorrow. If you’re eyeing Channel Islands, the notice of intent deadline is less than a month out (May 28). Seattle’s Seacrest Boathouse RFP is still open through May 15. On the training side, there’s a NOLS Wilderness First Aid course this weekend in Victor, Idaho — and a new one in Stanley, Idaho for early June. Plus, California just announced three brand-new state parks in the Central Valley — long-term concession opportunities to watch.
🏕️ Concession & Permit Bids
⚠️ DEADLINE TOMORROW: Connecticut DEEP / Gillette Castle State Park — East Haddam, CT
Type: RFP (Solicitation DEEP-2026-014-MM)
What: Food and beverage concession at Gillette Castle State Park. Three-year contract with extensions. ~100,000 visitors annually. Concession vacant for two seasons. Answers to written questions posted April 24.
Deadline: May 1, 2026 (TOMORROW)
Great for: Food service operators in the Northeast — built-in demand, no incumbent
→ Apply: CTsource Bid Board — DEEP-2026-014-MM
⚠️ DEADLINE APPROACHING: Seattle Parks & Recreation / Seacrest Boathouse — West Seattle, WA
Type: RFP — Restaurant + Watercraft Operations
What: Seattle Parks is looking for a qualified operator to run the restaurant and retail spaces at Seacrest Boathouse, plus provide or coordinate watercraft activities (kayaking, rentals, etc.). Five-year contract with option for five-year extension. Year-round activation expected.
Deadline: May 15, 2026 (15 DAYS LEFT)
Great for: Operators who can combine food service with paddlesport rentals — waterfront next to the West Seattle Water Taxi
→ RFP details: Seattle.gov — Seacrest Boathouse
⚠️ NOTICE OF INTENT DUE SOON: National Park Service / Channel Islands National Park — California
Type: Solicitation — 10-Year Contract
What: Guided kayak tours, snorkel equipment rentals, and limited retail on Santa Cruz Island. Projected Year 1 revenue $3M–$3.35M. Questions period closed April 10. Notice of intent to propose due May 28.
Notice of Intent Deadline: May 28, 2026
Proposal Deadline: June 25, 2026
Great for: Experienced kayak tour operators ready for a flagship NPS contract
→ Apply: SAM.gov — CHIS004-27
Hawaii DLNR / Mālaekahana State Recreation Area — Oahu
Type: RFQ/RFP — Commercial Campground & Beach Park Development/Operation
What: Hawaii’s Division of State Parks is seeking qualified applicants to develop and operate a commercial campground and public day use beach park at Mālaekahana State Recreation Area – Kahuku Section on Oahu’s North Shore. DLNR builds infrastructure; selected operator handles maintenance, buildout, and operations. 20-year lease.
Deadline: Contact DLNR for current timeline
Great for: Campground/glamping operators eyeing the Hawaii market — beachfront on Oahu’s North Shore
→ Full details: Hawaii DLNR — Mālaekahana RFQ/RFP
Contact: Brigida Ayson, State Parks Lead Property Manager
California State Parks / Desert, North Coast & Central Coast Units
Type: RFP — Multiple 10-Year Concession Contracts
What: Concession operations across multiple state park units in the desert, north coast, and central coast regions. Separate proposal required for each unit. Includes Old Town San Diego historic-style specialty retail.
Deadline: June 5, 2026
Great for: Operators looking for long-term state park concessions in California
→ CA State Parks Concessions | Full RFP (PDF)
Contact: Megan Boisvert — [email protected]
National Park Service / Ozark National Scenic Riverways — Missouri
Type: Solicitation
What: Canoe and tube rental with shuttle services, camp store with retail and firewood sales. Full outfitter operation on a federally protected scenic river.
Deadline: June 26, 2026
Great for: Paddle sport operators ready for a full-service river outfitter concession
→ Apply: SAM.gov — CC-OZAR012-27
Rolling / Ongoing Programs
Suffolk County Parks — New York — Mobile kayak, canoe, and paddleboard concession at multiple Long Island locations. Rolling availability.
→ Suffolk County Parks Concession Bid | Contact: Cara Petri — 631-854-4918
Hawaii DLNR — Kayak Permits — Commercial Rental Vessel Special Use Permits required at Wailua River (Kauai), Kahana (Oahu), and Kealakekua Bay (Big Island). Rolling.
→ Hawaii DLNR Permits
Florida State Parks — Call for Business Plans for concession operators across 90+ state parks. New calls posted regularly. Current calls include Topsail Hill Preserve, Manatee Springs, and Hillsborough River.
→ Florida State Parks Concessions | Contact: [email protected]
Texas State Parks — Short-term and leased concessions: kayak/canoe/bike rentals, food, lodging, marinas. Respond to RFPs or pitch your own idea.
→ TPWD Concessions | Contact: [email protected]
Washington State Parks — Food service, campground stores, equipment rentals, guided tours, glamping. Sign up for WEBS alerts (commodity code 961-15).
→ WA State Parks Concessions
📡 On the Radar
Not open bids yet, but worth watching.
🆕 California — Three New State Parks Announced — Governor Newsom announced three new state parks in the Central Valley on Earth Day (April 22): Feather River Park in Yuba County, San Joaquin River Parkway in Fresno/Madera counties, and Dust Bowl Camp near Bakersfield. This is the biggest expansion of the state park system in decades and will eventually bring concession opportunities. Watch parks.ca.gov.
BLM Lands / EXPLORE Act — Moab, UT — Next quarterly application deadline for Special Recreation Permits is June 15, 2026. Streamlined process under the EXPLORE Act. Apply through BLM RAPTOR.
BLM Northwest Oregon — Marys Peak Field Office — Decision record authorizing Special Recreation Permits for 2026–2027 was issued recently. Contact the Marys Peak Field Office for guided tours or events on BLM land in Oregon.
Pennsylvania Glamping Model — Timberline Glamping operating at 8 state parks, ~$185/night, revenue-sharing with DCNR. 61 sites now taking reservations. This public-private model is likely to spread to other states — worth studying.
California State Parks — Future Concessions — Sport fishing, boat tours, watercraft concessions at Donner Memorial SP and Kings Beach SRA on the future RFP list. Watch parks.ca.gov.
USFS Outfitter & Guiding Permits — 8,000+ permits issued annually. Most forests plan for the next fiscal year by October 1. Start conversations with your local Special Use Administrator now for 2027 proposals. Permitting guide.
NYC Parks — ~400 concessions including bike rentals, kayaks, marinas. Seasonal postings typically in winter/spring. NYC Parks RFP info.
💼 Job Opportunities
National Park Service — Seasonal Hiring
What: NPS hires thousands of seasonal employees each year. Summer season runs March–September. Current openings across multiple park sites including Yellowstone and Cuyahoga Valley.
Pay: $19.52 – $31.43/hour (before locality adjustments)
→ Search USAJOBS.gov — filter “National Park Service” + “Temporary”
→ NPS Hiring Info
Idaho State Parks — Seasonal Employment
What: Idaho state parks hiring for seasonal positions including interpretation, resource management, trail work, and visitor services.
→ Idaho State Parks Seasonal Jobs
Outdoor Recreation Job Boards
- CoolWorks.com — National park & outdoor resort jobs
- Occupation Wild — Adventure & outdoor industry jobs
- Conservation Job Board — Outdoor recreation positions
- Adventure Job Board — Guide, instructor, and outdoor industry roles
🎓 Certifications & Training
🆕 NOLS Wilderness First Aid — Victor, ID
Where: Victor, Idaho
When: May 2–3, 2026 — THIS WEEKEND
Cost: $280
Why it matters: WFA is the baseline safety cert every outdoor guide should carry. Required by most insurers and federal land managers. Two-year certification. This is the most affordable WFA session we’ve found.
→ Register: NOLS WFA — Victor
ACA SUP Instructor Certification — RMOC
Where: Trout Creek Reservoir, Cottonwood Lake, CO
When: May 11–12, 2026
Cost: $350
Why it matters: SUP rentals are booming. This cert lets you train and certify your own guides.
→ Register: RMOC
NOLS Wilderness First Aid — Sun Valley, ID
Where: Sun Valley, Idaho
When: May 16–17, 2026
Cost: $330
Why it matters: WFA is the baseline safety cert every outdoor guide should carry. Two-year certification.
→ Register: NOLS WFA — Sun Valley
NOLS Wilderness First Aid — West Glacier, MT
Where: West Glacier, Montana
When: May 30–31, 2026
Cost: ~$330
Why it matters: Same cert, gateway to Glacier National Park. Perfect if you’re staffing up for summer operations in the northern Rockies.
→ Register: Idaho Rescue Training — NOLS WFA
🆕 NOLS Wilderness First Aid — Stanley, ID
Where: Stanley, Idaho
When: June 6–7, 2026
Why it matters: Stanley is the gateway to the Sawtooth Wilderness and the Salmon River — prime outfitter territory. Great option if you missed the May sessions.
→ Register: Idaho Rescue Training — NOLS WFA
University of Wyoming — Outdoor Guide Certification
Where: Online
When: June 26 – August 10, 2026
Why it matters: Comprehensive online cert covering paddle sports and other outdoor guide specializations. Good for building team credentials without pulling staff off the water.
→ Learn more: UWyo Outdoor Guide Cert
Know about an opportunity that’s not on here? Send it our way — we’ll add it to next week’s board.
