POINT LOMA — Officials with Cabrillo National Monument are launching preparations to enlist and train volunteers to assist with the national park’s Tidepool Protection, Education and Restoration Program (TPERP). Volunteers interested in learning about and sharing knowledge of tidepool wildlife, geology and/or ecology are encouraged to register by Sept. 10 by contacting park ranger Bonnie Phillips at (619) 523-4586 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Volunteers will be sent directions, a class schedule and other relevant information. The so-called Volunteers-In-Parks (VIPs) in the TPERP help the National Park Service protect the intricate, fragile and rocky intertidal area by educating visitors and helping them to create their own personal, intellectual and emotional connections with this fascinating environment. An introductory orientation and training conference for new and returning TPERP volunteers will be held Saturday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 23 from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. New VIPs are required to attend the training. The TPERP program has been around for 12 years. The National Park Service requires VIPs to commit a minimum of eight hours per month (about two four-hour shifts), plus periodic in-service training sessions held throughout the year. Volunteers must wear an official National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks uniform, which the monument provides. No prior experience is needed, but an interest in learning and desire to share are. Cabrillo National Monument, located in Point Loma at the south end of Catalina Boulevard, is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, call (619) 557-5450, or visit www.nps.gov/cabr/.