Volunteers in the News

Here's a roundup of recent news articles relating to volunteers and Mount Rainier National Park:

• If you're looking for information about where to find a lack of snow on the trails, then the Washington Trails Association is here to help!
• For those of you who remember Tonia Burns, our restoration ecologist who moved on from Mount Rainier last year, here's a short article about what she's up to now. All of her great experience working with volunteers has paid off!
• Former NPS Director George Hartzog, Jr. has passed away. Hartzog was the director when the Volunteer-in-Parks program formally became part of the National Park Service. My, how his vision has grown! A press release about his passing is here, and a short biography here.
• As most of you are aware, Mount Rainier is mulling over the future of our Carbon River Road. Here's an article and some discussion about the issue on the National Parks Conservation Association website. (The photo, by the way, is by Mount Rainier volunteer Tyler Chilman.) The Washington Trails Association has an article about the issue as well on their Signposts blog--and a second article here. More information, and instructions for how you can volunteer your own opinion, can be found here.
• UPDATE: Thanks to park employees Larry Miranda and Michael Harris we now have the Mount Rainier Public home page website http://www.nps.gov/mora/parkmgmt/carbon-river-road-scoping.htm and Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) websites http://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkHome.cfm?parkID=323 linked and populated with information on the Carbon River Public Scoping process. Public comments will be accepted through July 31.
• An Environmental Assessment is also underway for the reconstruction of the Glacier Basin Trail, which was pretty much wiped out by flooding in November 2006. Volunteers will play a huge role in rebuilding the trail, as soon as all of the administrative T's are crossed and I's are dotted.
• The comment period for the proposed rule change regarding possession of guns in national parks has been extended for an additional 30 days. If you haven't volunteered your opinion yet, you can still do so here.