Groups needed for native planting in September and October

One of our best opportunities for group volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park is now on the calendar!

This fall, construction crews will finish preparing the site of the former Jackson Visitor Center for restoration. Between mid-September and mid-October, we will be working on putting as many as possible of 140,000 plants into the ground to revegetate the former visitor center site before winter sets in. Volunteer assistance is essential!

The leader for this project is Will Arnesen, Mount Rainier's Restoration Ecologist, who can be contacted at 360-569-2211 ext. 3374 or Will_Arnesen@nps.gov. Or, write to the Volunteer Program Manager at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov, or call the volunteer office at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385, to express your interest.

Available dates currently include three Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. Saturdays are best for our crews but if Sundays are better for you, we'll be here to help:

September 19
September 20
September 26
September 27
October 3
October 4

Will says "I can use all and any help. We have around 140,000 plants to put in the ground and the more hands the better. The site will be at the lower parking lot and will have easy access and lots of room for people."

For any date when a group has signed up, individual "drop-in" volunteers will be welcome to come and help as well. So far, REI Adventures has signed up for October 3rd, and September 26 is National Public Lands Day, so even if you're not part of an organized group yourself, put those dates on your calendar and plan to come up with your gloves, knee pads, sunscreen, and green thumb! We hope to see you there!