Leave No Trace Collaborates with Paradise

As reported in the Olympian this past Sunday (May 22nd) , The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has selected Mount Rainier National Park’s Paradise Area as a Leave No Trace Hot Spot. The Hot Spots program, in its second year, raises awareness about natural areas around the country facing the threat of irreversible environmental damage. As part of the initiative, Leave Not Trace works with volunteers, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies to reduce the effect of recreational activities in the selected areas.

As a part of this program, Leave No Trace training will be provided for key park staff and volunteers, signs will be created to convey minimal impact information, and consultation will be provided on the best management practices for minimizing the effects in the Paradise area.

There are two upcoming meetings for those who are interested in a general overview of the program:

June 27: Mountaineers Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E. , Seattle, 7-9 p.m.

June 28: REI store, 222 Yale Ave. N., Seattle, 6:30-8 p.m.Read more:

3rd Annual Keep Wildlife Wild - Volunteers Needed!

Mount Rainier National Park will host its third annual Keep Wildlife Wild event on August 6th in an effort to educate visitors on their impacts on wildlife. The day will focus on wildlife protection and education to keep Mount Rainier’s wildlife wild.

Volunteers are needed to hand out information on wildlife feeding and patrol areas of high visitor use. Volunteers will be asked to man kiosks in groups while talking to visitors and providing information on park wildlife and the dangers of wildlife feeding. Additionally, volunteers will be asked to haze animals that are approaching visitors to beg for food. Active hazing will keep wildlife from obtaining food and set an example for those people who may be tempted to feed.

An orientation will be provided the morning of the event and a review of the day will follow with pizza. Volunteers will be provided a T-shirt and hat to wear, and camping may be available for either Friday or Saturday nights with prior notice.

If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Sarah Yates at 360-569-6774, Sarah_Yates@nps.gov.


More information on the “Keep Wildlife Wild” program can be found at http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/keep-wildlife-wild.htm.

MRNPA Trail Work Party - June 11th

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party will be on Saturday, June 11th. That's only a little over 2 weeks away!

At this time MRNPA does not yet know where they will be working. It will be either the Glacier Basin Trail above the White River Campground or again at the Boundary Trail at the Carbon River Entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park. The deciding factor will be the amount of snow on the Glacier Basin Trail. Volunteers will be informed as soon as John Titland, MRNPA's volunteer coordinator has a solid answer.

Either way the group will be meeting at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning and will be ready to move out by 9:00 AM. There will be a short hike to the work site. As always bring safety glasses, work gloves, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and full rain gear. Also bring a safety helmet (a hard hat) if you have one.

If you plan to attend this June 11th trails work party, please email John at volunteer@mount-rainier.org to indicate that you are coming and how many volunteers other volunteers may be accompanying you. John needs an estimate of the number of volunteers to that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for everyone.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it. If you do not have a hard hat, we have hard hats that we loan for the day the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

For more information regarding this working party or about MRNPA (Mt. Rainier National Park Associates) please visit http://mrnpa.org/.

MRNPA – Trail Work Party at Carbon River

This past Saturday, May 21st, I was fortunate enough to join in on my first Trail Work Party with the dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers from MRNPA. Rainclouds lingered overhead as I drove into the Carbon River entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park. Exiting the car, I was immediately welcomed by John Titland, Mt. Rainier National Park Associate’s volunteer coordinator. As we shook hands I could not help but admire his heavy duty rain coveralls. Not more than fifteen minutes later I started feeling the damp air cutting through my lightweight (not so heavy duty) rain shell. A rookie when it comes to living in Washington, I quickly realized I still have a lot to learn!

All week I had been anxiously awaiting this day and was ready get some dirt under my fingernails. After a very lively safety talk, then meet and greet we headed up the West Boundary Trail to start moving rocks, building steps, and level out some steep stretches at the beginning of the trail.

Although rain clouds continued to threaten us throughout the day everyone managed to avoid being soaked. Laughter could be heard up and down the trail throughout the day and I did not see a single person without a smile on their face, even when digging out rocks that seemly grew in size once unearthed! The work day (or party, rather) flew by and although there is still much work left to be done, seeing the fruits of our labor over the one-mile stretch was beyond gratifying.

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates trail work party happens Saturday, June 11th. At this time the project location has yet to be determined, but you can check http://mrnpa.org/workprojects.php for up-to-date information and to join in on the party!

New phone numbers; welcome to Patti Poulin!

Mount Rainier National Park has just gone "live" with a brand new phone system, which provides direct-dial phone numbers to most individuals and offices in the park but means that most of the park's old phone numbers will soon become obsolete. There will be a month-long grace period during which old phone extensions will transfer automatically to the new numbers, but after that, you'll need to know the new number.

Mount Rainier's main phone number, 360-569-2211, will not change, and you will still be able to search for an employee by name when you call that number. If you're volunteering in the park, check with your supervisor to find out their new phone number. Here are a few other numbers you might want to keep track of (all begin with 360-569-):

-6571 Jackson Visitor Center (Paradise)
-6575 Longmire Museum
-6581 Ohanapecosh Visitor Center
-6600 Park dispatch
-6670 White River Ranger Station
360-829-9639 Carbon River Ranger Station

-6567 Kevin Bacher, Volunteer Program Manager
-6588 Patti Poulin, Volunteer Coordinator Intern

"Patti Poulin" is a new name for most of you--so please join me in welcoming our brand new summer Volunteer Coordinator Intern, here through the Student Conservation Association! Patti fills the role that Evan Escamilla was in last summer, and will be helping to coordinate volunteer projects throughout the summer. She comes to us most recently from the non-profit Ouray Ice Park, and has previous experience with the Bureau of Land Management in Tucson, The Nature Conservancy, the YMCA, and Outward Bound. If you're in Longmire, stop in and say hello!

Join a trails project this Saturday, May 21!

The second Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party for 2011 will be on Saturday, May 21st. That's less a week away. The project will again be to work on the Boundary Trail which begins right at the Carbon River entrance. We will meet at the Carbon River entrance station at about 8:30 AM and be ready to move out by 9:00 AM.

As always, bring your lunch and plenty of fluids to drink, work gloves and safety glasses, and a full set of rain gear, and some warm clothing too.

If you plan to attend this May 21st trails work party, please send an email ASAP to volunteer@mount-rainier.org indicating that you are coming and give me the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you. I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for us all.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it. If you do not have a hard hat, we have hard hats that we loan for the day the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

If you are not able to attend a MRNPA work party, but are interested in volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park, please take a look at the Mount Rainier "Volunteers in the Park" website for other volunteer opportunities that may interest you at http://www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/vip-positions.htm.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates