Tuesday, July 24, 2012

August MRNPA Trails Work Party!


Greetings,
 
The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party will be Saturday, August 11th.  That's about three weeks from now.  We will be working in the Longmire/Paradise area.  The exact location will be determined some time closer to the August 11th date and I will report the location to you as soon as I know it.   Wherever the work location, we will meet at the upper end of the Longmire parking lot, near the museum, at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning, and be ready to move out at 9:00 AM.
 
Bring work gloves, a hard hat if you have one, safety glasses, full rain gear (you never know if you will need it), your lunch, and PLENTY of fluids to drink. 
 
If you plan to attend this work party, please reply to this email and tell me that you are coming and how many volunteers you are bringing with you.  I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for us all.  If you have a hard hat you will be wearing, please tell me that too.
 
 
Following the work party MRNPA volunteers are invited to assemble in the Longmire VIP campground (not the Cougar Rock campground) to relax and socialize, followed by a potluck dinner, and an evening spent sitting around the campfire.  It's a fun event, so plan on staying (at least for a little while) and getting to better know some of the volunteers you have been working with.  
 
Overnight camping is available both Friday night, August 10th, and Saturday night, August 11th at the Longmire VIP campground.  Camping is free for MRNPA volunteers. If you plan to camp either or both nights, please tell me the nights you intend to camp when you reply to this email telling me that you are coming to the work party.  I need to assure that we have sufficient tent sites reserved.
 
Sunday, the 12th, we will try to do a short hike together.
 
 

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.
 
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 eye glasses do not.
 
John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

Nisqually Watershed Knotweed Bending Party!

Help protect the beautiful Ashford Nisqually Watershed from the invasive Knotweed!

July 28, 2012, 10- 2 pm

Learn how to identify and remove these tenacious weeds with the Pierce Country Knotweed Control coordinators. Your help is wanted to stop the invasive plant by bending it in preparation for upcoming treatment.

Want to help?

RSVP to Melissa Buckingham and Renee Mitchell at 253-845-9770, or by emailing melissab@piercecountycd.org

The meeting place for this event is TBD!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Scout Troop 228

Jean Millan and I had the privilege of working alongside a dedicated group of young people today: Scout Troop 228 from the Tri-Cities area. Ranging in age from eleven to seventeen, these hard-working boys erected two new platform tents in the Volunteer campground and after a short break, devoted themselves to removing debris accumulated in past cleanups. Speaking from a personal viewpoint, I was amazed at what they accomplished in a short period of time, and every one of them voiced a desire to return next year. My hat's off to you, Scouts! You did a phenomenal job!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Volunteer to Survey the Nisqually Glacier!

Nisqually Glacier Survey Project

 The main goal of this project is to identify the glacial flow velocity field of the Nisqually glacier. A major secondary goal is to isolate, to the extent possible, the approximate area of the lower Nisqually glacier that is flowing at a slower rate than the upper glacier. Past research has indicated that the Lower Nisqually typically moved approx. 0.6 m/day. However, measurements by Lead Climbing Ranger Stefan Lofgren during the glacier mass balance-monitoring project indicate that portions of the Lower Nisqually is now hardly moving, in the range of cm/day.

This is important because there is a possibility that stagnant ice (glacial ice that is no longer moving) may facilitate the development of glacial conditions that could allow for the storage of vast amounts of water that can be released catastrophically in the form of outburst floods.

 This year the area set-up by the 2011 glacial studies team will be re-surveyed. The surveying device used will be the Topcon GPT-3105W Total Station used last year. We will identify and survey suitable rocks at the beginning of the project, with as much overlap with last year’s rocks as possible. Ideally, the locations of said rocks will be resurveyed weekly or biweekly in order to ascertain changes in position due to glacial flow. At the end of the survey period, we should be able to utilize the relative motion of the rocks to characterize the velocity field of the glacier. At that point, we should be able to find areas that are not moving, or are moving abnormally slowly and contrast that with areas that are moving rapidly.


Ideally those helping with the survey will have waterproof sturdy boots, sunglasses with full coverage, a climbing helmet, an ice axe and crampons, as well as everything they require for a day trip (lunch, water, extra layers, sunscreen etc). That being said, crampons are unlikely to be required for the first several weeks and even after that if people do not have them, we can put them on a lower-elevation team. An ice axe and climbing helmet are highly recommended. Sturdy boots, sunglasses and sunscreen are not optional!

Volunteers need to be in good shape as they will be hiking all day and helping to carry survey equipment which is not exactly lightweight.

Volunteers are not required to have prior glacier experience, though having it is certainly a plus!

What the project manager needs to know from you if you are interested in participating in glacier surveys is the following information:

1.      When you are available, Thursdays are most often the survey days. 

2.       What is your glacier experience?

3.      Do you have glacier gear  (ice axe, crampons, helmet, climbing harness, stiff crampon-compatible boots, etc)?
 
If you are interested in volunteering with the glacier survey team this summer, please send the information listed above to Laura Walkup, the Project Manager.

Laura C. Walkup
Geology Technician
National Park Service
Mount Rainier National Park
Longmire, WA 98397

Office: 360-569-2211 ext.7003

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Help rebuild the Comet Falls Trail with WTA!

The Washington Trails Association has been hard at work this season working on trails throughout the park -- but with a special emphasis, for now, on the Comet Falls Trail, where a large section of trail fell away this spring. Volunteer crews have been building a new stretch of trail around the washout, located about a mile up from the trailhead and a quarter mile below the snowline. I went out and visited the groups working in the field recently, and took some pictures of their progress:



WTA published a report of the work on their own blog as well, which you can read here.

There's more work to be done! WTA will be on the job for at least another week before completing the project, at which which time they'll move on to other necessary work at another gorgeous location elsewhere in the park. Check out their full schedule of volunteer projects on their website!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Visitor Survey Volunteers needed!

Next month, the University of Idaho's Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU), in cooperation with Mount Rainier National Park, will be conducting parkwide visitor surveys to track demographics and a number of other issues. Volunteers are needed to help hand out questionnaires and conduct interviews with park visitors over a week-long period in early August. Can you help?

Surveys will be conducted daily from Saturday, August 4 through Friday, August 10. One volunteer per day is needed to help at the Nisqually Entrance, and an additional volunteer is needed on Sunday, August 5 at Stevens Canyon Entrance. If weather is bad the first weekend, volunteers will also be needed to finish up the project on Saturday, August 11 and Sunday, August 12. The entire week's work can be done by two volunteers, or it can be divided up among a larger number of individuals.

The last time this survey was conducted was in 2000. The survey is led by the University of Idaho, but volunteers will help us cover more areas.

Volunteers will help by distributing questionnaires to park visitors. Each interviewer will conduct 2-minute interviews with selected visitors at to determine if the visitor will take a mail-back questionnaire. The interviewer will also gather some information from the visitors. During the interview, each interviewer will be required to ask people for some personal information including age.

We are looking for people who are over 18 years of age, friendly and outgoing, like working with people, are good at basic recordkeeping, are reliable, and can follow directions. Also, since we will be stopping cars at entrance stations, volunteers need to be physically fit to work outdoors and stay on their feet for most of the day.

Prior experience is not required as an hour and a half of training will be provided at the park before the surveys begin. The CESU team will arrive at the park on August 2nd, and can provide the training on the 3rd and throughout the week as needed. Each person must be able to commit 8 hours minimum to work on the survey and must be available for training before they started working.

Free camping will be provided to volunteers at the Longmire Volunteer Campground or Ohanapecosh Campground.

If you're interested in helping, please contact Mount Rainier National Park's volunteer coordinator, Kevin Bacher, as soon as possible by e-mail at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov, and send a copy to the Survey Supervisor, Lena Le, at lenale@uidaho.edu. Please indicate which dates you're available for helping. If you have questions, give Kevin a call at 360-569-6567, or call Lena at 208-596-1671.

Thank you for helping to understand and better serve our visitors at Mount Rainier National Park!



Here is the complete list of dates and locations where volunteers are needed:

Nisqually Entrance
Saturday, August 4, 9am - 6pm
Sunday, August 5, 8am - 5pm
Monday, August 6, 9am - 6pm
Tuesday, August 7, 10am - 7pm
Wednesday, August 8, 8am - 5pm
Thursday, August 9, 9am - 6pm
Friday, August 10, 10am - 7pm
Saturday, August 11 or Sunday, August 12 - if needed due to bad weather the first weekend

Stevens Canyon Entrance
Sunday, August 5, 9am - 6pm

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Citizen Science Program 2012 Season!

Citizen Science Program 2012
Do you love amphibians, science and exploring Mount Rainier National Park? Then the Citizen Science Program is for you. The Citizen Science program gives volunteers the opportunity to hike and explore some of Mount Rainier’s remote lakes and wetland habitats while gaining experience in surveying and science. This year’s Citizen Science program will be starting up around late July and will run until mid-September. We will be conducting amphibian surveys by locating, identifying, and surveying amphibians at breeding habitats with an emphasis on Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) sites. You do not need any previous experience and surveying equipment will be provided. If you need to stay overnight for a few days, free camping is available at Cougar Rock, White River, Ohanapecosh and Longmire campgrounds, however, there is no long term housing available. Surveys will be conducted based on volunteer availability. If you are interested or have any questions contact Kristen Moore (Citizen Science Coordinator) at 360-569-6773 or email Carrie Anders, Volunteer Coordinator, Carrie_Anders@partner.nps.gov . I look forward to hearing from you!

Mount Rainier National Park July Volunteer Newsletter

July 2012 Volunteer Newsletter

MRNPA July 14th Work Party Reminder!

Just a reminder of the exciting work party coming up this weekend with the Mount Rainier National Park Associates, exotics removal day!

We will be working with Will Arneson's Ecological Restoration crew doing exotic plant removal (weeding).  The project area is the 3.5 miles of the Westside Road, from the Nisqually Road junction to the end of the road at the Fish Creek parking lot.   We will be removing non-native plants that are invading the areas adjacent to roadway by digging up the whole plant, including the root system, and collecting the plants in plastic garbage bags.  All collected plant materials will be removed from the park and disposed of in a landfill.
 
To participate there is no need to know about native plants.  Will and his crew members will teach you which plants to remove, and they will be able to identify for you all the native plants in the area.  There will be no heavy tools (like shovels and pulaskis) to carry and use.  The Westside Road  is open to vehicle traffic, and though not heavily traveled, we will be required to wear safety vests. 
 
Things you should bring are work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel, or your favorite weed removing tool, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and a full set of rain gear.  A warm jacket would be good to include too as most of the Westside Road is shaded by trees.  If you have a reflective safety vest, bring that too.   Because we will be working along the road, you will not need to carry much more than your digging tool, your jacket, and some fluids to drink.  We will have our packs transported to the lunch site. 
 
We will meet at 8:30 AM at the junction of the Westside Road and the Nisqually Road. (That is about a mile inside the Nisqually Entrance to the park).  Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM.  Tell the ranger at the gate as you enter the park that you will be working on a volunteer project and you will be admitted to the park for free.

If you would like to camp in the park for free before or after (or both) participating in this work party, camping is available at the Longmire VIP campground.  To camp for free you must make camping reservations by contacting Will Arneson at Will_Arnesen@nps.gov or Carrie_Anders@partner.nps.gov.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Citizen Science Program 2012!
Do you love amphibians, science and exploring Mount Rainier National Park? Then the Citizen Science Program is for you. The Citizen Science program gives volunteers the opportunity to hike and explore some of Mount Rainier’s remote lakes and wetland habitats while gaining experience in surveying and science. This year’s Citizen Science program will be starting up around late July and will run until mid-September. We will be conducting amphibian surveys by locating, identifying, and surveying amphibians at breeding habitats with an emphasis on Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) sites. You do not need any previous experience and surveying equipment will be provided. If you need to stay overnight for a few days, free camping is available at Cougar Rock, White River, Ohanapecosh and Longmire campgrounds, however, there is no long term housing available. Surveys will be conducted based on volunteer availability. If you are interested or have any questions contact Kristen Moore (Citizen Science Coordinator) at 360-569-6773. I look forward to hearing from you!

Citizen Science: Early Detection, Rapid Response: Invasive Plant Removal Project
The PNW Invasive Plant Council is working in partnership with the Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and many other state and local conservations groups, including Mount Rainier National Park, to develop a Citizen Science EDRR program in Washington State with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. While this is not a National Park Service project, some of the project sites are in Mount Rainier National Park, and controlling invasive plants around the park is a good way to prevent them from reaching our borders in the first place. The invasive Plant Council submitted this summary of their upcoming work:

What makes this conservation project unique is that we are focusing on eradicating plants currently in low abundance in target areas. The goal is to find these newly established populations and remove them before they have a chance to spread and cause serious ecological and economic damage. Volunteers will be asked search for a suite of invasive plants while they explore and enjoy the outdoors camping, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking etc. and report plants if they encounter them. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to have a more directed search assignment, concentrating on certain “red-flag” areas. We are piloting our surveys in four different Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMA); Nisqually, Yakima, and Chehalis River Watersheds and HWY 12 –SR 410, which includes areas in and around Mt. Rainier National Park.

We will conduct volunteer trainings in mid-July to train volunteers to identify plants, collect and report data to the IPC who will then alert local weed managers so they can act to remove these invaders. If you are interested in participating as a Citizen Scientist to help detect newly established invasive species please e-mail Julie Combs (
pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com )

July 2012 Citizen Science EDRR Invasive Species Volunteer Training Schedule

·       Seattle: Wednesday, July 18th; 6:00-830pm
·       Seattle: Saturday, July 21st; 9:30am-12am (with optional field training from 1-2:30pm)
·       Olympia Wednesday, July 25th; Session A 1:00pm-3:30pm
·       Olympia: Wednesday, July 25th; Session B  6:00pm-8:30pm
·       Yakima: Saturday, July 28th; 9:30-12am (potential optional field training from 1-2:30pm) 

We will train volunteers to identify 25-30 EDRR plants, collect and report data to the PNW IPC who will then alert local land managers so they can act to remove these invaders. We will use a Powerpoint presentation, herbarium specimens, live material and informational handouts in the trainings. In Seattle and possibly Yakima we will add a field component for those interested in getting hands on experience using the data sheets (e.g., estimating population size of plants encountered, area surveyed etc.) Once volunteers are trained they will conduct surveys within the four target areas listed below. The PNW-IPC will then distribute data to county noxious weed controllers and other state and federal land managers that will be able to use the information to remove EDRR invaders. .

Exact locations of trainings will be posted on our website ( http://www.pnw-ipc.org ) soon. In addition, location information will be e-mailed directly to volunteers who sign up for one of the trainings. If you would like to attend an EDRR training session please e-mail Julie Combs (
pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com ) with the subject line "Yakima Training" ,"Seattle Training" or "Yakima Training". We want to get a general idea of how many people will be attending each training session so we can reserve space commensurate with the number of people attending.

We are targeting four different CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Areas) in eight WA Counties for this pilot program:

·       Nisqually River Watershed– Pierce, Thurston, Lewis
·       Chehalis River, Southwestern WA – Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason
·       HWY 12- SR 410 – Lewis, Pierce, Yakima, Kittitas
·       Southcentral WA– Kittitas, Yakima, Klickitat
For more information contact:
Julie K. Combs, PhD
PNW Invasive Plant Council
EDRR Citizen Science Program Coordinator
pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com
U of W
Box 354115
Seattle, WA 98195

Get outside, See the Park, Work on Comet Falls with the Washington Trails Association!

Regarded by many as some of the best falls at Mount Rainier National Park, Comet Falls is the project to help on this summer! Join the WTA crew work parties this summer and help clean up this trail!

My own experience working with this group has been excellent. You couldn’t ask for a more devoted team and fun crowd to work alongside. Lead by crew leader John, you are not only going to have a great time, but learn so much about the trails in the park and how they are made and maintained! Working with this crew with give you a greater appreciation for the trails we all love to hike!

John leads a group out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Rain or shine, it’s always a good feeling knowing you’re helping out your mountain! Come for one or come for them all, stay for the weekend and utilize the Longmire Volunteer Campground! On this trail, the crew will conduct regular maintenance and repair any damage done to the trail over the winter months.

You can sign up for these work parties on the WTA website. Follow this link to view the different work party dates and assignments in more detail. Information on the work parties is only available three to four weeks before each trip, but there is a project every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the summer! You can check for updates on future WTA projects using our volunteer calendar linked at the top of our blog page or by visiting WTA's website using the link above. 

I’ll be out and about with this crew throughout the season and look forward to seeing and meeting you all!

Volunteer Picnics! Time to mark your calendars!

We appreciate all that you do as volunteers to help this park and we want to show you that we do! Next month we will be having not one, but two volunteer picnics to accommodate both sides of the park.

 The West side volunteer’s picnic will take place on Saturday August 11th at the Longmire Community Building. This is a great opportunity to utilize the beautiful Longmire Volunteer Campground! 

East side volunteers will have their picnic Sunday August 19th at the Sunrise Visitors Center from 4-6pm. This is a potluck style picnic, so bring your favorite dish to share!

Volunteering in the park? Camp in Longmire for FREE!

We don’t know where we would be without the use of our volunteers. Because of our wonderful volunteers and the many hours they put in to making this park beautiful, safe and accessible, we have designated the Longmire Campground as a Volunteer campground. If you are volunteering in the park in any capacity, you may utilize the campground while you are volunteering. You may use the campground if you are working with WTA or MRNPA, if you are a meadow rover, if you are working with the restoration crew, and more! Volunteers are welcome!

To stay in the campground, you must make a reservation. You can do so by emailing your supervisor or emailing me directly, carrie_anders@partner.nps.gov. I will confirm with the campground host and send you a confirmation email. Upon arrival, you must check-in with the campground host and they will assign you your campsite. We encourage you to utilize this accommodation whenever possible!


Follow Us!

Remember that Mount Rainier Volunteers now have numerous ways to keep updated on events and projects. We are now on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Blogspot! All of these links are available from our blog, rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com! We have our webcams at Paradise and Longmire on the park website www.nps.gov/mora.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Invasive Species Volunteer Training Schedule!

July 2012 EDRR Invasive Species (Citizen Science) Volunteer Training Schedule
·       Seattle: Wednesday, July 18th; 6:00-830pm
·       Seattle: Saturday, July 21st; 9:30am-12am (with optional field training from 1-2:30pm)
·       Olympia Wednesday, July 25th; Session A 1:00pm-3:30pm
·       Olympia: Wednesday, July 25th; Session B  6:00pm-8:30pm
·       Yakima: Saturday, July 28th; 9:30-12am (potential optional field training from 1-2:30pm) 

We will train volunteers to identify 25-30 EDRR plants, collect and report data to the PNW IPC who will then alert local land managers so they can act to remove these invaders. We will use a Powerpoint presentation, herbarium specimens, live material and informational handouts in the trainings. In Seattle and possibly Yakima we will add a field component for those interested in getting hands on experience using the data sheets (e.g., estimating population size of plants encountered, area surveyed etc.) Once volunteers are trained they will conduct surveys within the four target areas listed below. Volunteers will help locate newly established populations and report the data back to the PNW-IPC. The PNW-IPC will then distribute data to county noxious weed controllers and other state and federal land managers that will be able to use the information to remove EDRR invaders before they have a chance to spread and cause serious ecological damage and deplete economic resources.

Exact locations of trainings will be posted on our website ( http://www.pnw-ipc.org ) soon. In addition, location information will be e-mailed directly to volunteers who sign up for one of the trainings. If you would like to attend an EDRR training session please e-mail Julie Combs ( pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com ) with the subject line "Yakima Training" ,"Seattle Training" or "Yakima Training". We want to get a general idea of how many people will be attending each training session so we can reserve space commensurate with the number of people attending.
We are targeting four different CWMA (Cooperative Weed Management Areas) in eight WA Counties for this pilot program:
·       Nisqually River Watershed– Pierce, Thurston, Lewis
·       Chehalis River, Southwestern WA – Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason
·       HWY 12- SR 410 – Lewis, Pierce, Yakima, Kittitas
·       Southcentral WA– Kittitas,Yakima, Klickitat
The PNW Invasive Plant Council is working in partnership with the Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and other state and local conservations groups to develop and pilot a Citizen Science EDRR program in Washington State with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. What makes this conservation project unique is that we are focusing on eradicating plants currently in low abundance in target areas. We are excited about this effort and and hope that you can participate as a Citizen Scientist!  

For more information contact:
Julie K. Combs, PhD
PNW Invasive Plant Council
EDRR Citizen Science Program Coordinator

pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com
U of W
Box 354115
Seattle, WA 98195
www.pnw-ipc.org