The annual Volunteer Brunch will be held at the Tacoma Mountaineers Clubhouse (2302 N 30th St, Tacoma, WA 98403) on May 16th from 9-11 AM. Whether you're a new volunteer, an old hand or just curious about volunteer activities in the Park, here's your chance to socialize with other volunteers or have your questions answered by Kevin Bacher, Maureen McLean or Crow Vecchio after you're done "brunching." The event is potluck, and there's always plenty to go around. Please join us!
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
MRNPA Work Party May 16th
John Titland writes to tell us that although the project and location of the May 16th MRNPA work party have not been determined, it is still on the roster. Anyone who wants to participate should contact John at volunteer(at)mrnpa.org to let him know how many volunteers will be coming with you. Details will be announced here as soon as we have an update.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Volunteer Litter Pickers
Mount Rainier's Adopt-a-Highway litter team was "highly visible" along SR 706 on Saturday, April 25, where they filled a dozen (a dozen!) large bags with trash thrown out of cars by travellers. A total of nine volunteers (one not shown) contributed 37 man-hours to the cleanup. You too can participate in this community-betterment project. We contract to make three patrols during the year, and will have another one coming up in June. Contact Crow via email to petrina_vecchio(at)partner.nps.gov if you'd like to be put on the list of potential picker-uppers.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Announcing Volunteer Dates for 2015! (Updated)
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| Volunteers have two projects to choose from this Earth Day weekend! |
The weather is getting warmer and drier every day, so I want to make sure you all have some key dates on your calendars as the summer volunteer season kicks off! Watch the blog (http://rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com) and Facebook page (http://facebook.com/rainiervolunteers) for details, but for now plan for these dates:
April 25: Adopt-A-Highway Litter Patrol: We still need a few more volunteers to help with this annual Earth Day weekend event! Contact Petrina_Vecchio (at) partner.nps.gov if you can help.
April 25: Mount Rainier National Park Associates Trail Maintenance: Contact John Titland at volunteer (at) mrnpa.org if you’d like to help with trail maintenance on the Trail of the Shadows at Longmire.
May 16: Our annual Volunteer Brunch will be held at the Mountaineers Clubhouse in Tacoma. Plan to join us for an update on this year’s volunteer program , or to learn about how to become a volunteer!
May 16: Mount Rainier National Park Associates Trail Maintenance: Contact John Titland at volunteer (at) mrnpa.org if you’d like to help with trail maintenance at a location yet to be determined.
June 2: Seasonal Interpretive Training begins. Watch for a more detailed schedule. As usual, volunteers will be welcome to attend resource-oriented sessions during our two weeks of training.
June 6: WEEKLY trail maintenance begins! Watch the Washington Trails Association website (http://wta.org) under the “Volunteer” tab for trail maintenance projects every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the summer!
June 13: Our annual geocaching “Cache In, Trash Out” event at Longmire will coincide with the launch of our National Park Service Centennial GeoTour in Ashford!
June 13: Mount Rainier National Park Associates Trail Maintenance: Contact John Titland at volunteer (at) mrnpa.orgif you’d like to help with trail maintenance at a location yet to be determined.
June 20: Beginning Meadow Rover Training at the park’s Education Center. In past years, the MeadoWatch Citizen Science training has also been on this date, but that has not yet been confirmed.
June 21: Advanced Meadow Rover Training at the Community Building in Longmire. Update: It's been pointed out to me that this is Father's Day. We will probably be rescheduling this date!
July 4: Join us to walk with the park’s contingent in the annual 4th of July Parade in Eatonville!
July 11: Mount Rainier National Park Associates “Deveg” exotic plant removal project: Contact John Titland at volunteer (at) mrnpa.org if you’d like to help!
August 14: Annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic at Longmire. Food will be provided!
August 15: Mount Rainier National Park Associates Trail Maintenance, potluck, and overnight campout: Contact John Titland at volunteer (at) mrnpa.org if you’d like to help!
August 15: Annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic at Sunrise. Food will be provided!
September 11: The Washington State Fair begins! Join us any time through September 27 to volunteer at our booth in the Washington Outdoors building.
September 12: Mount Rainier National Park Associates Revegetation: Contact John Titland at volunteer (at) mrnpa.org if you’d like to help plant native plants. The location is yet to be determined, but will most likely be at Sunrise.
September 26: National Public Lands Day, our largest volunteer event of the season! We’ll have multiple projects throughout the park on this date.
These are just some of what will be happening this summer, so keep in touch with our blog and Facebook page to follow all of the latest opportunities. We’ll also be sending out monthly newsletters, so if you know someone who’d like to be on our mailing list, have them contact me at Kevin_Bacher (at) nps.gov.
Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you in the park! It’s going to be a great summer!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Seeking hosts for the Longmire Stewardship Campground
The full listing and online application is at http://www.volunteer.gov/results.cfm?ID=9361, and is reproduced here:
Mount Rainier National Park's volunteer program is seeking an individual, a couple, or multiple individuals in sequence to serve for five months (or a portion thereof) as the manager of the Longmire Campground.
The historic Longmire Campground was closed to use by the general public almost forty years ago. Since then, many of its trails and facilities have gradually disappeared under a sea of moss, with the exception of a dozen sites that were restored for use by seasonal employees living in RVs. In 2007, full-scale restoration efforts began, with the help of volunteers under the direction of the Mount Rainier Recovery Corps, as part of recovery efforts following flood damage in November of 2006. The campground now has two dozen rough individual campsites and two group sites, though few picnic tables or fire pits. Five platform tent sites have been built, though the tents themselves must be taken down and put into storage during the winter months. A bath house has been built with three shower units, one of them handicap-accessible.
These restored campsites and facilities are now available for the exclusive use of volunteers and other park partners. The campground manager sought by this announcement will be responsible for the following duties:
- Opening the campground in the spring, including cleaning up winter storm debris, rebuilding the platform tents, and assisting with dewinterization of the bath house.
- Coordinating use of the campground by volunteers, including scheduling the use of campsites and welcoming and assisting volunteers as they come and go.
- General upkeep and maintenance of the campground throughout the summer, including working with maintenance staff to keep the bath houses clean and well-stocked.
- Continuing the campground's historic restoration, including helping maintenance staff to remove deteriorating picnic tables and fire grates, and build and install new ones.
- Preparing the campground for winter, including taking down the platform tents and putting them into storage.
- Leading volunteers on campground-related projects, including any or all of the above-listed tasks.
- Assisting with other volunteer-related duties as available and interested, including data entry, correspondence, and coordination of volunteer events.
Housing for this position may be in one of the campground's employee RV spaces, which includes water and electrical hookups. An RV will be required. A separate vehicle is also recommended for trips to town. Alternatively, an apartment is available adjacent to the campground for those who prefer it or do not have an RV. The person selected for this position will generally be on duty Thursday through Monday, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, though this schedule may vary. A background check may be required.
The campground host's apartment or RV site and hookups will be provided at no cost. Pets are permitted for full-time RV residents in the Longmire Campground if they are indoor pets and not kenneled outside.
I need hosts from mid-May through the end of September, though I will consider multiple partial seasons to fill that span of time (and last year's hosts may return for part of the season). Actual time working will vary according to how busy the campground is. There will be stretches when the campground is only partially occupied, and duties may be completed in a few hours. At other times, the campground will be completely full, with people checking in at all hours. (There are a few very large groups already scheduled to use the campground this summer.) The work will average out to about 32-40 hours per week. A small per diem is available, if needed, to defray living expenses.
Please share this job announcement with anyone who may be interested, and direct any questions to me at Kevin_Bacher (at) nps.gov. I will be filling the position no later than April 24.
Seattle Boy Scouts honored for 90 years of service at Mount Rainier
Queen Anne Eagle Scout honored for pioneering trails project
Friday, April 3, 2015
First MRNPA Work Party for 2015
The first Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party of 2015 will be on Saturday, April 25th. The crew will be working on the Trail of the Shadows at Longmire, building the approaches to a new boardwalk and repairing some winter flood damage.
Participants will meet in the Longmire parking lot near the museum at 8:30, and will head out by 9:00 AM. The hike to the work site is very short. Always bring a warm jacket, a full set of rain gear, your work gloves, and a lunch.
If you plan to attend this April 25th MRNPA trails work party, you are asked to register with John Titland at volunteer(at)mrnpa.org. Please let him know how many people will be in your party. Tools will be provided. Members using aggressive tools (axes, pulaskis, etc.) must wear hard hats and protective goggles. Bring your own if you have them!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Citizen Ranger Quests
Would you like to be a Citizen Ranger? New to the Park this year, Citizen Ranger Quests are activities in which older children and adults can earn a certificate and a patch, much like our Junior Ranger program. Developed and piloted by Curt Jacquot and the operational Interpretive staff over the last couple of years, there are Quests in every area of the park and a few you can do online as well. Start your Quests from any visitor center or download the Quest worksheets from our website at http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/citizen-ranger.htm.
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