Thank you Cascade Designs, Boy Scouts, Mount Rainier National Park Associates, and Spring Opening volunteers!

MRNPA hard at work at Narada Falls

At least four major volunteer projects have gone on in the park over the past several days, so I think we can safely say that the summer volunteer season has begun!

On Saturday, the Mount Rainier National Park Associates were here working on the trail at Narada Falls. The weather was cool and cloudy, but that's perfect weather for the kind of hard work they do, and the trail looks fantastic. Mark your calendars now--the next MRNPA project will be June 13. The location is yet to be determined, but you can learn more and contact the group to sign on through their website, MRNPA.org.

A few volunteers also showed up to help us with spring trail opening at Paradise. This is a critical job, as already there is bare ground melting out around the Jackson Visitor Center! Volunteers help mark trails and make them safe. We have two people on the calendar for next weekend already, with room for several more, so if you're interested in joining us, send a note to MORA_Meadow_Rovers (at) nps.gov.

A group of about a dozen Boy Scouts from the Lakewood area joined us on Saturday and spent seven hours working with Trails Supervisor James Montgomery to rebuild foot bridge abutments on the Wonderland Trail near Cougar Rock. Troop leader Bret Buck reports that "the project was challenging physically and mentally for our young leaders... All in all it was an inspiring weekend!"

Cascade Designs in the Longmire Volunteer Campground

Yesterday, a group of employees from Cascade Designs (the parent company of MSR and Thermarest, among others) showed up to camp in the drizzle at the Longmire Volunteer Campground. Forty-one people from all over the country and all over the world (I talked with people from New Hampshire, Maine, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and Thailand) put in a couple of hours work cleaning up storm debris from the winter, including trees that had fallen through campsites; filling in potholes with gravel; and restoring areas disturbed during the removal of old concrete picnic table frames. The campground is now in ship-shape form for summer!

We're grateful for all of our volunteers, and look forward to more success stories like these as the summer progresses!

Seattle Boy Scouts honored for 90 years of service at Mount Rainier

There are many volunteer groups who have worked at Mount Rainier off and on for years, even decades. But recently one group was recognized for a partnership that started 90 years ago, in 1925! Follow the link below, and read all about the Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America, whose Eagle Scouts continue to do exceptional work in the park today.

Queen Anne Eagle Scout honored for pioneering trails project

Rediscovered trail sign documents 1925 Boy Scout volunteer project

...and one of those Boy Scouts, apparently, was Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard! Read all about it on The News Tribune's website:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/03/10/3088497/ex-worker-at-rainier-helps-track.html

I'll try to track down a photo of the sign to share with you all.

The Boy Scouts continue to be significant volunteer partners, 89 years later. Last summer, 66 Scouts contributed 433 hours of volunteer service at Mount Rainier.

An epic National Public Lands Day

Saturday's National Public Lands Day was one for the record books.

No, we didn't have a record turnout; nor did we restore more miles of trail, plant more seedlings, or pick up amazing amounts of trash. But we did work in some of the wettest, muddiest weather in the volunteer program's history! Chief Ranger Chuck Young reports that from Friday through Monday about 8 inches of rain fell in the park, and those of us who spent six hours maintaining trails at Narada Falls, or taking down tents and picking up storm debris at the Longmire Campround, carried much of that home with us, soaked through to the skin in spite of the best efforts of Gortex and leather.

It was so wet, in fact, that I didn't get a total count on participants before heading out Saturday afternoon. I'm guessing about three dozen people showed up, split fairly evenly between trail work and campground restoration. The trail work was accomplished in partnership with the Washington Trails Association, while Boy Scout Troop 356 from Bothell pitched in with spirit in the campground. The National Parks Conservation Association helped with registration, and brought along volunteers, and Student Conservation Association intern Joshua Jones represented his organization's partnership honorably as well.

I've posted a complete set of photos on the park's Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountrainiernps/, so check them out! If you took photos of your own, please post them on Flickr or Facebook or Instagram or Picasa or whatever, and send us the link -- we'd love to see every last soggy one of them.

This year's event was a testament to what people can accomplish when they come together for a common cause, in spite of epic challenges. You guys are an inspiration!

10,000 and growing…

Was the number of plants planted this past Saturday Sept 7th with the help of members of the Mount Rainier National Parks Associates (MRNPA). This year Mount Rainier National Parks’ Revegetation Crew  received help from 25 volunteers. In addition to the volunteers from MRNPA, Boy Scout Troop 573 also contributed time and energy to the revitalization of an old campground in Sunrise.

It was a beautiful day for the event in the Sunrise area. As the project continues Mount Rainier National Park will be forever grateful for the help it receives from its volunteers. In the future there will be always an opportunity for those who want to contribute to the preservation of the park and give back to the mountain that has touched so many.

Park Service Employee giving direction on planting process

Boy Scouts helping with clean up

Nice Artwork

Conservation Leadership School 2013

The T'kope Kwiskwis lodge of the Boy Scouts of America returned to Mount Rainier at the end of August for what has become an annual gathering of service and training. The group camped at the Boy Scouts' Camp Shepherd, north of the park on Highway 410, and spent two days working on painting and campground cleanup projects at Carbon River and Ohanapecosh. They spent a third day doing trail work in the Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest around their camp.

Thanks for your hard work, everyone! We look forward to seeing you back next year!

A successful National Public Lands Day for 2012!

This year, 97 people participated in National Public Lands Day projects at Mount Rainier National Park. Most--85 all told--worked at Sunrise. Half of those spent the day improving the Wonderland Trail between Frozen Lake and Sunrise Camp under the direction of Park Service and Washington Trails Association crew leaders. The other half worked to put native plants into a restoration site near Sunrise Camp. Meanwhile, an even dozen worked on cleaning up the highway near Mount Rainier's park headquarters, as described in the previous post.

The day's total included members of a class from The Evergreen State College; members of a local Boy Scout Troop; and many members of the general public, some of whom have become old friends from repeated attendance at NPLD.

More volunteers were active in the park on their regular duties, unrelated specifically to National Public Lands Day. I encountered two Meadow Rovers on the trail near Frozen Lake, and several were reportedly busy at Paradise as well. I heard another volunteer report in from Tipsoo Lake on the radio.

The numbers were a little small this year compared to other years, but the remote location of most of the work was probably responsible, combined with deceptively poor weather in the lowlands: while it was cloudy and rainy down low, we were partly cloudy and dry on the Mountain and surrounded by beautiful fall weather. We were even visited by a black bear, who sauntered past the trail crews at a distance of just 20 yards, completely ignoring them.

Enjoy the slide show of photos here, and if you'd like a more complete set of images, find it here.

Mark your calendars: National Public Lands Day and Glacier Basin Trail rededication on 9/24!

WTA volunteers

It's time again for Mount Rainier National Park's biggest volunteer event of the year! Mark your calendars now and plan to join us on Saturday, September 24 for a combination event. First, we'll be rededicating the Glacier Basin Trail, which volunteers and park partners have helped rebuild over the past three summers following its destruction in the November 2006 flood. Then, we'll disperse for a variety of volunteer projects, including more trail maintenance and a major revegetation effort at Sunrise. Finally, anyone who's interested will re-gather at the White River Campground for snacks and a more informal celebration and sharing of stories about the Glacier Basin Trail reconstruction.

SCA's Conservation Leadership Corps

2011 statistics aren't in yet, but from 2008 through 2010, volunteers and youth organizations like the Washington Conservation Corps and Student Conservation Association contributed 49,497 hours of time on the Glacier Basin Trail, an effort worth almost $1.06 million based on current figures from Independent Sector. The work has been done by National Park Service trail crews, partner groups, community groups, and hundreds of individuals who have worked on the project through the Washington Trails Association. WTA volunteers alone contributed about 15,000 hours of service over the three year period. The Student Conservation Association has fielded more than 8,000 hours of trail teams, national crews, and members of their Community Programs, made up of high school students mostly from the Seattle area.

NPCA's registration booth

Other key partners on the project have included Alpine Ascents International; Boy Scout Troops 224 and 436, as well as the Pacific Harbors Council and the T'kope Kwiswis Lodge 502 in Seattle; EarthCorps; the Mount Rainier National Park Associates; the Northwest Youth Corps; REI Adventures; and soldiers from the U.S.S. Henry M. Jackson. About 500 volunteers worked on the project each year (with a lot of overlap from year to year).

All volunteers who contributed to the Glacier Basin Trail reconstruction are invited to return for the rededication, and stay for National Public Lands Day!

Revegetation volunteers at Sunrise

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) will be returning again this year to help coordinate National Public Lands Day. Volunteers can choose from several projects. The National Park Service and WTA will both be leading trail maintenance projects on sections of the Wonderland Trail departing from White River Campground. Meanwhile, at Sunrise, Mount Rainier's restoration team will lead volunteers in replanting the old Sunrise Campground with native plants. For either project, volunteers should bring a lunch, snacks, water, layered clothing that you can get dirty in, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Bring your own gloves if you have a pair that works well for you. All ages are welcome! Other projects may be added between now and September 24th as well.

Registration for National Public Lands Day will be hosted by NPCA at the Amphitheater in White River Campground. Volunteers may choose to stay overnight for free in the campground the night before September 24th and/or the night after. Please RSVP with your intentions (see details below). WTA will be working on the Wonderland Trail again on Sunday, September 25th.

Event Details

WHAT: National Public Lands Day and Glacier Basin Trail Rededication


WHEN: Saturday, September 24, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
8:00 a.m. Event Registration
9:00 a.m. Glacier Basin trail dedication
10:00 a.m. Trail and meadow restoration
3:30 p.m. Informal gathering and celebration
WHERE: All events take place at, or depart from, White River Campground at Mount Rainier National Park. Click here for a map and directions. Stevens Canyon Road will be closed to the public that day due to road construction. Please enter the park via Highway 410 or 123.

RSVP: If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Mariely Lemagne at NPCA at mlemagne@npca.org. If you plan to camp overnight, please RSVP with those plans to Kevin Bacher at Mount Rainier National Park at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov. If you wish to join a WTA work crew on Saturday or Sunday, please also register online at http://www.wta.org/volunteer/trail-work-parties.

OTHER INFO: Entry to all national park units will be free on National Public Lands Day! Volunteers who register at White River Campground will receive a coupon for free entrance to Mount Rainier National Park on a future date of your choosing. Please bring work gloves and dress appropriately for the weather and activity. Suncreen, hats, and raincoats are recommended. You will also want to bring your lunch and a water bottle to stay hydrated.

We hope you will join us for the Glacier Basin Trail rededication and National Public Lands Day!

Photos from ArrowCorps

I've finally sorted through all my photos from the ArrowCorps 502 Boy Scouts project last week. The Scouts accomplished amazing things in their four projects, two within Mount Rainier National Park and two in the adjacent Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest! We're still assessing the accomplishments and the number of hours of volunteer time contributed, but you can see in the photos just what an amazing program this was.



The above slide show is only a small taste of the full set of photos, which can be viewed on Flickr. Enjoy the photos, and we look forward to working with the T'kope Kwiskwis Lodge of the Boy Scouts again soon!

Tools in the ground: ArrowCorps 502 begins!

Two years after the idea was first proposed to us here at Mount Rainier National Park by advisors of the T'kope Kwiskwis Lodge of the Boy Scouts of America, "ArrowCorps 502" is officially off and running!

The program takes its name from the "Order of the Arrow," the Boy Scouts' leadership corps who have planned and coordinated the project from its inception; from a similar project called ArrowCorps5 that occurred on several National Forest sites back in 2008; and from the Seattle-based group's Lodge number, 502.

As described in a press release last week, nearly a hundred Boy Scouts from all over the country have converged on Camp Sheppard, just north of Mount Rainier National Park, in preparation for three intensive days of volunteering. As I write this, crews are preparing to begin work tomorrow at Government Meadows, Silver Creek, and Crystal Mountain in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and at Crystal Lake and Ipsut Creek in Mount Rainier National Park.

I had the opportunity last evening to join the group at Camp Sheppard for their official opening ceremony. Already the boys had spent the day planning, gathering and learning to use tools, conducting safety briefings, and learning first aid and Leave No Trace techniques. When Acting Superintendent Randy King, Seasonal Volunteer Coordinator Patti Poulin, and I arrived, they were preparing for dinner. And while those camped at Ipsut Creek this week will be eating camp rations, back at base camp the fare was more generous: salmon and wild rice with corn on the cob and salad, tasty enough to be worth the drive all the way from our offices on the south side of the Mountain.

After dinner, we adjourned to the amphitheater for speeches and "shows." Arrow Corps member Ian Bellows emceed the event, beginning with the lowering of the flag for the evening, welcomes by Randy King and myself, and the presentation of a letter of support from Congressman Dave Reichert, who was unable to attend in person due to pressing business in the other Washington. Congressman Reichert also sent a flag that had been raised over the U.S. Capitol in honor of ArrowCorps, and which will be flown throughout this week at Camp Sheppard. After the speeches, the ArrowCorps "Show Team" presented several short videos, introducing us to Mount Rainier National Park and the history of Boy Scout volunteer projects in the National Parks, and summarizing the work that had been done up to that point. A final video, called "Why You? Why Now?" left us all with a challenge to go out and make a difference.

Congressman Dave Reichert sent a
special welcome and a flag flown over
the U.S. Capitol.

A special camera and video crew will be traveling around the park over the next few days to document the work in the field, and Friday evening the Corps will re-gather at Camp Sheppard for a celebration of the week's work, including another feast and another presentation of images and video gathered along the trail.

We left for home at 9:00, tired but excited by the spirit and enthusiasm we'd seen, and impressed by the level of organization. Most of the work on ArrowCorps 502 has been done by youth members of the Order of the Arrow, led by Evan Skandalis, Matt Allyn, and Ian Bellows. They and their crews represent the next generation of stewards of our national parks and other public lands--and by all indications, those resources are in good hands.

Patti, Randy, and I will be visiting crews in the field throughout this week, and hope to post more images and status reports on this blog along the way, so come back for updates. You can also check out the ArrowCorps website at http://www.arrowcorps502.org/.

Boy Scouts’ ArrowCorps Volunteer Project Planned for Mount Rainier National Park and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Mount Rainier National Park News Release
July 27, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Kevin Bacher (NPS), Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov, 360.569.6567
Denny Couglin (USFS), dcoughlin@fs.fed.us, 360.802.5311
Darla Sklar (BSA), dsklar@seattlebsa.org, 206.902.2353

On Sunday, July 31, about 100 Scouts from across the nation will arrive at Camp Sheppard to kick off ArrowCorps502, a service learning program developed by the Boy Scouts of America’s Chief Seattle Council, T’Kope Kwiskwis Lodge, in partnership with Mount Rainier National Park and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

Scouts of ArrowCorps502 will begin their week on Monday, August 1, with onsite Leave No Trace education before dispersing to their work locations within the shadow of Mount Rainier. Service projects within Mount Rainier National Park will focus on trail building and maintenance along the Crystal Lakes Trail in the Sunrise area, as well as converting the Ipsut Creek Campground to a backcountry campsite along the Carbon River. After three days of work participants will return to Camp Sheppard on Friday, August 5, for a closing jamboree.

In addition to giving volunteer service in Mount Rainier National Park and the surrounding National Forest, the goal of ArrowCorps502 is to provide participants with the opportunity to build their leadership experience, cultivate lifelong friendships, and enjoy firsthand the power and beauty of the mountain.

“We’re looking forward to seeing this program happen,” said Kevin Bacher, Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager at Mount Rainier National Park. “We’ve been working with Scouts from the Order of the Arrow for two years now, and they’ve done a fantastic job of putting this very complex program together.”

Randy King, Acting Superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park, said he looks forward to continue working with the Chief Seattle Council in the future. “We’ve built a good foundation for this to become a recurring partnership,” he said. “It’s exciting and important to see young people playing an active role in the stewardship of their national park.”

ArrowCorps502 is a partnership between the Boy Scouts of America and the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service. Students from The Evergreen State College will also assist with the program. The project is sponsored by grants from the Boy Scouts of America and the National Park Service’s Volunteers-in-Parks program, with significant contributions from REI, Inc. and Home Depot.

For more information regarding ArrowCorps502 or to follow daily updates during this highly anticipated event please visit http://www.arrowcorps502.org/ and RainierVolunteers.blogspot.com/.

A great National Public Lands Day at Mount Rainier!

You couldn't ask for better weather than we had at Mount Rainier National Park today for Nataional Public Lands Day! Preliminary estimates are that about 102 people turned out for three different volunteer projects in the park. I spent the day visiting each of the project areas in turn and taking pictures, a preliminary set of which is posted on my Flickr site and shown as a slide show above.

(For you camera buffs, I shot camera RAW, so the pictures will look a lot better once I've had a chance to tweak the exposure on them, hopefully Monday. But I wanted to give you a first look at all the great work that went on today!) Update 9/27: Done! The high quality, full-resolution photos are now posted.

Thirty-one people joined us on the Glacier Basin trail to continue its reconstruction. I was amazed at the amount of work that has occurred since my visit just a week ago. Eventually I'll post before and after photos so you can see what I'm talking about. The crew at Glacier Basin included members of the Washington Trails Association and the T'kope Kwiskwis Lodge of the Boy Scouts of America (who also had a number of members working on Forest Service land outside the park, which are not included in our total).

At Paradise, about 71 people worked to plant native plants around the lower parking lot. This is a project we began last year, and those plants look great, as if they'd been there for years rather than just one, so I look forward to seeing the plants put in today after they settle in to their new home! The group of volunteers at Paradise included members of a class from Evergreen State College, several volunteers from the Boeing Employee Association, and a number of volunteers recruited from their membership by the National Parks Conservation Association, as well as many members of the general public who learned about the volunteer day from their local newspapers. Many volunteers also returned after participated in National Public Lands Day last year.

Mid-afternoon, a contingent of Evergreen State College volunteers broke off from the main group and returned to Longmire to take down the platform tents in the Volunteer Campground in preparation for winter. The Evergreen students have been living in the campground for the past ten days, attending lectures under tarps in the rain, going on field trips, participating in seminars led by park scientists, and working on volunteer trail repair and planting projects, so it's fitting that they wrapped up their experience today by helping us with one final volunteer job.

Thank you, everyone, for an awesome day, and for your exceptional work in support of your national park!

Volunteers will work on trails, planting at Mount Rainier on National Public Lands Day, September 25 – Entrance Fees to be Waived

September 21, 2010
For Immediate Release
Kevin Bacher, Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager
360-569-2211 ext. 3385, Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov

On National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 25, 2010, more than a hundred volunteers will assemble at Mount Rainier National Park to plant native plants and work on completing repairs to the Glacier Basin Trail. Volunteers will also conduct general maintenance around the Longmire Volunteer Campground in preparation for winter. The work day will cap a highly successful season in which more than a thousand volunteers have contributed to the protection of Mount Rainier National Park’s natural and cultural treasures and helped serve its visitors.

Members of the public are invited to join in the day’s work. The National Parks Conservation Association, the Washington Trails Association, Evergreen State College, and the T’Kope Kwiskwis Lodge of the Boy Scouts of America will also participate.

National Public Lands Day is an annual celebration of public involvement in the stewardship of America’s national, state, and local parks and forests. More than 120,000 individuals are expected to participate in events all over the country. In recognition of this, entrance fees will be waived at all national parks for the day. Volunteers will receive an additional coupon for free admission on a day of their choice.

National Public Lands Day volunteers will register at the Longmire Museum, on the south side of Mount Rainier National Park, by 9:00 a.m. and then continue on to Paradise. Volunteers throughout the months of September and October have been helping park crews to plant 120,000 native plants on the site of the old Jackson Visitor Center, which was replaced in 2008. Meanwhile, at White River Campground, in the northeast corner of the park, volunteers will join crew leaders at 9:00 a.m. to rebuild sections of the Glacier Basin Trail that were damaged by flooding in November 2006.

Volunteers should come prepared for cool, wet weather, with warm clothing, rain gear, sturdy footwear, and gloves. If the weather is nice, sunglasses, sunscreen, and hats are recommended. Volunteers should also bring water, snacks, and a lunch.

A coalition of nonprofit organizations and corporations has supported volunteer efforts at Mount Rainier throughout the summer. The National Parks Conservation Association coordinates National Public Lands Day and leads efforts to increase public awareness and understanding of issues facing northwest parks. Washington Trails Association members and crew leaders have led projects at Glacier Basin and elsewhere. Student Conservation Association interns and crews serve as volunteer coordinators and on trail teams. Washington’s National Park Fund supports volunteer and outreach efforts through fundraising. Corporations including REI and Starbucks have contributed with both financial and on-the-ground volunteer support. Hundreds of individuals and dozens of groups have invested their time and sweat, in partnership with park employees, to build and patrol trails, assist and educate visitors, conduct citizen science research, plant native plants, provide roadside assistance to visitors, maintain backcountry campsites, and catalogue historic records. Last year, 1,865 volunteers contributed 72,231 hours of service at Mount Rainier, an effort valued at $1.5 million.

Information about Mount Rainier National Park’s volunteer program, including a list of open positions, a calendar of activities, and pictures and videos of volunteers in action may be found on Mount Rainier National Park’s website at www.nps.gov/mora, or on its volunteer program blog at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com.

- NPS -

Next steps for ArrowCorps 502

If all goes well, in 2011, 502 members of the Boy Scouts' "Order of the Arrow" will come to Mount Rainier National Park and vicinity for a week of volunteer service, organized by local lodge number 502. This Friday, members of the group, including coordinators Bob Davies (bandaged from recent surgery in this photo) and Barb Maynes (kneeling), and youth leaders Matt Allyn (in the back row) and Evan Skandalis (kneeling), met with Acting Superintendent Randy King (far right) and Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher (far left) to discuss details of the proposal and plans for carrying it out. If successful, the project--tentatively scheduled for the beginning of August next year--will be the largest single volunteer group ever to work at Mount Rainier.

In the meantime, a lot of planning has yet to be done, identifying projects, crew leaders, campsites, transportation, and other logistics. Because few volunteer opportunities at the park can accommodate anything close to the number of people who may participate, we'll be looking at ways to divide the group into smaller teams working all over the park, and in fact also on adjacent Forest Service land and with partners such as the Washington Trails Association.

Stay tuned for more information as plans are worked out; and meanwhile, you can learn more about "Arrow Corps 502" on their website and in previous blog entries.

Mount Rainier volunteer wins National Public Lands Day photo contest!

Two photo awards for Mount Rainier volunteers in one week--is this the beginning of a trend?

The winners of the National Public Lands Day photo contest have just been announced, and for the second year in a row, one of the winners is a photo taken at Mount Rainier. This year's winning photo was captured by Bob Davies, advisor for the Boy Scouts' Order of the Arrow and local T'Kope Kwiskwis Lodge 502. His Scouts helped build a new section of the Glacier Basin Trail, in partnership with the park's trail crew and a team from the Washington Trails Association. The local "Arrow Corps 502" plans to return next year with an even larger group to help with projects all over the park, and is planning for a major volunteer effort at the park in 2011.

Good work, Arrow Corps Scouts, and congratulations, Bob Davies!

To see Bob's winning photo and the other six winners of this nationwide contest, go to the website of publiclandsday.org. This summer, 223 volunteers participated in projects all over Mount Rainier National Park. Next year's National Public Lands Day will be September 25, 2010.

Scouting leadership group discusses possible major partnership in 2011

On Friday, I had a very energizing meeting with Mathew Allyn and Evan Skandalis, two members of the Boy Scouts of America's leadership group, the Order of the Arrow. They were joined by advisors Bob Davies and Barbara Sher. Together, we discussed plans for a possible major partnership in 2011, one that would bring older scouts (ages 17-25) to Mount Rainier for volunteer projects, potentially in large numbers.

This is not an unprecedented possibility. The group last year organized five projects on five different national forests, called "ArrowCorps5." All told, it was the largest organized service project in Forest Service history, contributing a staggering 280,000 work hours nationwide. (A great video about this effort is available online as a 93mb download.)

Obviously, our piece of that legacy would be smaller. But through partnerships with groups like the Washington Trails Association, by expanding the program beyond park boundaries into adjacent national forest land, and by focusing on trail work as only one of many possible projects, the contribution to Mount Rainier could be significant to say the least.

We'll spend the next year looking for grant opportunities to support this effort, developing our partnerships, and planning service projects. Stay tuned.

For more information about the next generation of ArrowCorps5, visit their website at www.tkopekwiskwis.org/arrowcorps502 or contact Bob Davies at the Boy Scouts' Chief Seattle Council #609.

Final tally: 223 volunteers on National Public Lands Day!

The numbers just keep pouring in! I finally have a complete tally of every event happening in the park on National Public Lands Day:

Longmire
16 - Longmire Campground Restoration

Paradise
8 - Bench Lake Trail
10 - Fourth Crossing Trail
151 - Paradise Planting

Glacier Basin
19 - Washington Trails Association
13 - Boy Scouts "Order of the Arrow"
6 - Other Boy Scouts

Grand total: 223 volunteers!! So far as I know, that's our biggest volunteer day ever. (Feel free to correct me if you know of anything bigger!)

Meanwhile, we've had MEAD Alternative High School [corrected] from Spokane, and Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School from Salem, Oregon, here planting this week, in spite of the cool, damp weather; and REI is coming in tomorrow. Saturday is another open planting day, so come on up and let's keep the momentum going!

Here's the report from Peter Dewell, WTA's volunteer crew leader at Glacier Basin:

"Well, we had some great National Park Rangers and crew to assist WTA in doing our work today. The loyal volunteers were Angela, Judy, Emma, Carol, Jim, Ed, Sue, Carl, Mike, Pete S, Elaine, Eric, Jim, Jane, Carla and Adam, along with great crew leaders, Micki, Lynn and Louise. Heck, with all this help and the National Park folks, who could lose. Well, we did not lose. First, there was the great work of removing stumps and roots just above a large rise in the trail - using rigging and muscle power, where Louise was involved. This area will need lots of work, but the hard work has been done. Next, a new switchback, with rock replacing duff and organic soil and proper insloping and outsloping, with protection of the turn - no trail cutters allowed here, with Lynn involved. Next up the trail was trail finishing and an upslope rock wall to hold the hill from slipping on the trail, with Micki involved. Finally, there were two rock projects uphill, with many rocks raising the trail to grade, in several places, plus a small rock retainer - to avoid (hopefully winter/spring runoff) and then a 20 foot long rock rock wall to support the new trail, just short of the current end, with lots of rock and mineral soil fill. These volunteers did great work and the National Park personnel provided great support and muscle power as well. Great job, well done. Thanks for coming out, and come out again, Pete Dewell."

Girl & Boy Scout Ranger Program

Kevin and I just recently received a package of patches for a new program that the NPS is rolling out in cooperation with the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA. It's call the Resource Stewardship Girl Scout (Scout) Ranger Program, and to quote the literature on the program:

"The Resource Stewardship Ranger Program engages Girl Scouts (and Boy Scouts) in education, volunteer services, or action projects in National Parks"

National Parks have always had a unique relationship with scouting groups. We provide a pristine natural setting for use by these scouting programs, while they nuture a love of nature and outdoors in younger generations. Scouting programs are helping to raise a generation kids that will become the patrons of the National Park. This program is our way of giving back and recognizing the achivments of these young scouts. We can't wait to have groups up taking part in the program. If you're interested in having your troop take part in this program, you can find more information for Girl Scouts here and more information for Boy Scouts here.

Boeing and Boy Scouts

I just realized that this set of pictures somehow never got posted on the blog! It was supposed to have been posted last week, in honor of the hard-working volunteers from Boeing and the Boy Scouts of America who helped us out doing revegetation work at Paradise. Who knows where into the ether of the Internet it disappeared to? Anyway, here it is, and our appreciation for these efforts has not evaporated even if the web code has! Thanks to Eas and Kala Easwaran for the great pictures.

Calling all planters!

I received the following e-mail late last week from Sara Koenig, who's in charge of our revegetation efforts at Paradise:

Kevin:

I made a list today of fall planting sites and it was a big list!! If you have any VIPs or groups looking for projects on Tues, Weds and Thurs from now until Oct. 25, we can probably use them.

The work sites are mostly steep, rocky, road embankments.

Sound like fun? Give me a call at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385!

This is a great project for volunteers of all ages. Check out the photos of our Nisqually Middle School volunteers last week. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are some new photos, taken by Eas and Kala Easwaran, of Boy Scout and Boeing volunteers at work on September 18.