Climbers raise $140,000 for Mount Rainier National Park!

Now that our reports of volunteer program success and challenges are wrapping up for 2014, we're busy transitioning into planning for 2015! Yesterday I corresponded with CompassUSA about the possibility of working with new international volunteers. My duties this morning included writing a letter of support for a grant to expand some of the fantastic work our MeadoWatch program is doing to gather climate data with the help of citizen scientists. This afternoon, I've been working on nailing down planning meetings with Washington's National Park Fund and REI for a suite of volunteer projects next August.

The last of these deserves special mention, because this same collection of community partners earlier this year raised more than $140,000 for Mount Rainier National Park in the course of four fundraising climbs! Washington's National Park Fund supports projects in all three of Washington's national parks, and a good deal of their support goes to our volunteer program. This year, for instance, special grants paid for a pair of Emergency Roadside Assistance (nicknamed "Raven") volunteers, and the hiring of Maureen McLean to lead that and our popular Meadow Rover program. An estate grant made in 2010 by Raymond and Eleanor Wilson has helped pay for student interns, project supplies and uniforms, volunteer housing, and other essentials for programs all over the park for the last four years.

The fundraising climbs brought together all three of Mount Rainier's primary climbing guide services -- Alpine Ascents International, International Mountain Guides, and Rainier Mountianeering Inc. -- with Microsoft Corporation and Recreational Equipment Inc. You can read all about their experiences, and enjoy beautiful photos and videos, on a blog entry by one of the climbers and the Facebook page of another.

Whatever way you support Mount Rainier and its volunteer program -- through donations, direct participation, or following along on social media -- we appreciate your contributions in 2014, and we look forward to working with you in 2015!

Impacts of Sequestration on Mount Rainier's Volunteer Program

Mount Rainier National Park issued a press release yesterday detailing the effects of sequestration on park programs, staff, and services. With a 5% cut in this year's budget on top of $500,000 worth of additional cuts over the past few years, hard choices have to be made, and some things that we have been able to do in previous years are no longer possible.

Our priorities are public safety and access. As we meet these priorities with leaner resources, the volunteer program will play a critical role. Of course, volunteers are already a tremendous asset to our park. Last year 1,804 volunteers contributed 74,615 hours of volunteer time. A non-partisant research organization called Independent Sector publishes an annual estimate of the financial value of volunteer service, based on what it would cost to hire paid labor (with salary and benefits) to do comparable work. At this year's rate of $22.14 per hour, Mount Rainier's volunteers contribute $1.65 million worth of productivity. Looked at another way, a typical 3-month summer seasonal employee works for about 500 hours, so our volunteers are the equivalent of hiring 149 additional seasonal workers. Obviously, even without sequestration, we could never hope to accomplish as much, nor serve our public as well, without their help.

And our numbers keep growing. I've worked here for more than ten years now, and our volunteer numbers have been larger every year except 2008, and that was only because of the immense surge of volunteers who responded to winter storm damage during the previous summer. Volunteer hours are up almost 80% over the last decade, and volunteers are being used in creative ways to help with citizen science, backcountry maintenance, and almost every other part of park operations.

I've been asked many times over the past few months how sequestration will affect Mount Rainier's volunteer program. Here are three examples:

1. Closed facilities mean fewer volunteers. The Ohanapecosh Visitor Center will not open this summer. The Cougar Rock Campground will have a shorter season. In both cases, volunteer jobs have been suspended or reduced along with those of paid employees. There will be no volunteer interpreters or Junior Ranger program assistants at Ohanapecosh, and Cougar Rock's campground hosts will come on duty later in the year.
    
2. Supervisory capacity is reduced. One of the most significant barriers to volunteer program growth has always been "span of supervision." Volunteers, just like paid employees, must be trained, mentored, supervised, and provided with the supplies and equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. Thus, there is a limit to the number of volunteers a supervisor can work with. Under sequestration, many vacant positions at Mount Rainier have gone unfilled, leaving remaining staff with more work to accomplish with fewer people, and in many cases, even less time to work with volunteers. We've found creative ways to overcome this problem over the years--for example, hiring interns through the Student Conservation Association (SCA) specifically to coordinate volunteers in the Citizen Science and Trails programs; and working in partnership with the Washington Trails Association to coordinate volunteer projects. And many supervisors are finding that if they assign their front-line employees to work with volunteers, they can get even more accomplished than they can without their help (and because those volunteers require training and supervision, the front-line employee's own job is in no danger of being "replaced" by them).
    
3. Less money is available to support the volunteer program. Contrary to popular believe, volunteers are not "free" (though they provide an exceptional return on investment). There are costs associated with training, supervision, supplies, uniforms, fleet vehicles, housing, and sometimes a small per diem to cover living expenses for long-term volunteers. Volunteer program support comes from four places. My own salary, as the park's Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager, is supported by the park's "base" funding. We receive a small additional budget (usually $15-$18,000 annually) distributed out of a nationwide appropriation for the Park Service's volunteer programs. A significant amount of volunteer support comes from the individual programs in which volunteers work--for example, our Visitor Protection program may pay for a fleet vehicle to support our Emergency Roadside Assistance volunteers, or our division of Interpretation and Education may pay for housing and utilities on behalf of a volunteer working full-time in one of the park's visitor centers. All three of these funding sources are affected by sequestration and other budget cuts. With less money to support volunteers, our capacity to work with them is reduced.
   
   Fortunately, our fourth funding source, grants and donations, has so far made up a lot of the difference. A Youth Partnerships Program grant, for example, will support three SCA Community Crews made up of high school age youth from Seattle this summer, as well as youth internships in our education and restoration programs. An "America's Best Idea" grant from the National Park Foundation will expand that program further and support hiring almost a dozen youth from Joint Base Lewis-McChord to join the Community Crews. Donations from Washington's National Park Fund (WNPF) and "Keep America Beautiful," a program supported by Glad®, will fund much-needed upgrades to the volunteer campground at Longmire. And through an incredibly generous estate gift from the Raymond and Eleanor Wilson Charitable Trust, we're in the third year of a five-year, $50,000-per-year commitment by WNPF. This year's installment will pay for housing, reimbursements, uniforms, vehicles, and supplies for volunteer interpreters, educators, emergency roadside assistants, campground hosts, citizen scientists, restoration and trail crews, geologists, wilderness patrol, nordic patrol, and climbing rangers. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of those who support these programs through their donations.

As with every park program, the volunteer program addresses the effects of sequestration by being as creative and efficient as we can with the resources we're given. We are glad to be a means for members of the public to work in partnership for the preservation of their national parks. This year, that support is more vital than ever.

2012 Report on the Eleanor and Raymond Wilson Charitable Trust

Mount Rainier National Park's volunteer program receives its funding from a variety of sources. For the past two years, the largest single source of that funding has been Washington's National Park Fund, a non-profit partner with the national parks of Washington state, which accepts donations large and small on their behalf. Any time we receive money from such donors, it's proper to submit a periodic report on how that money is being invested. I always enjoy writing such reports, because frankly, volunteerism is an exceptionally good investment by any criteria. Here's this year's report on WNPF's contributions. Go to their website for more information about other great projects they're supporting, and to learn how you can help.

Washington’s National Park Fund
Eleanor and Raymond Wilson Charitable Trust

Background

In 2010, Mount Rainier National Park received a donation of $350,000 from the estate of Eleanor and Raymond Wilson through Washington’s National Park Fund. $250,000 of that donation was targeted specifically to the park’s volunteer program, to be distributed at a rate of $50,000 per year for five years. Mount Rainier received $50,000 each for fiscal years 2011 and 2012.

Funding

The Wilson Trust has, for two years, provided about three quarters of the general project funding to support Mount Rainier National Park’s volunteer program. Additional obligated National Park Service (ONPS) funding pays the salary of the Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager, a GS-11 full-time position, whose responsibilities are divided between the volunteer program and community outreach.

Source	2011		2012
WNPF Wilson Trust	$50,000		$50,000
ONPS VIP Funds	$17,933		$17,069
VIP Special Project Funding	$10,000		$5,000
Total	$77,933		$72,069

The National Park Service sets aside funding for volunteer programs nationwide, and distributes that funding through its regional offices to parks proportional to the number of volunteers and volunteer hours that each park reports. The Pacific West Region bases that distribution on a three-year average. It also sets aside part of its funding to support special projects. Mount Rainier has been fortunate to receive special project funding on several occasions, including $2,000 to support “Keep Wildlife Wild” efforts and $8,000 to support a partnership with the Boy Scouts of America in 2011, and $5,000 to enhance our “Meadow Rover” program in 2012.

Funds that are not targeted to a specific project are distributed by the Volunteer Program Manager in ways intended to maximize their effectiveness according to two goals:

1. Increasing the number, diversity, and quality of opportunities for members of the public to engage in the stewardship of their National Park; and
2. Increasing the ability of park staff to accomplish their dual mission of protecting natural resources and serving the public.

In most cases, park programs are able to contribute resources of their own to supplement those provided by the volunteer program. For example, they may use base funding to pay for a volunteer’s housing, or they may pay for the tools and vehicles used by a volunteer out of their own accounts.  These additional contributions toward volunteer efforts are not captured here.

Expenses

Volunteer program funds may be used for supplies, transportation, uniforms, or tools. Some long-term volunteers receive a small per diem for basic living expenses. Non-ONPS funds can be used to pay for volunteer housing.

Mount Rainier also traditionally invests a significant portion of its volunteer funding to support internship positions hired through organizations like the StudentConservation Association and Geologic Society of America. These positions are usually filled by college-age youth and are an investment in our future workforce; many of them go on to secure seasonal or permanent positions with the National Park Service. In addition, some of the interns we hire work within the volunteer program itself, with duties including volunteer recruitment, training, and supervision.

Item	2011	2012	Notes
SCA Interns	$24,500	$29,150	Education intern (12 weeks, 2012 only); Citizen Science intern (12 weeks); Wilderness intern (12 weeks); Trails intern (16 weeks); VIP Coordinator (24 weeks)
Volunteer housing	$8,444	$8,464	Housing for long-term volunteers
Per Diem	$7,210	$6,420	Living expenses for long-term volunteers, such as campground hosts, mountaineering volunteers, and emergency roadside assistance volunteers
Vehicle rentals	$5,300	$5,300	Vehicles for Emergency Roadside Assistance, Roadside Cleanup, and Geoscience Teachers-in-Parks volunteers
Geologist-in-Parks interns	$13,500	$4,750	Five 12-week interpretation interns in 2011, two in 2012
Teacher-Ranger-Teachers		$4,750	Reimbursements for ten interns ranging from 4-10 weeks
Supplies and field gear	$4,622	$5,840	Waders, nets, notebooks, GPS, altimeters, and guide books for citizen science and geology volunteers; motor oil and tools for emergency roadside assistance volunteers; all-weather jackets for climbing volunteers
Uniform items	$4,181	$1,791	Uniform shirts, hats, vests, jackets, and nametags
Travel and Training	$1,013		Advanced Volunteer Program Training attendance
Background checks	$364	$401	For volunteers working on networked computers
Award items		$250	Incentive awards for Meadow Rover volunteers
Total	$68,017	$67,116	Not including ONPS or targeted special project funding

Results

The Wilson Trust funds arrived at a fortuitous time, when other sources of funding (especially ONPS funds) were increasingly in demand for other purposes and fewer and fewer dollars were left over to support volunteers. WNPF funds have allowed us to sustain a robust volunteer program during a time of fiscal challenge.

	2011	2012
Number of volunteers	1,728	1,804
Volunteer hours	74,504	74,615

Key Accomplishments

• In partnership with the Washington TrailsAssociation, Student Conservation Association, and Mount Rainier National ParkAssociates, volunteers helped rebuild and reopen the Glacier Basin Trail in 2011, large portions of which were obliterated by floods in November 2006. In 2012, they turned to other projects throughout the park, 679 of them turning in 13,136 hours of service.
• One hundred forty “Meadow Rovers” spent 7,595 hours patrolling meadows above Paradise and Sunrise, educating tens of thousands about the importance of staying on trails in those fragile subalpine environments. Twenty-one Wilderness Patrol volunteers turned in another 5,752 hours patrolling trails throughout the park.
• Two Emergency Roadside Assistance volunteers spent 1,323 hours patrolling the roads around Paradise, assisting dozens of stranded motorists and helping with numerous accidents and incidents. Five of Mount Rainier’s 15-person team of climbing rangers are now volunteers. Volunteers also contributed more than 2,300 hours in Search and Rescue events in 2012.
• Citizen Scientists now systematically survey amphibians, butterflies, and other wildlife species, monitoring trends influenced by climate change and other factors. 64 volunteers turned in 1,159 hours of service. Another 18 volunteers turned in 1,801 hours of time surveying glaciers and streambeds.
• Thirty-two Volunteers turned in 7,718 hours of service as interpretive naturalists in 2012, the equivalent of more than 15 paid seasonal employees for our visitor centers and school education programs that we would not have been able to afford.
• We worked with 38 active community groups in 2012, including youth from the Student Conservation Association (5,112 hours), Central Washington Field School (4,000 hours), the Boy Scouts of America (1,989 hours), The Evergreen State College (1,600 hours), MEAD Alternative High School (483 hours), and the Tokyo-based Japan Volunteers-in-Parks Association (880 hours). Members of the Washington Trails Association turned in 5,339 hours; the Mount Rainier National Park Associates accumulated 977; and the Washington SkiTouring Club, 643.
• Volunteers worked under at least 84 different position descriptions in 2012.

The Role of Washington’s National Park Fund and the Wilson Trust

Raymond and Eleanor Wilson Charitable Trust donations have covered 74% of the general operating funds of Mount Rainier National Park’s volunteer program for the past two years, not counting special project funding and obligated National Park Service funds. These funds pay for interns who help us to manage our volunteer program and extend our capacity to work with members of our community, especially in the areas of trail maintenance, interpretation, citizen science, and the “Meadow Rover” program. They pay for vehicles and supplies that allow us to offer emergency roadside assistance, and emergency response on the upper slopes of Mount Rainier. They pay for housing and per diem that allows volunteers to participate not just for a day or two at a time, but on extended assignments lasting weeks or months.

Most importantly, we are meeting our program’s goals. We are engaging more and more people in more and more projects at Mount Rainier, working with them as partners and advocates in the stewardship of their National Park. We are protecting our resources and serving our visitors in ways we couldn’t hope to without the help of volunteers. This year’s 74,615 volunteer hours are the equivalent efforts of more than 149 seasonal employees and $1.6 million in salaries and benefits. This is a tremendous return on our investment.

The numbers speak for themselves, but there is no better way to assess the positive influence of the Wilson Charitable Trust than to visit a volunteer group in action: rebuilding a washed-out trail with the Washington Trails Association or Student Conservation Association at Comet Falls, planting native plants with a school group at Sunrise, or surveying frogs and salamanders in a wilderness lake with a citizen science team. We are making connections. We are investing in the future of our Park and our community. We are making a difference.

Photographs from the 2012 season may be seen on our website at http://tinyurl.com/MORA2012VIPs.