Serve America, Olympic newsletter, Family Fun, and Earth Hour

Here are several items that may be of current interest to our readers:

• I've been tracking the House of Representatives' GIVE Act, which passed last week. The Senate has now overwhelmingly passed its version of the bill, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The two bills will now go to a conference committee for reconciliation. Given how strongly both bills passed, the final bill will likely end up at the White House soon for the President's signature.
• The March edition of the Olympic National Park Newsletter is now online at http://www.nps.gov/olym/parknews/park-newsletter-march-2009.htm. Check it out for news and photos, including updates on Elwha construction projects, park visitation and more; recent honor awards for two Olympic NP rangers; and upcoming events, including National Park Week celebrations and more.
• A month ago, I mentioned an article in the recent issue of Family Fun magazine, talking about volunteer opportunities with family. Author Melissa Gaskill has now posted a copy of the article on her blog, which you can read here.
• And finally, a "volunteer" opportunity you can carry out at home, sent to me by Acting Deputy Superintendent Roger Andrascik, who says:
  
  Earth Hour: Join an effort that recognizes the importance of one of Mount Rainier’s special resources—the dark night sky. Flick off your light switches during a worldwide event, Earth Hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 28. More than 500 cities in approximately 75 countries have pledged to participate in the World Wildlife Fund’s one hour of solidarity to combat global warming. Earth Hour, which began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, is being presented as an election in which you can "Vote Earth" by switching off non-essential power; election results will be presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this year. Mount Rainier National Park votes every day for dark night skies—undisturbed by light and air pollution—because those skies have natural, cultural, and scenic importance. If current light pollution trends continue, there will be almost no dark skies left in the contiguous United States by 2025. So, register for Earth Hour at www.earthhour.org. For more on night skies and the NPS Natural Lightscape program, see the http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/lightscapes/index.cfm.

The GIVE Act

Just as I said yesterday, things are moving rapidly in Washington, D.C. with respect to national voluntary service programs. I got an e-mail yesterday with a link to an excellent story on National Public Radio about the GIVE Act, which would triple the size of the Americorps program and create several new sub-programs. It's unclear at this point exactly how the program would affect our volunteer program here at Mount Rainier, though depending on how the legislation is written, it could enhance our ability to work with partners like the Student Conservation Association. The devil is in the details, of course, and I know that our friends at SCA, NPCA, and other organizations have been working feverishly to make sure that the final bill, while creating and supporting new volunteer opportunities, is friendly to our existing programs and partnerships.

As of today, the House overwhelmingly passed its version of the bill; the Senate is expected to adopt a nearly identical bill next week. I'll certainly pass on to you anything specific that filters down to the field level about specific implications of the bill for our program. Meanwhile, you can read a summary of the Act in question on Senator Mikulski's website.