Volunteer Newsletter, August 2014

Volunteer Picnics Coming Up August 15 and 16 

Join us on Friday, August 15 at the Longmire Community Building or Saturday, August 16 at the Sunrise Picnic Area for our annual Volunteer Picnics! Both picnics begin at 4:30pm and are potluck, so bring something to share. The volunteer program will provide drinks, paper plates, glasses, and plasticware at Longmire, and will bring hamburger patties and veggie burgers at Sunrise. As in previous years, we'll be grilling at Sunrise, so if you have a portable grill to share, please let us know. Both gatherings will be an informal celebration of volunteer activities and a great opportunity to meet fellow volunteers, and are open to all park employees, as well as those interested in learning more about the volunteer program.

To give us a sense for how many people to expect, please RSVP for the Longmire Picnic to Kevin Bacher at Kevin_Bacher (at) nps.gov, and for the Sunrise Picnic to Lynn Kittridge at Lynn_Kittridge (at) partner.nps.gov. 

Who Was That Masked Postcard Donor?

In early July, a volunteer brought in a set of small Mount Rainier postcards from 1923 to the Longmire Museum, labeled "Bardell Fototone Miniatures," and wondered if we wanted them. Here's what they look like: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTY4WDgwNg==/z/TBoAAOxyVLNS2UYy/$_35.JPG. Ranger Hayley took them and passed them on to our park Curator, Brooke Childrey, who but did not get the volunteer's name and contact information. Brooke would like to follow up with the volunteer to learn more about where the postcards came from, and to complete formal donation paperwork. If you are the one who donated the postcards, please contact her at Brooke_Childrey (at) nps.gov, or 360-569-6784. 

Mount Rainier National Park Receives 2014 America’s Best Idea Grant from the National Park Foundation to Support Student Conservation Association Youth Crews 

Mount Rainier National Park is one of 39 national parks selected to receive a 2014 America’s Best Idea grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Inspired by Ken Burns’ critically acclaimed documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” this program builds partnerships between national parks and community, state, and other public organizations, and engages diverse audiences in meaningful and relevant ways with national parks and inspires participants to become stewards of our National Park System.

“The America’s Best Idea program connects people – particularly youth – to America’s national parks, often for the first time,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Through meaningful and memorable in-park experiences that highlight the natural, cultural, and historical treasures in our National Park System, we are able to inspire the next generation of park-goers.”

“We want everyone to find themselves in a national park,” said Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “These National Park Foundation grants will help people acquire a better understanding of their national parks and, hopefully, of themselves, through place-based learning and recreational activities. Native Americans who will visit traditional homelands, budding scientists who will study environmental impacts, and students from Gallaudet University who will examine aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act are among the many groups which will benefit from the grants.”

At Mount Rainier, National Park Foundation funding will support three teams of youth recruited by the Student Conservation Association (SCA) from communities in Seattle, and from Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM) through SCA’s “Base to Base Camp” program. Eight high school students and two crew leaders in each Community Crew will spend fifteen days working on trail maintenance projects throughout the national park, repairing trail tread and building bridges at sites like Klapatche Park and the Wonderland Trail. This is SCA’s 20th year fielding Community Crews at Mount Rainier, and the third for its Base to Base Camp program. Eleven students from JBLM joined thirteen from Seattle on last year’s crews. This year’s crews will be in the park from July 6th through August 31st.

“We are pleased to have Community Crews back at Mount Rainier this year,” said Superintendent Randy King. “These young people play an important part in the protection and care of our national parks, and they also represent the next generation of park stewards.” Many graduates of past Community Crews have gone on to serve as seasonal or career rangers with the National Park Service or other agencies.

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Upcoming Events

Daily: Meadow Rovers Needed!

Meadow Rovers are always needed, and this is one of our busiest times of year! We've been a little short on Rovers at Paradise especially, so if you have a day free, come on up and help out! The wildflowers are nearing their peak, and bus loads of tour groups are showing up with increasing frequency. We need rovers who can provide a welcome and reminder to groups as they arrive, and to station themselves at critical areas to remind visitors of the importance of staying on trails, even if there's a tempting patch of snow or wildflowers visible in the distance. Contact us at MORA_Meadow_Rovers (at)nps.gov to let us know when you're coming up.

Thursdays-Mondays: Star-Gazing at JVC

Join our stellar cast of volunteer astronomers outside the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center Thursday through Monday nights this summer. There will be telescopes available and knowledgeable guides to help you enjoy the wilderness of the night sky. Star-gazing will take place just after dark through at least midnight (weather permitting, subject to cancellation). Our Astronomers this summer:

Tom and Gracie Pauly of the Starryhill planetarium (starryhill.org): Yes, they have their own planetarium and observatory!  These retired teachers are top notch at helping people connect to the wonder of the night sky (Thursdays only).

Don West-Wilke: Our returning Tacoma Astronomical Society Astronomer of the Year. He annually records more visitor contacts than anyone in the park. One of the most knowledgeable and colorful astronomers in Washington. Sometimes called "the Singing Astronomer" (Saturdays only).

Pat Beatie: This Bellevue college astronomy teacher will be helping people connect to the night sky five nights a week (Thursdays through Mondays). He often also sets up a solar viewing scope during the day next to the JVC.

Fridays-Sundays: Trail Maintenance with the Washington Trails Association

WTA continues to lead trail work throughout the park every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and will do so at least through Labor Day. If you're looking for a way to help out, this is a sure-fire opportunity! Visit WTA's website at www.wta.org and click on the "Volunteer" tab at the top for a list of projects throughout the state. Look for the ones marked "Mount Rainier" to help out here! 

September 6: Planting Day

Mount Rainier's annual volunteer planting day will be on September 6 at Sunrise. The Mount Rainier National Park Associates (www.mrnpa.org) will be there, but the project is also open to anyone who wants to help. Watch our blog (rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com) for details coming soon!

September 6: Mount Rainier Volunteers Adopt-A-Highway

In partnership with the Washington State Dept. of Transportation, Mount Rainier's volunteers make litter patrols along Hwy 706 three times a year. This stretch of highway includes the Park's Tahoma Woods frontage. For more information or to sign up for our September 6 event, contact Crow at petrina_vecchio(at)partner.nps.gov.


September 27: National Public Lands Day

Mark your calendars: this year's National Public Lands Day will be Saturday September 27. We're still working out the details, but the day's project work will likely include trail maintenance and native planting, and will probably be based out of White River and Sunrise. Activities will be suitable for all ages. Save the date!

Ongoing: Amphibian Surveys

Laura Davis is looking for volunteers to help conduct surveys to document the presence or absence of amphibian species at various lakes, ponds and wetlands with an emphasis on historical Western Toad sites. The surveys will involved hiking to predetermined sites and will be concerned with finding, identifying and measuring amphibians at all stages of development. You do not need any previous experience and surveying equipment will be provided. You may volunteer once or multiple times throughout the season. If you need to stay overnight, free camping is available at Cougar Rock, White River, Ohanapecosh and Longmire campgrounds. Longmire since is the closest to the meeting point. Both day trip and overnight backpacking surveys will be done throughout the park.

If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact Laura Davis via laura_davis(at)partner.nps.gov.

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What's Been Going On

BSA, GSA, MRNPA, REI, SCA, WNPF, WTA, and Starbucks (Oh My!)


To say that July and August have been busy with volunteer groups would be a bit of an understatement! Here's a quick and incomplete sampling of those who've been working with us this month. Our eternal gratitude goes to all of our volunteers who help keep their national park running in excellent condition!

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) gathered at Camp Sheppard, north of the park, the week of August 3rd, for their annual ArrowCorps Conservation School, organized by the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scouts' leadership corps. They helped rebuild picnic tables and perform general maintenance in the Paradise Picnic Area, and completed a long stretch of brushing on the Wonderland Trail in Stevens Canyon. They were joined on the latter project by members of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), a youth employment program that draws from local high schools.

The Girl Scouts of America (GSA) showed up with troop 52767 on July 25th, and earned their Stewardship Patches by completing 10 hours apiece of combined education and volunteer service by working with ranger Ryan Cyphers McLoughlin (ed. correction) in the Paradise meadows.

The Mount Rainier National Park Associates (MRNPA) was here on August 2nd for their annual picnic and a trail project near Narada Falls. They will be back next month on September 6, planting native plants at Sunrise.

Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) and Washington's National Park Fund (WNPF) are out in force this weekend, August 9th, doing a fundraising climb on Mount Rainier. The Fund supports projects in Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks, including our climbing, trails, and volunteer programs. More than half of our volunteer budget, in fact, comes from donations through WNPF! Learn more at www.wnpf.org.

The Student Conservation Association (SCA)'s Community Crew program is wrapping up its second of three crews this weekend. The first group of 8 students and 2 crew leaders, drawn from high schools in the Seattle area and from Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), kept busy with trail work near Narada Falls in July, while the second team has been working on trail maintenance and bridge construction on the Wonderland Trail near Myrtle Falls. The third and final crew will arrive August 17 for its 15-day assignment, tentatively scheduled to be near Klapatche Point.

The Washington Trails Association (WTA) has been busy all over Mount Rainier, working on trails near and far, most recently along the scenic Skyline Trail at Paradise. They continue to lead public volunteers every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so sign up (at www.wta.org) and pitch in! You could even earn a personalized WTA work helmet!

Starbucks arrived for their annual work project on August 1st, and spent the 2nd working on the Wonderland Trail. We always welcome their energy and their donations of coffee!

Coming up, we'll be visited by volunteers from The Evergreen State College, the Sierra Club, and many others. Thanks again to everyone for your hard work and dedication!

SCA Receives the Director's Partnership Award

We're pleased to announce that the Student Conservation Association's Community Crew program, out of Seattle, has won the National Park Service Director's Partnership Award for 2014! The award will be formally presented soon at a time and venue yet to be determined. It recognizes 30 years of youth volunteerism, 20 of them at Mount Rainier National Park, and their recent initiative called "Base to Base Camp," which has engaged youth in military families from Joint Base Lewis-McCord and others.

More Radios Are a-Comin', Thanks to the Puget Sound Energy Foundation and WNPF

Partnerships are invaluable to Mount Rainier, and one of our most productive has been Washington's National Park Fund. When the Fund learned that we continue to suffer from a shortage of radios in our Meadow Rover program--tools that are critical to the safe and effective operation of our volunteers--they stepped up to find donors who would help fill the need. Now, thanks to the Puget Sound Energy Foundation, five new radios are on their way! THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this happen!

Transitions at the Longmire Campground

The Longmire Stewardship Campground remains an invaluable resource for volunteers and other park partners who need temporary camping and showers at Mount Rainier National Park. We say a fond farewell and a grateful thank you to Jim and Lorraine Cherry, who served in excellent form as our campground hosts through most of July before returning home to Indiana! We're also extremely thankful for Yonit and Leon Yogev, who filled in for a busy week at the end of July, and to Nancy Mortensen, who arrived August 1st to finish out the season. Nancy will be here through September, and will be available to receive campground reservations at Nancy_Mortensen (at) partner.nps.gov just as soon as her park e-mail is set up (hopefully in the next few days), or by telephone at 360-569-0933.

Condolences

Our sincere condolences go to John Titland and his family on the recent passing of his wife Jane. John and Jane have been volunteers for many, many years at Mount Rainier, and are founding members of one of our most dedicated group of volunteers, the Mount Rainier National Park Associates. We will always be grateful for Jane's service, dedication, and friendship.

And more...

These are only a few of the many, many ways that volunteers serve at Mount Rainier National Park every day. In almost every program, volunteers serve alongside paid staff, helping us to protect our national park and serve its visitors better than we ever could without their help. In some cases, park programs and services would not exist without volunteers. You will almost certainly cross paths with a volunteer if you visit the park. Take time to say thank you!

Mount Rainier National Park Receives 2014 America’s Best Idea Grant from the National Park Foundation to Support Student Conservation Association Youth Crews

For Immediate Release

Alanna Sobel, National Park Foundation, asobel@nationalparks.org, 202-354-6486
Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier National Park, kevin_bacher@nps.gov, 360-569-6567
Jay Satz, Student Conservation Association, jsatz@thesca.org, 206-324-4649
Laurie Ward, Washington’s National Park Fund, laurie@wnpf.org, 206-623-2063 

 

Mount Rainier National Park is one of 39 national parks selected to receive a 2014 America’s Best Idea grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Inspired by Ken Burns’ critically acclaimed documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” this program builds partnerships between national parks and community, state, and other public organizations, and engages diverse audiences in meaningful and relevant ways with national parks and inspires participants to become stewards of our National Park System.

2013's SCA Community Crews were also funded,
in part, by the National Park Foundation

 

“The America’s Best Idea program connects people – particularly youth – to America’s national parks, often for the first time,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Through meaningful and memorable in-park experiences that highlight the natural, cultural, and historical treasures in our National Park System, we are able to inspire the next generation of park-goers.”

“We want everyone to find themselves in a national park,” said Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “These National Park Foundation grants will help people acquire a better understanding of their national parks and, hopefully, of themselves, through place-based learning and recreational activities. Native Americans who will visit traditional homelands, budding scientists who will study environmental impacts, and students from Gallaudet University who will examine aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act are among the many groups which will benefit from the grants.”

At Mount Rainier, National Park Foundation funding will support three teams of youth recruited by the Student Conservation Association (SCA) from communities in Seattle, and from Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM) through SCA’s “Base to Base Camp” program. Eight high school students and two crew leaders in each Community Crew will spend fifteen days working on trail maintenance projects throughout the national park, repairing trail tread and building bridges at sites like Klapatche Park and the Wonderland Trail. This is SCA’s 20th year fielding Community Crews at Mount Rainier, and the third for its Base to Base Camp program. Eleven students from JBLM joined thirteen from Seattle on last year’s crews. This year’s crews will be in the park from July 6th through August 31st.

“We are pleased to have Community Crews back at Mount Rainier this year,” said Superintendent Randy King. “These young people play an important part in the protection and care of our national parks, and they also represent the next generation of park stewards.” Many graduates of past Community Crews have gone on to serve as seasonal or career rangers with the National Park Service or other agencies.

"SCA is honored to be the farm team for the National Park Service and other national resource agencies," says Jay A. Satz, SCA's regional Vice President. "SCA's success in engaging an ever more diverse young constituency with our national parks and public lands is essential for the future of American citizens’ support of the national park ideal." Satz expressed appreciation to The Norcliffe Foundation for their financial support.

Mount Rainier’s Community Crews are also funded by a grant from the Eleanor and Raymond Wilson Charitable Trust throughWashington’s National Park Fund, which supports projects at Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades National Parks. “Youth programs are one of our most important investments in the national parks,” said Laurie Ward, Executive Director of Washington’s National Park Fund.

The National Park Foundation wishes to thank The Ahmanson Foundation, Chapman Hanson Foundation, the Fernandez Pave the Way Foundation, and Subaru for their generous support of the America’s Best Idea program.

The 2014 America’s Best Idea grantees include:

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (KY, TN)

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (KS)

Bryce Canyon National Park (UT)

Canyon de Chelly National Monument (AZ)

Cape Cod National Seashore (MA)

Cape Lookout National Seashore (NC)

Congaree National Park (SC)

Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)

Everglades National Park (FL)

Flagstaff Area National Monuments (AZ)

George Washington Carver National Monument (MO)

Glacier National Park (MT)

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ, UT)

Grand Teton National Park (WY)

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (CO)

Independence National Historical Park (PA)

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (MO)

Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (GA)

Katmai National Park and Preserve (AK)

Kobuk Valley National Park (AK)

Lincoln Home National Historic Site (IL)

Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac (VA)

Mississippi National River & Recreation Area (MN)

Moores Creek National Battlefield (NC)

Mount Rainier National Park (WA)

National Capital Region (DC)

Olympic National Park (WA)

Point Reyes National Seashore (CA)

President’s Park (White House) (DC)

Prince William Forest Park (VA)

Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park (CA)

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (WI, MN)

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (CA)

Virgin Islands National Park (VI)

Weir Farm National Historic Site (CT)

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (MO)

Yellowstone National Park (ID, MT, WY)

Yosemite National Park (CA)

Zion National Park (UT)

A listing of these parks and their America’s Best Idea project descriptions can be found on the National Park Foundation website.

For more information on the National Park Foundation and how you can support and protect America’s national parks, please visit www.nationalparks.org. For more information on the National Park Service, please visit www.nps.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at: www.nps.gov.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION

The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.
  

ABOUT THE STUDENT CONSERVATION ASSOCIATIONThe Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a nationwide conservation force of college and high school volunteers who protect and restore America’s parks, forests, and other public lands. For more than 50 years, SCA’s active, hands-on approach to conservation has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save our planet. For more information, visit www.thesca.org.

ABOUT WASHINGTON’S NATIONAL PARK FUND

Washington's National Park Fund raises private support to deepen the public's love for, understanding of, and experiences in Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Park. The Fund was founded in 1993 by a group of passionate parks people including Governor Dan Evans and Melinda Gates. Thanks to their vision, the Fund has been able to raise much needed funding for Washington’s national parks, including more than $2 million over the past six years. For more information, visitwww.wnpf.org.

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Community Crews hard at work

From the National Park Foundation:

Thanks to a 2013 NPF "America's Best Idea" grant, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington has been able to work with Student Conservation Association Community Crews - that included youth from Joint Base Lewis-McChord - to restore trails ...such as the Trail of the Shadows, Comet Falls Trail and Wonderland Trail! Have you ever hiked any of these trails?

Learn more about "America’s Best Idea" at http://prks.org/15fifFK & check out even more great photos from the recent volunteer event at Mount Rainier at http://prks.org/11MLsWq!

Student Conservation Association Community Crews are hard at work

For at least the past decade, Mount Rainier National Park has worked with the Student Conservation Association to bring a special group of young people to the park for 15-day conservation leadership experiences. These are SCA's "Community Crews," recruited from the urban communities of Seattle. Most have participated in SCA's school year programs, and their two weeks at Mount Rainier are a culminating experience that builds on many previous months of service and team-building.

The first Community Crew worked on
the Trail of the Shadows at Longmire.

Community Crew alumni often go on to do other types of environmental service: the North Cascades Climate Challenge, for instance, or longer summer internships with SCA. Some even graduate into the "green and gray," working as seasonal park rangers in the National Park Service. For all of them, Community Crew service is a foundational experience that makes a dramatic difference in their lives.

We're excited to be working, this year, with not only students from Seattle, but also youth from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, through SCA's "Base to Base Camp" program. This year's three Community Crews, each made up of 8 youth and two crew leaders, are about half-and-half students from Seattle and JBLM. The first crew, pictured here, was in the park from June 30 through July 14, working on trails near Longmire. The second crew arrived this past Sunday, and will be working on the east side of the park until August 4. A third crew will be back on the west side of the park from September 11 to 25.

The Community Crew programs are supported by grants from the Youth Partnerships Program of the National Park Service, and the America's Best Idea program of the National Park Foundation.

Mount Rainier National Park receives 2013 America’s Best Idea grant from the National Park Foundation

July 10, 2013: For Immediate Release

Alanna Sobel, National Park Foundation, asobel@nationalparks.org, (202) 354-6486
Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier National Park, kevin_bacher@nps.gov, (360) 569-6567
Jay Satz, Student Conservation Association, jsatz@thesca.org, (206) 550-5977

Mount Rainier is one of 34 national parks across the country selected to receive a 2013 America’s Best Idea grantfrom the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. Inspired by the critically acclaimed Ken Burns documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” the America’s Best Idea program funds park activities designed to connect diverse, underserved and under-engaged populations throughout the United States with their national parks in innovative and meaningful ways.

“One of the great things about our national parks is that every American can relate to these treasured places if given the chance to experience them,” said Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service. “It’s our mission to engage visitors from all backgrounds in the diverse stories that we tell in our national parks. Thanks to the support of the National Park Foundation, we can propel that outreach, and engage new audiences that would otherwise never have the opportunity to experience a national park.”

“The America’s Best Idea program gives people – particularly youth – incredible opportunities to connect to ournational parks through unique and innovative ways,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “From experiences that center on history, the environment and even adventure, we are able to capture the imagination of a new generation of park-goers in ways that benefit their lives and the future of the parks.”

At Mount Rainier, the America’s Best Idea grant supports a long standing and growing partnership between theNational Park Service and the Student Conservation Association (SCA). “SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation stewards, by connecting them to our parks and forests through the action of conservation service,” said Jay A. Satz, SCA’s Regional Vice President.

“We are fortunate here at Mount Rainier to work with SCA’s Community Conservation Program, which engages high school students in Seattle during the school year, and then brings them to Mount Rainier to serve with 15-day trail crews during the summer,” said Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier’s Volunteer Program Manager. “SCA’s outreach to members of military families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, through a program called ‘Base to Base Camp,’ has resulted in almost half of this year’s crew members coming from JBLM. And we’ve worked with SCA For decades to provide interns who support park staff in critical roles, learning skills, doing important work, and serving the public. Through our partnership with SCA this summer, 37 young people will contribute more than 9,000 hours of conservation service at Mount Rainier while having an extraordinary national park experience.”

Funding from the National Park Foundation supports the crew leaders for three eight-person trail maintenance teams, each made up of Community Program members from Seattle and Base-to-Base Camp youth from JBLM. The first crew is in the field now, and the second and third will be in the park later this month and next. Additional funding for the program comes from the National Park Service’s Youth Partnerships Program and Washington’sNational Park Fund.

“We are pleased to work with SCA’s Community Crews again this year, and especially pleased to welcome members of our military families at Joint Base Lewis-McChord,” said Randy King, Superintendent of Mount RainierNational Park. “These grants allow us to reach out to the conservation leaders of tomorrow and offer them a great experience in their national parks, as well as stepping stones toward possible future careers. We look forward to working with these young men and women for many years to come.”

For a full listing of participating parks and program descriptions, please visit the National Park Foundation website.

The National Park Foundation wishes to thank L.L. Bean, the Anschutz Family Foundation, and The Ahmanson Foundation for their generous support of the America’s Best Idea program.

About the National Park Service

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov and www.nps.gov/mora.

About the National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, raises private funds that directly aid, support and enrich America’s more than 400 national parks and their programs. Chartered by Congress as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation plays a critical role in conservation and preservation efforts, establishing national parks as powerful learning environments, and giving all audiences an equal and abundant opportunity to experience, enjoy and support America’s treasured places. For more information on the National Park Foundation or how you can support and protect America’s national parks, please visitwww.nationalparks.org. Follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/nationalpark and on Twitter attwitter.com/goparks.

About the Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a nationwide conservation force of college and high school volunteers who protect and restore America’s parks, forests, and other public lands. For more than 50 years, SCA’s active, hands-on approach to conservation has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save our planet. For more information, visit www.thesca.org.

- NPS -

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.

MOUNT RAINIER ANNOUNCES CAMPING ADVENTURES WITH MY PARENTS PROGRAM

Nationwide grants program is made possible by the National Park Foundation and Unilever as part of the
America’s Best Idea Grants Program

Ashford, WA – June 16 – Mount Rainier National Park today announced receipt of a $10,000 grant from the National Park Foundation in support of the Camping Adventure with My Parents (CAMP) program. The CAMP program, now in its second year, takes families who have never camped before on a two night camping trip to Mount Rainier. The project is part of the National Park Foundation’s America’s Best Idea grants, a nationwide program currently underway in 33 national parks which seeks to connect youth and other underserved audiences to parks.

“The CAMP program opens the door for kids who have never camped to experience nature with their parents,” said Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga. “The park rangers make it safe, fun, and a great chance to learn.”

“As stewards of the parks, there is nothing more important than connecting our communities and young people to these treasured places,” said Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation.

Mount Rainier National Park recruited families for this opportunity through partnerships with Student Conservation Association, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Tacoma Metro Parks. The families will learn the basics of setting up a camp site, go on ranger-led hikes, and at night sit around the campfire roasting marshmallows. The park provides participants with transportation to the park, equipment, food, and instruction—all free of charge.

“The CAMP program would not be possible without grant support from the National Park Foundation and the McKibben Merner Family Foundation ,” said Uberuaga.

Inspired by the epic Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea , the National Park Foundation , in partnership with Unilever, has awarded America’s Best Idea Grants totaling roughly half a million dollars, to 33 national parks across the country.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
You are the part-owner of 84 million acres of the world’s most treasured landscapes, ecosystems, and historical sites -- all protected in America’s nearly 400 national parks. Chartered by Congress, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks. We work hand in hand with the National Park Service to help connect you and all Americans to the parks, and to make sure that they are preserved for the generations who will follow. Join us – This is Your Land . www.nationalparks.org

FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/nationalpark
TWITTER http://twitter.com/goparks

C.A.M.P. on YouTube and Yahoo Video

I’ve just posted a 4-minute video from our summer outreach program on YouTube and Yahoo Video. The video is culled from hours of footage captured by outreach participants themselves, using “Flip” video cameras purchased by our education program. I’m pleased with the results, and look forward to sharing this video with the generous donors who sponsored the program through the National Park Foundation, Washington’s National Park Fund, and REI.

This is a program we hope to continue and expand next summer. We are seeking grants now, so if anyone knows of any funding sources that would apply, please let us know! This is a program that has tremendous potential to connect families with Mount Rainier National Park who would otherwise never have the opportunity to do so.

Enjoy the video. Here’s the official promo text:

In the summer of 2009, 21 families from Seattle pioneered a new program at Mount Rainier National Park called C.A.M.P.: Camping Adventure with My Parents. The program was designed for families who had no experience with the National Parks, or who had never been camping before. Over the course of three days, they learned how to set up tents, how to build a campfire, and how to cook dinner in the woods. They went on hikes, attended ranger programs, learned about volcanoes and glaciers, played in the river, and helped with volunteer projects. They made new friends, and had many new experiences. When they arrived at the park, each family was given a camera with which to record their experiences. This is their story, through their own eyes, and in their own words.

Update: For anyone who's interested, here's a link where you can download the full 4-minute video at its original full resolution (640x480):

www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMP%20promo%20medium%20quality.wmv

For our CAMP participants, I've also uploaded the full 28-minute "highlights reel" I showed at our CAMP reunion event in Seattle on September 20. Downloading this one's more complicated, for a variety of reasons related to the limitations of our government website. I'll spare you the details, but here's what you need to do:

1. Download all three of the following files. You can do so most easily (on Windows-based computers) by right-clicking on the link and choosing "save as."
   
   File 1: www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMPsplit.zip
   File 2: www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMPsplit.z01.zip
   File 3: www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMPsplit.z02.zip
   
2. Rename the second and third file by removing the ".zip" extension. To do this (at least on a windows-based computer), right-click on the file and select "rename," then position the cursor at the end of the file name and hit the backspace key four times. Leave the .zip extension on the first file. You should end up with three files, named:
   
   CAMPsplit.zip
   CAMPsplit.z01
   CAMPsplit.z02
   
3. Double-click on the file named "CAMPsplit.zip" and follow the instructions to "unzip" it to a location of your choosing (e.g. your computer desktop).
   
4. If your computer does not have Winzip or a comparable file compacting program, you can download a free version online at http://www.winzip.com/.

Good luck, and if you run into any problems, let me know.
Another update: Both videos are now available on Joe's Shutterfly site, rainiercamp.shutterfly.com! You can watch both the 4-minute and 28-minute videos there, but you won't be able to download them from this site.