Sunny-side Volunteers

Hey, you sunny-side, sunny smile Volunteers! You got a nice nod from the Seattle Times!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2018877738_odrainiertrail12.html

Glacier Basin Trail work featured in Seattle Times

Thanks to Lynn Kittridge for passing this link from the Seattle Times along highlighting the Glacier Basin Trail re-route and an extra special thanks for continuously logging long summer weekend hours volunteering on the trail!

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012398468_trail20m.html

Outreach for Camping

Two interesting article have recently appeared about a new program we're offering here at Mount Rainier as part of our Outreach program. Called "Connecting Youth and Families to Our Parks," it will provide opportunities for traditionally underserved audiences to learn about and experience camping at Mount Rainier National Park with their families, under the guidance of Brad Carlquist, one of our park rangers. Here are the links for more information:

Free camping at Mount Rainier for city kids could be "use it or lose it" idea
The Seattle Times, April 9

Mount Rainier National Park: Reaching Out to Camping Newbies
National Parks Traveler, April 9

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.

Lots of Meadow Rover news

If you've been up to Paradise recently, then you already know: right now, there are far more people than there are trails! Meadow Roving has been challenging, and I've heard many stories from many rovers about the issues they've encountered on the trail.

First: here's a great article in the Seattle Times about snow conditions in the park, which includes a nice picture by Times photographer Chris Joseph Taylor of new meadow rover Faith Young out on the snow above Sunrise. Faith writes, "I was thinking of hiking up to 2nd Burroughs on Monday to see what the snow conditions are like for myself as I got many questions about it while I was up at Frozen Lake yesterday and had to rely on reports/pictures I had seen on nwhikers.net. I also had many people asking me about the snow on the Wonderland Trail below Frozen Lake on the way to the service road. So I decided to go back to the visitor center that way to see for myself. On the way down, there was a Seattle Times reporter working on an article about hiking, so he was snapping away with his camera as I was helping a family negotiate the snowfield there. As a result, I made it in today's Seattle Times!"

From the Paradise Side, a note from Rover John Walsh:

Pretty awesome at Paradise Saturday ... very busy as is the case fro the summer. The trails and area are as you know in that difficult transition phase from late snow to "summer" conditions. Many, many visitors still meandering around as if there is still enough snow so spent time requesting folks stay on existing trails, many folks "cutting" trails using thawed, snow free areas for traversing rather than snow trails, etc. There were a few "interesting" areas along the lower Alta trail that could cause some concern ... snow trail traverses over a stream with the outcome that folks had "post holed" ...good potential area for ankle injuries. There was nothing available to block off the area to redirect snow trail and it was late in the day but I reported so that someone else might see it and "wand it off". I did try to redirect trail by making an obvious alternative to the trail ... but effort went unrewarded unfortunately ... I
watched a person behind me just start over the stream ... oh well tried anyway ... I am sure you have heard, seen it all. Starting to see some evidence of flowers trying to emerge in various areas ... along Pan Point area and other spots that had become snow free ... probably still a few weeks out at this point. Spent considerable time (more than usual) chatting on this particular "rove" ... seems like there are many novice visitors to the Park with numerous questions about area ... always have to keep in the forefront that while we are "roving" we are ambassadors for the Park Service ... I honestly need to review available info about the Park again ...had many questions about many topics ... anyway great day up at Paradise as usual.

I heard from another Meadow Rover who had made plans to meet a new Rover on Sunday to "teach them the ropes," but the new person never showed up. Please, if you've made an appointment with someone and have to back out or change plans, give us a call and let us know. (Make sure you talk to a live person rather than leaving a message, as many of us don't work on the weekends.) Our experienced Rover hung around for three hours and had some nice chats with park visitors, but with the current cost of gas, it's an expensive trip to Paradise if your appointment never shows up.

Hank and Judy Bernard forwarded me these photos of problem areas at Paradise right now:



The first picture is a trail bridge above Sluiskin Falls on the east side of the Skyline Trail. It's pretty precarious, and people are crossing elsewhere--which puts them at risk of falling through the snow into the stream. This spot could use some shoveling to make it safe. I'm not certain about the location of the second and third photos, but I think at least one of them is right behind the guide house above the upper parking lot at Paradise. It shows just how quickly a social trail can "burn" into the meadows when the snow hides the true trail. In fact, visitors can be forgiven for thinking these are the trail, when they're so well-trodden. Shoveling, roping, and flagging are all necessary in these areas to direct visitors to the correct places.

Next, a note from our Superintendent's office about Mowich Lake, which finally opened (the road, that is) this weekend: "A lot of snow remains in the parking and camp areas. Most camping will be on snow. Porta potties have been placed and the garbage cans are being dug out of the snow. Lake is still snow covered." Mowich is usually open the first of July, so we're still running about three weeks late getting shoveled out.

And finally, don't miss the vigorous discussion going on at turns-all-year.com, initiated by an unidentified Meadow Rover who attempted to explain why skiing can create problems on the lower elevation trails at Paradise this time of year (due to thin snow, large crowds, and the need to establish routes where the trails will be as they melt out). The discussion is lively and wide-ranging; hopefully, it will lead to a better understanding of why we have regulations in place to protect the meadows, and ideas about how we can better convey that message to people visiting the park.

Clearly, our Meadow Rovers are playing a vital role right now--not always an easy one, or even a universally popular one. But you have only to look at Hank and Judy's pictures above to see why it's so important. Thank you all for your hard work on behalf of our Mountain!

Loads of news from all over

Lots of cool things to catch you up on today. First, check out this awesome picture taken today by volunteer Eva Meassick, on patrol with Uwe Nehring at Chinook Pass. Yes, that's the entrance arch at the pass, completely buried by the snow!! Latest word is that DOT has plowed to about a mile and a half from Cayuse Pass.

Next, in the news: Here's the Department of the Interior's press release about our Cooperative Conservation Award; the Adventure Guys at The News Tribune report on "Another Award for Mount Rainier"; American Rivers borrows one of our flood damage photos for their advocacy efforts; and the Seattle Times had a great article recently about EarthCorps and their volunteer efforts, including work at Mount Rainier, titled "Local Agency, Global Reach".

Here's a memo from Mary Bomar, Director of the National Park Service, about National Park Week, April 19-27:

National Park Week is also a time to pause and thank all those who help protect our special places and provide outstanding visitor experiences to all. That certainly includes the men and women of the National Park Service; but it also includes the volunteers, concessioners, cooperating associations, friends groups and partners who work with us daily. Together, we can engage Americans with their parks—to visit them, to support them and to ensure they remained unimpaired for the future generations. Thank you for all you are doing for National Park Week and for what you do every day. You’re the best! Happy National Park Week!

Finally, a quick update on my adventures in Washington D.C. Superintendent Dave Uberuaga and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday participating in the Cooperative Conservation Workshop, sharing ideas with other winners of the Cooperative Conservation Award. There are a lot of good programs out there, and I think we learned a lot from each other. Today we both moved on to the Student Conservation Association's EarthVision Workshop, so I'm blogging from a dorm room at the 4-H Conference Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland, surrounded by literally hundreds of high school and college age kids (and some old guys like me too) who are fired up about service for public lands. I attended one session this evening, but the main events begin tomorrow, with a welcome from the Secretary of the Interior and a set of service projects around the Capitol.

In between, Dave and I attended the rollout of the Park Service's Centennial Initiative on the steps of the Capitol Building. The ubiquitous Secretary Kempthorne was there, along with Director Mary Bomar, several Congressmen including Norm Dicks, representatives of several major partnerships, lots of park rangers, a bunch of very hot kids representing the Class of 2016 (NPS's centennial year), and even Ben Franklin! We also walked around the Capitol dropping off framed copies of our Mount Rainier Recovery poster to both of our Senators, our to Congressman (Dave Reichert), and to Congressman Norm Dicks, who has been so vital a partner in his role on the Interior Appropriations Committee. We missed seeing Congressman Reichert and Senator Murray in person, but were welcomed by their staff. Congressman Dicks was on his way to a vote, but brought us into his office for five minutes to hear all the news from the park. We thought we'd missed Senator Cantwell, but she came in just as we were leaving and we were invited to join her and about ten other people for a coffee meeting! So we got to spend about half an hour with her and to present her with her poster in person. All of the elected representatives that we met today were very impressed by your accomplishments as volunteers, and all of our Washington delegation had very specific questions about the ongoing work in the park.

We're finalizing details for our return trip to D.C. for the Hartzog Award on May 8. We've tentatively confirmed two volunteers to travel to the Capitol to receive the award on behalf of the rest of you. I'll share the details with you when they are confirmed.

Current events and planning

It's been a busy couple of weeks here on the Mountain over the holidays, with heavy snowfall and high visitation on many days. We now have 40 inches of snow on the ground outside my window at Longmire, though the monstrous seven foot icicle has fallen. The depth at Paradise is 130 inches, 28 inches above average, though still 46 inches below the record for this date set in 1997. Two to three feet more are forecast for tomorrow!

Remember: Rapidly accumulating snow leads to high avalanche danger! The danger has been "extreme" several days already, the highest it can get. Under those conditions we can't even open the road to Paradise due to the risk of cars being pushed over the cliffs by falling snow. This has already been the deadliest winter for snow avalanches on record (details in the Seattle Times). If you go out, check the conditions first--here at Rainier, you can do so at the Longmire Museum, open seven days a week from 9 to 4, phone number 360-569-2211 ext. 3314. You can get general forecasts online from the Northwest Avalanche Center, but we supplement with our own testing to provide a more detailed local report. Know what the reports mean and how to adjust your plans accordingly. If the risk of avalanches is elevated, avoid any kind of steep terrain. Wear an avalanche beacon under your clothes, carry probe poles and collapsable shovels, and know how to use them if a buddy gets buried. If you don't know, don't go.

This is a good time to mention that we have a very active partner at Mount Rainier in the Washington Ski Touring Club, which patrols and marks winter trails and assists visitors. Thanks for all your help, guys!!

In addition to the ski patrol, we've had lots of volunteer help at Paradise this winter, for which our interpretive staff are extremely grateful. Deep snow means we need a lot of help breaking trails and keeping them marked; and large groups such as we've had in the past weeks are better served when we have volunteers helping to keep the groups together and tend to any needs.

Here are a couple of other links to recent news stories:

In The News Tribune: "Mount Rainier revives after a year of recovery." "To have all that behind us will be a real big accomplishment. To be able to concentrate on visitor services will be nice,” said park superintendent Dave Uberuaga. "But we need to help re-engage people," he said. "When you break a habit, people maybe move on to other things. I really want to re-energize people about the incredible opportunities here and experience the grand place that it is."

And in the Penninsula Daily News, "Olympic National Park taps temporary chief," which notes that Acting Superintendent Sue McGill began her career in 1976 as--you guessed it--a volunteer at Mount Rainier!

While all you great volunteers are out there snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, serving visitors, and running national parks, behind the scenes planning are continues for the upcoming summer season. I met on Friday with the members of the Northwest Parks and Public Lands Storm Recovery Coalition, which will continue into the coming years with an expanded mission (and a new name yet to be determined) of supporting public lands throughout the state. Those efforts will include supporting flood recovery at Olympic National Park this year, and continuing volunteer recruitment and coordination at Rainier, and will be funded in part by a $93,000 grant from ______ (major NW company to be announced later this week or next!).

Tomorrow and Wednesday I'll be meeting in Seattle with SCA and the volunteer program managers from Olympic and North Cascades National Parks. We'll be talking about strategies for coordinating our efforts for recruiting volunteers and interns in the Puget Sound area, as well as training, communicating, and fundraising more effectively. Then next week SCA's representative and I will sit down with Superintendent Uberuaga to formalize our partnership for the 2008 season.

The most exciting thing coming up is that our Mount Rainier Recovery posters are finally finished and in the mail to us from the printers! Woohoo! And they look great, too. We're polishing up our mailing lists and will be putting out a call in the near future for a grand poster-tube-stuffing party, details yet to be determined, but it'll definitely be a lot of fun. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, enjoy the snow... safely!

Volunteer labor worth $1 million-plus helps rebuild Mount Rainier trails

From the full story in The Seattle Times, October 4, 2007:

The cumulative volunteer turnout — expected to total more than 1,700 people when final numbers are tabulated — will not quite match the scale of the endless procession of headlights drawn to Ray Kinsella's Iowa farm in the closing frames of the movie "Field of Dreams." Yet Kevin Bacher, manager of the volunteer program at Mount Rainier since 2002, thinks a similar, mystical magnetism pulled people into the park when news of its storm-ravaged condition became known.

Backcountry Horsemen work to save trails for next generation

Climbing high on a trail at dizzying heights, four hooves move steadily on a narrow path across a steep wall of shale rock. At the top of the ridge, the horses and mules are reined to a stop, and the scenery explodes. On one side, Mount Rainier appears like the top of a giant ice-cream cone. To the east, cliffs of craggy rock plunge into a bowl of green meadows and trees.... This moment, the feeling of being completely removed from everything, is what defines the Backcountry Horsemen. A national service club with some of its most active chapters in Southeast King County, the Backcountry Horsemen maintain hundreds of miles of local trails and work to protect open space.

Read more about the Backcountry Horsemen, a local group that has contributed more than 2,000 hours of service in Mount Rainier National Park, in this article by Lauren Vane on the website of the Seattle Times.