Urgent: Deveg Volunteers Needed!

Do you recognize this plant? If you said "Self-heal" (wrong!), you need to join our Longmire Meadow de-Ajuga-fication Project to learn more about a rapidly spreading NON-NATIVE groundcover commonly sold in garden stores.

Yes, this is Ajuga reptans, aka Bugleweed. Visitors, volunteers and rangers walking along the Trail of the Shadows may have seen it at any time over the last several years and have dismissed it as Self-heal, a native species very similar in appearance. Consequently, Ajuga has spread dramatically, and now is choking out native species in an area covering at least 300 sq. ft. We need you to help us eradicate it.

We have to get it before it sets seed! Soon! Now!

On Wednesday July 6, we will gather on the porch of the Longmire Administration Building (the big stone building) at 9:30 AM. It's a very short walk to the site (about a tenth of a mile). There will be a quick botany briefing to assure that we only remove Ajuga, and then work will proceed on a grid similar to that used at archaeological digs. This will ensure that we get a high percentage of the plants.

It is fairly easy to pull, but many of the plants are tiny, so if you have latex or nitrile gloves, please bring them. For those tougher specimens, we'll have a few dandelion forks on hand. Volunteers should be able to sit on the ground or kneel, so if you have a pad, bring that as well.

Please RSVP to Crow at petrina_vecchio@partner.nps.gov with the number of volunteers you'll be bringing.

Citizen Science Coordinator Internship

Type: long-term individuals
Dates: 12-weeks, beginning about June 28
Status: Now hiring through the Student Conservation Association

Quick summary: If you have a background in science and enjoy working with people, consider our Citizen Science Coordinator internship. Recruit, train, and lead citizen volunteers on projects in the park's wilderness, including amphibian surveys, wetland mapping, and soundscape monitoring, to help gather baseline data for park management.

For further information: Biologist Barbara Samora, 360-569-2211 ext. 3372
Apply online
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Citizen Science Team

Type: Intermittent individual volunteers
Dates: late June through September
Status: Now recruiting

Quick summary: Help gather baseline data about Mount Rainier National Park's natural resources, including amphibian populations and wetland resources. Some projects require simple day-trips off park roads, while others may occur deep in the park's wilderness and involve multiple days in the backcountry. (On rare occasions, front-country projects may be suitable for organized groups.)
 
For further information: Biologist Barbara Samora, 360-569-2211 ext. 3372
Apply online
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Conservation Leadership Corps

Type: Long-term high school-age individuals
Dates: July and August
Status: Currently recruiting through the Student Conservation Association, pending funding

Quick summary: The Student Conservation Association recruits teams of high school age students, usually from urban populations like Seattle, to participate in guided outdoor leadership-building experiences, culminating with a 15-day volunteer project at a setting like Mount Rainier. While these programs are expensive for us to work with, we consider them a priority because they provide unique opportunities for young people from diverse communities to connect with their national parks and to gain experience that often leads to careers in resource stewardship. We hope to work with three CLC crews at the park this summer. Most crews work on trail maintenance or construction projects, but others have also served on the park's restoration crew.

For more information: Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher, 360-569-2211 ext. 3385, or the Student Conservation Association
To apply: Contact the Student Conservation Association
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Exotic Plant Removal

Type: Short-term groups
Dates: May to August
Status: Now recruiting groups

Quick summary: Mount Rainier is very fortunate not to have huge fields of thistle, oxeye daisy, or other exotic species to contend with. Keeping that from happening, however, requires constant vigilance. Volunteer groups can help during the growing season to "weed out" the problem. Scheduling a project requires flexibility, as the exact dates depend on many factors that influence the plants' growing season.
 
For further information: Restoration Specialist Will Arnesen, 360-569-2211 ext. 3374
To inquire about volunteering your group: contact Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385
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Geoscientist-in-Parks Internship

Type: Long-term individuals
Dates: May 24 to August 16
Status: Application deadline February 1

Quick summary: Every year, Mount Rainier hires interns through the Geological Society of America to work alongside other interpreters assisting visitors in the park's visitor centers, leading guided walks, and presenting programs. Our geomorphology program sometimes hires an additional intern to help with field research. These positions are specifically targeted to students or educators in the field of geology.

For more information: District interpreter Lee Snook, 360-569-6043
Apply online

Greenhouse Assistant

Type: Intermittent individual volunteers
Dates: Year-round
Status: New volunteer commitments are always welcome

Quick summary: Mount Rainier's revegetation and restoration program depends on native seeds cultivated in the park's greenhouse, located at park headquarters west of Ashford. Throughout the year, a small but dedicated team of employees and volunteers tends to the growing plants, weeding and repotting them as necessary until they are ready to be replanted. The program seeks individuals who are willing to return on a regular basis.
 
For further information: Greenhouse Manager Josh Drown, 360-569-6070
Apply online
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Keep Wildlife Wild

Type: Short-term groups and individuals
Dates: A date TBD in July or August
Status: Now in development for 2010

Quick summary: Last year, Mount Rainier hosted the first annual "Keep Wildlife Wild" day, intended as a day to bring focus to the problem of wildlife feeding throughout the park. Volunteers roved trails, waypoints, and campgrounds, talking to visitors and handing out brochures about the dangers of wildlife feeding, both to the animals and to individuals.

For further information: Wildlife biologist Alyssa Herr, 360-569-2211 ext. 3318
To participate: Watch for updates about this program on the blog and volunteer calendar.
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Mount Rainier National Park Associates

Type: Intermittent individual volunteers
Dates: April 24 to October 2
Status: Now recruiting volunteers

Quick summary: The Mount Rainier National Park Associates is an independent group of individuals who work in partnership with park staff to complete volunteer projects, usually in the areas of native plants or trail maintenance. They have scheduled exotics removal and planting projects for this summer on July 10 and September 11; and trail projects on April 24 May 22, June 12, August 7, and October 2.
 
For further information on how to participate, contact the group directly through their website at http://www.mount-rainier.org/.
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National Public Lands Day

Type: Short-term individuals or groups
Dates: Last saturday in September (September 25, 2010)
Status: Scheduled for 2010

Quick summary: Every year, Mount Rainier National Park brings its summer volunteer program to a close with a massive volunteer day, offering volunteer opportunities throughout the park. Last year, with the help of partners like the Washington Trails Association, National Parks Conservation Association, and Student Conservation Association, more than 200 people participated on projects ranging from trail maintenance to revegetation!

For further information: Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher, 360-569-2211 ext. 3385
To participate: Watch this blog and the volunteer calendar for announcements about this year's Public Lands Day.
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Research Partnerships

Type: Intermittent or long-term individuals
Dates: Year-round
Status: Always open to proposals

Quick summary: Over the years, Mount Rainier National Park has benefited greatly from partnerships with graduate students and researchers from universities far and wide. There's no formal program for these arrangements, but if your educational or research goals run parallel to our own, they may lead to a volunteer assignment or even internship sponsored at least in part by the park. Successful partnerships in the past have included the fields of archeology, geomorphology, aquatic ecology, and interpretation.

For further information: If you have a proposal, contact Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385.
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Restoration Internship

Type: Long-term individuals
Dates: June 7 to August 30
Status: Now hiring through the Student Conservation Association (conditional on funding)

Quick summary: Mount Rainier employs a combination of seasonal employees and interns to serve on its restoration team. This group plants native vegetation in areas that have been disturbed by construction, flooding, or people hiking off trail, especially in the park's fragile subalpine environments.

For further information: Restoration Specialist Will Arnesen, 360-569-2211 ext. 3374
Apply Online
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Revegetation Projects

Type: Short-term groups and sometimes individuals; suitable for youth
Dates: summer; mostly September
Status: Now recruiting groups

Volunteers are critical to complete restoration projects around the park, planting native vegetation in areas disturbed by construction or other human activity. Last fall, volunteers helped plant 130,000 plants in one month at Paradise! The work is usually done by groups, but once scheduled, individual volunteers can usually join in; and there are often "drop-in" days scheduled as well.
 
For more information: Restoration Specialist Will Arnesen, 360-569-2211 ext. 3374
To apply: Watch this blog and the volunteer calendar for these opportunities, or call Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385 to set up a visit by your group.
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Seed Collection

Type: Intermittent individuals or small groups
Dates: mid to late Summer
Status: Now recruiting interested individuals and groups

Quick summary: All of the plants planted by restoration crews in Mount Rainier National Park were either salvaged from another location in the park or grown from seeds collected near the site of the restoration. Volunteers play an important role in gathering these valuable seeds. Due to the sensitivity of subalpine meadows, groups must be kept small; and because seeds must be collected when they are mature, but before they are scattered by natural processes, volunteers must be flexible in the dates they are available.
 
For further information or to apply: If you'd like to participate as an individual, contact Restoration Specialist Will Arnesen at 360-569-2211 ext. 3374. If you represent a small group, contact Volunteer Program Manager Kevin Bacher at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385.
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Wildlife Surveys

Type: Intermittent individuals
Dates: Mostly in the spring
Status: Not currently recruiting, but open to serious inquiries

Quick summary: Mount Rainier National Park surveys and monitors many different species throughout the park, including various species of owl and waterfowl, mountain goats, and elk. A small number of volunteers help with these projects.
 
Further information and to apply: While there are no current needs for additional volunteers, inquiries about future assistance can be directed to Wildlife Biologist Mason Reid at 360-569-2211 ext. 3373.
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