Westside Road Erosion Mitigation Project

The Westside Road Phyto-Engineering Project is looking for volunteers from August  22nd- September 16^th to help collect live willow stakes to build both wattle fences and for live staking. Our project site will focus on a portion of the Westside Road beyond the gate to help mitigate bank erosion. We will be out every week day from 9:00AM-4:00PM, unless otherwise notified. Tasks per day will vary between collecting and constructing.

We are looking for 10 volunteers to help out with this project where you can learn about the process of bank erosion, and how to deal with it using various engineering methods. Although no prior experience is necessary, familiarity with gardening and construction tools is a plus! All tools are provided. Please bring your own lunch, snack, and water!

For more information, please email Jennifer_chan@partner.nps.gov

Volunteers welcome to join NPS contingent at Pride Parade

Hello, Mount Rainier volunteers! The National Park Service has decided to participate in the annual Pride Parade in Seattle this year, and has invited employees (including volunteers) to join the NPS contingent. Many of you live in the Seattle area and may be attending the parade anyway, so here's an opportunity to get involved in a more significant way! Below is the e-mail I received from our contact in Seattle. If you're interested in participating, please contact David Minaglia directly and he will give you further instructions. You are welcome to participate in volunteer uniform if you wish.

And by the way, if you love parades, watch for the imminent announcement of this year's 4th of July Parade in Eatonville, Washington, where we will also be marching!

Thanks,

Kevin Bacher

Volunteer Program Manager

Greetings,

We are sending this message to ensure that all who would like to participate in the Seattle Pride Parade have an opportunity to join us. We are still welcoming folks who want to support our GLBTQ community and our allies. 

This message is going out to our NPS colleagues throughout Washington State.  Feel free to pass-on to other interested individuals.

The Seattle Area National Park Sites are joining our Centennial partner REI for this year’s Pride Parade in Seattle on Sunday, June 26^th.  REI has generously offered to let us join their group, both as a Centennial partner and to emphasize the relationship we have with them through the Outdoor Recreation Information Center in the Seattle REI flagship store.

We are inviting paid & volunteer, uniformed & non-uniformed staff to join us!  If you are interested in joining us in the parade this year, please reply back directly to David Minaglia [at David_Minaglia@nps.gov].

Thanks!

David Minaglia

Outdoor Recreation Information Center

222 Yale Avenue North

Seattle, WA  98109

(206) 470-4060

Seeking volunteers to hike backcountry trails for social science research!

To support ongoing social science research (on trail conditions and crowding) in Mount Rainier National Park, we are soliciting volunteers to Hike With a Purpose!

Volunteers would be asked to hike 3 popular trails in the park to destinations like Comet Falls, Summerland, and Spray Park (3-4 hour round trip hikes). Along the trail, volunteers would record the number and time they passed each park visitor. Volunteers would be required to spend a set amount of time at the destination (likely around 20 - 30 minutes) and then asked to record the number and time they pass visitors on their return to the trailhead.

We need approximately 12 - 15 people for this project. Due to a desire for consistent data, preference will be given to folks that can commit to hiking 6 or more surveys (trails to destination and back) on a variety of days.

Required skills:

• Diligence in accurately recording encounters
• Faithful and timely return of clearly recorded data
• The ability to hike in the manner of a "average visitor" (sorry, no trail running)
• You will be able to pre-select dates
• The ability to fulfill the hiking project in sub-optimal weather (days deemed unsafe for travel will be re-scheduled)
• Ability to begin survey at a set time and location (trailhead)
• Ability to coordinate with Natural and Cultural Resources staff to sign the needed Volunteer paperwork

Entrance to Mount Rainier is free for working Volunteers. Camping may be arranged for Volunteers that will be working for multiple days in a row.

If you are able to fulfill the above description and are interested in Hiking with a Purpose! we would love to talk to you. Please send an email and describe your interest, schedule flexibility and contact information to: shannon_hagen@nps.gov. Thanks for your help!

[Is this the perfect volunteer job or what? - editor]

Museum Collections Volunteers Needed

Wanted: two volunteers to assist with the installation/deinstallation of seasonal exhibits, aiding researchers, scanning researcher photograph requests, conducting inventories of the collection, and cataloging artifacts. This work is suitable for individuals who are flexible but like detail work.  All training in museum management and the National Park Service Cataloging program will be provided. For a full description of this volunteer opportunity and to submit an application, visit Volunteer.gov (link takes you to the opportunity listing). You may also contact Brooke Childrey, Park Curator, at 360-569-6784.

A small reimbursement may be available. Shared housing may be available if application is received before May 31, 2016.

Museum Collections Reconciliation Project

Are you detail-oriented? Are you interested in Park history? This volunteer opportunity may be perfect for you!

Opportunity Featured Summary:  
Position includes assisting with the reconciliation project verifying the location of artifacts and corresponding paperwork, assisting with the installation/deinstallation of seasonal exhibits, aiding researchers, scanning researcher photograph requests, and cataloging artifacts.
 

Opportunity Description:  

Duties: Applicant will be working with the Mount Rainier National Park museum collections. Projects will include assisting with the reconciliation project which will involve verifying the location of every artifact in the collection and the corresponding paperwork. This task requires careful attention to detail even when the work is repetitive. Applicant will also be assisting with the installation/deinstallation of seasonal exhibits, aiding researchers, scanning researcher photograph requests, and cataloging artifacts. All training in museum management and the National Park Service Cataloging program will be provided.

Location: The park's curation facility at Park Headquarters near Ashford.

Time Commitment Required: two volunteers are needed for the period 6/14/16 to 9/30/16.

Skills and abilities required: Applicant must have excellent hand-printing abilities, be detail-focused, and flexible with changes in the daily work schedule. Position requires a NACI background check and issuance of a DOI Access Card.

Other Information: A small reimbursement may be available.

For more information: Contact Brooke Childrey, Park Curator, at 360-569-6784 or apply for this position on Volunteer.gov, reference keywords "Mount Rainier"

Part-time hosts needed at Longmire Volunteer Campground

Longmire Campground Host
Calendar (click to enlarge)

With summer nearly upon us, we have still not been able to find a full-time host for the Longmire Volunteer Campground. We are pleased to have the help of Al Lynch, who hails from east of the mountains, and who will be joining us for up to seven weekends throughout the summer. That still leaves twelve weekends, plus some weekdays when large volunteer groups are scheduled.

If you're looking for a good volunteer project that can be done out of your RV or campsite, consider signing up as a campground host! Longmire Campground Host duties include:

• Welcoming volunteers to the campground and directing them to their campsites;
• Checking out keys to the bathroom/shower building;
• Cleaning the showers once a week;
• General maintenance around the campground;
• Site security and emergency response; and
• Helping with volunteer projects in the campground.

The linked calendar will show you the dates currently available. Dates marked in green are currently covered -- thank you, Al! The dates marked in yellow are weekends when hosts are needed, as well as week days when groups are schedule. Dates in white are less critical; however, volunteers come and go throughout the summer, so hosts are welcome any and all days of the week. The more dates we can fill in, the better our volunteers will be served!

Note: I am still also open to hiring a full-time campground host for all or part of the season! If you'd like to serve for an extended period, including dates currently marked in green on the calendar, let me know and let's discuss the options.

If you'd like to help out, please contact me ASAP by e-mail at Kevin_Bacher (at) nps.gov, or by telephone at 360-569-6567.

Seeking hosts for the Longmire Stewardship Campground

I just discovered that, due to a typo, our advertisement for campground host volunteers at the Longmire Stewardship Campground has not been visible on volunteer.gov. While we do have some applicants on file from our other campgrounds, I could use a few more applicants to choose from, and who have applied specifically for this job.

The full listing and online application is at http://www.volunteer.gov/results.cfm?ID=9361, and is reproduced here:

---

Mount Rainier National Park's volunteer program is seeking an individual, a couple, or multiple individuals in sequence to serve for five months (or a portion thereof) as the manager of the Longmire Campground.

The historic Longmire Campground was closed to use by the general public almost forty years ago. Since then, many of its trails and facilities have gradually disappeared under a sea of moss, with the exception of a dozen sites that were restored for use by seasonal employees living in RVs. In 2007, full-scale restoration efforts began, with the help of volunteers under the direction of the Mount Rainier Recovery Corps, as part of recovery efforts following flood damage in November of 2006. The campground now has two dozen rough individual campsites and two group sites, though few picnic tables or fire pits. Five platform tent sites have been built, though the tents themselves must be taken down and put into storage during the winter months. A bath house has been built with three shower units, one of them handicap-accessible.

These restored campsites and facilities are now available for the exclusive use of volunteers and other park partners. The campground manager sought by this announcement will be responsible for the following duties:

• Opening the campground in the spring, including cleaning up winter storm debris, rebuilding the platform tents, and assisting with dewinterization of the bath house.
• Coordinating use of the campground by volunteers, including scheduling the use of campsites and welcoming and assisting volunteers as they come and go.
• General upkeep and maintenance of the campground throughout the summer, including working with maintenance staff to keep the bath houses clean and well-stocked.
• Continuing the campground's historic restoration, including helping maintenance staff to remove deteriorating picnic tables and fire grates, and build and install new ones.
• Preparing the campground for winter, including taking down the platform tents and putting them into storage.
• Leading volunteers on campground-related projects, including any or all of the above-listed tasks.
• Assisting with other volunteer-related duties as available and interested, including data entry, correspondence, and coordination of volunteer events.

Housing for this position may be in one of the campground's employee RV spaces, which includes water and electrical hookups. An RV will be required. A separate vehicle is also recommended for trips to town. Alternatively, an apartment is available adjacent to the campground for those who prefer it or do not have an RV. The person selected for this position will generally be on duty Thursday through Monday, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, though this schedule may vary. A background check may be required.

The campground host's apartment or RV site and hookups will be provided at no cost. Pets are permitted for full-time RV residents in the Longmire Campground if they are indoor pets and not kenneled outside.

---

I need hosts from mid-May through the end of September, though I will consider multiple partial seasons to fill that span of time (and last year's hosts may return for part of the season). Actual time working will vary according to how busy the campground is. There will be stretches when the campground is only partially occupied, and duties may be completed in a few hours. At other times, the campground will be completely full, with people checking in at all hours. (There are a few very large groups already scheduled to use the campground this summer.) The work will average out to about 32-40 hours per week. A small per diem is available, if needed, to defray living expenses.

Please share this job announcement with anyone who may be interested, and direct any questions to me at Kevin_Bacher (at) nps.gov. I will be filling the position no later than April 24.

Cascade Carnivore Project

If you are interested in joining the Cascade Carnivore Project volunteer crew for the 2014 Field Season (July 1-Sept.30) as a trail steward, read on!

Jocelyn Atkins (Project Coordinator for CCP) is looking for dedicated hikers to collect carnivore scats from one to four trails. In order to join this trail stewardship effort, you will need to commit to a minimum of 3 hikes between July 1 and September 30. You are free to select any 3 dates which work for you within this timeframe. If you want to do them all together, you will need to sign up for 3 different trails. If you would like to sign up for three well-spaced dates, you can opt for the same trail or different ones, as you prefer. There will be no formal training for this position. Ms. Atkins will send you supplies and the field protocol to guide you.

As a trail steward, you will photograph and collect any putative montane red fox, wolverine, coyote or gray wolf scat for genetic DNA analysis in order to investigate the conservation status and connectivity of the montane red fox and the wolverine in the Cascade Range. GPS and camera will be helpful, but they are not required.

If you are interested in becoming a trail steward, select the trail(s) you would like to steward from the following list and contact Ms. Atkins via cascadescarnivore(at)gmail.com with the trail name(s) and number of visits (1-4) you intend to make.

If you have sighted a montane red fox or a wolverine in Washington or Oregon or would like to suggest a trail you think might be a good spot to detect one, the Cascades Carnivore Project would love to hear about it.

You may follow the Project's blog postings at http://cascadescarnivoreproject.blogspot.com/2014/06/volunteer-opportunity.html

Mt Rainier & Tatoosh Wilderness Trail Stewardships

• Wonderland Trail – any sections
• Paradise to Panorama Point
• Paradise River Trail
• High Lakes Trail from Reflection Lakes to Skyline Trail
• Sunrise area – any trails
• Burroughs Loop Trail
• White River to Glacier Basin (optional to St. Elmo's Pass)
• White River to Emmons Moraine Trail (terminus)
• Kautz Creek Trail (at least 6 miles out - 12 miles round trip)
• Eagle Peak from Longmire
• Summerland
• Paul Peak Trail
• Mowich Lake to Eagle's Roost
• Mowich Lake towards Mowich River (1 mile out - 2 miles round trip)
• Tatoosh Lakes