Mercer Slough Dragonfly Survey

We had a group of high school volunteers in the park this weekend performing citizen science. These teens, who were volunteering through Mercer Slough, were tasked with collecting dragonfly larvae for the Dragonfly Mercury Project. The Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center is a collaboration between the city of Bellevue and the Pacific Science Center. The Dragonfly Mercury Project is a nationwide effort to measure mercury in dragonfly larvae. These teens got pretty dirty while having a blast digging through pond mud for larvae. After finding enough samples, the group measured, bagged and labeled the larvae which will be sent off-site for testing. Thank you to these helpful volunteers!

To learn more about the Dragonfly Mercury Project visit: http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/studies/air_toxics/dragonfly/index.cfm

To learn more about Mercer Slough visit: https://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/mercer-slough/

What's Your Five Year Plan? Volunteer for Your National Parks!

Golden Gate National Parks recently worked with student volunteers at a local college to put together a video on the value of volunteering. Millennials, take notice -- this one's for you!

Internship positions NOW OPEN at Mount Rainier!

A wide range of internships are now
awaiting your application!

Every year, Mount Rainier National Park hires several interns for spring and summer positions ranging from wilderness patrol to interpretation to research and volunteer program management. These positions offer excellent opportunities for young people to get a foot in the door with the National Park Service (or other conservation agencies). Many of our job announcements for the summer have gone "live" just in the last week, so now is the time to apply! Here's what's currently posted:

Student Conservation Association (SCA)
Mount Rainier has worked with SCA almost as long as the organization has existed. In addition to Community Crews recruited from high schools in Seattle and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, we typically hire about half a dozen individuals to serve in positions lasting anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks. The following four positions are currently listed on SCA's website, and more may be posted later:

• Backcountry Intern
• Citizen Science Coordinator Intern 
• Environmental Education Intern
• Trails Volunteer Coordinator Intern

 Geologic Society of America (GSA)
"Geoscientists in Parks" have worked at Mount Rainier for years, and a few have gone on to seasonal and permanent positions in the National Park Service. "GIPs" may work in the field of interpretation and education, educating the public about geology, or may serve with our natural resources program, conducting research. Positions are open to geology students at the university level, and are due February 18, 2014. Visit GSA's website for details about the program, to apply, and to find out about these positions:

• AstroCorps - Astronomy Interpretation
• Education Specialist (a Spring position, starting 3/24)
• Geomorphology/Geology Technician
• Interpretation Specialist
• Mountain Lakes Hydrology

All positions are subject to change depending on available funding.

Washington Conservation Corps (WCC)
Mount Rainier typically works with at least one crew from WCC each summer to help with trail maintenance projects. Other crews serve at other national parks and forests throughout Washington state, so this is a great option for young men and women age 18 to 25 who want to get outdoors and get hands-on experience in the field. Visit WCC's website for more information.
 
Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
YCC is a program that hires high school students from communities around national parks for 8-10 week summer positions. Mount Rainier typically hires about half a dozen such students in March or April, for positions starting in late June or early July. For more information, visit YCC's website or contact our human resources office at 360-569-6522.

University programs
Additional internships may be available through universities. We've hired students from The Evergreen State College, Western Washington University, the University of Washington, and Oregon State University just in the last few years. The details vary, but usually involve an agreement between the university and the national park to provide college credit in return for service and on-the-job training. In other cases, graduate students arrange to do research that benefits both their own studies and the resource management needs of the park. Talk to your college adviser, or the supervisor of the program you're interested in here at Mount Rainier National Park, about the possibilities.

Whatever you're interested in, get started now... and good luck!

Secretary Jewell Announces $1 Million Private Funding Commitment to Advance Youth & Conservation Initiative

(January 8, 2014) WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of an ambitious initiative to engage and employ the next generation through America’s great outdoors, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced a public-private partnership with American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. that will help reach Interior’s goal of providing 100,000 work and training opportunities to young people and veterans on public lands.

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO) announced an historic $1 million commitment to develop the next generation of outdoor stewards. The funding commitment is the first in AEO’s philanthropic history and is also the first pledge toward Jewell’s target of raising $20 million from private partners by 2017 to support the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC).

The 21CSC, launched by the Obama Administration as part of the America’s Great Outdoors program, is a national collaborative effort to put America’s youth and veterans to work protecting, restoring, and enhancing America’s natural and cultural resources.

Jewell made the announcement today at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., in recognition of the Civilian Conservation Corps that President Roosevelt created over 80 years ago.

“What we’re doing today embodies the spirit of President Roosevelt’s CCC – coming together to put young people and veterans to work on our public lands which will instill a lifelong conservation ethic that not only benefits them, but our public lands and our country,” said Secretary Jewell. “American Eagle Outfitters has a long history of philanthropy, conservation and volunteerism and I applaud them for this unprecedented commitment to the youth initiative. This lays a strong foundation toward reaching our goal to provide positive experiences for young people and veterans on our public lands that offer both employment and meaningful connections to the outdoors.”

The $1 million dollars will directly support non-profit corps programs that provide work and training experience to young people and veterans on Interior’s public lands, such as the Student Conservation Association.

“American Eagle Outfitters is proud to support the conservation of public lands through America's youth,” said Helga Ying, Vice President of External Engagement and Social Responsibility, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. “This public-private partnership is one close to our customers' hearts and directly reinforces our company's community engagement principles. Through this initiative, we are able to provide opportunities for students to work together to protect our planet and improve our country through a deeper connection to nature, civic engagement and community development.”

Already an initial group of nearly 100 organizations have been approved as partner organizations to stand up the 21CSC and provide work opportunities through supervised crews or small teams. In the coming months, the 21CSC National Council, made up of eight federal departments and agencies including the Departments of Agriculture and Interior, will focus on recruiting additional member organizations.

“Partners like American Eagle Outfitters' are critical to the Administration's efforts to conserve our public lands and to connect a new generation of Americans to the great outdoors,” said Tom Vilsack, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. “We are grateful for this contribution to the 21CSC initiative, and look forward to continuing to build public and private sector support to grow this initiative and engage more young people and veterans in important conservation work.”

Jewell first outlined her youth initiative in a speech at the National Press Club in October where she emphasized the need to bridge the growing disconnect between young people and the great outdoors. The goals of Interior’s youth initiative for the next four years include:

Play: Interior will develop or enhance outdoor recreation partnerships in a total of 50 cities over the next four years to create new, systemic opportunities for outdoor play for more than 10 million young people.

Learn: Provide educational opportunities to at least 10 million of the nation’s K-12 student population annually. In addition to welcoming students into nature’s classroom, we are developing and strengthening new online education resources, to reach more students.

Serve: Engage 1 million volunteers annually on public lands, effectively tripling the numbers we have now. We know that many more people are interested in volunteering at national parks, wildlife refuges and public lands, but there are often insufficient staff resources to coordinate them. In order to achieve the volunteer goal, we will place a renewed emphasis on volunteer coordination and management.

Work: To develop the next generation of lifelong conservation stewards and ensure our own skilled and diverse workforce pipeline, Interior will provide 100,000 work & training opportunities to young people within our bureaus and through public-private partnerships. As part of this effort, we aim to raise an additional $20 million to support the youth work and training opportunities.

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More on this:

Watch "This Week at Interior" January 10, 2014

Secretary Jewell on the pioneering work of the Student Conservation Association

SCA President Dale Penny on the American Eagle - DOI partnership

Secretary Jewell Launches Ambitious Initiative to Expand Opportunities for Youth on Nation’s Public Lands

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today joined with local business, health, education, non-profit and conservation leaders in San Francisco to launch a national campaign to expand opportunities for youth on public lands. Today’s kick-off comes on the heels of Secretary Jewell’s major speech last week, in which she outlined conservation priorities for Interior, including an emphasis on fostering the next generation of environmental stewards, scientists, and natural resource managers.

“There is a growing disconnect between young people and the great outdoors – and it’s a gap that Interior has the power to help bridge,” said Secretary Jewell. “Through public-private partnerships and in conjunction with all levels of government, Interior will expand its efforts to pass on our nation’s rich conservation legacy and to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve and work outdoors.”

In the morning, Jewell hosted a roundtable discussion with local leaders in San Francisco to outline her vision and to hear what efforts are underway in the area to boost youth engagement and employment. Following the roundtable, Jewell participated in a service project with local youth conservation corps members at Crissy Field in Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

“San Francisco is really a model for what can be accomplished when it comes to leveraging public-private partnerships to connect young people to the great outdoors – whether it’s in the classroom, through volunteer work, or with a job working on public lands,” Jewell added. “Through this initiative, we hope to expand that success around the country, so that young people and veterans can not only accomplish meaningful work and gain important professional skills, but they can also build a lifelong connection to the outdoors.”  

The goals of Interior’s youth initiative for the next four years include: 

• Play: Interior will develop or enhance outdoor recreation partnerships in a total of 50 cities over the next four years to create new, systemic opportunities for outdoor play for more than 10 million young people.
  
• Learn: Provide educational opportunities to at least 10 million of the nation’s K-12 student population annually. In addition to welcoming students into nature’s classroom, we are developing and strengthening new online education resources, to reach more students.
  
• Serve: Engage 1 million volunteers annually on public lands, effectively tripling the numbers we have now. We know that many more people are interested in volunteering at national parks, wildlife refuges and public lands, but there are often insufficient staff resources to coordinate. In order to achieve the volunteer goal, we will place a renewed emphasis on volunteer coordination and management. [Emphasis added]
  
• Work: To develop the next generation of lifelong conservation stewards and ensure our own skilled and diverse workforce pipeline, Interior will provide 100,000 work & training opportunities to young people within our bureaus and through public-private partnerships. As part of this effort, we aim to raise an additional $20 million to support the youth work and training opportunities.

Youth engagement has been a signature part of President Obama’s conservation agenda, and today’s initiative will build upon the ongoing partnership with USDA and other members of the federal family through the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC). The 21CSC, launched as part of the America’s Great Outdoors program, is a national collaborative effort to put America’s youth and veterans to work protecting, restoring, and enhancing America’s natural and cultural resources. The 21CSC engages young Americans aged 15-25, and veterans up to age 35. 

An initial group of 91 organizations has been recognized for their commitment to the principles that the 21CSC embodies. All partner organizations have agreed to offer job and training opportunities to young people and veterans in America’s great outdoors.

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Through the Rain, Sleet and Snow

The volunteers of Mount Rainier National Park are still arriving this 2013 season to dedicate time and energy to Mount Rainier National Park. For the past 20 years groups of students from the MEAD Alternative Learning School in Spokane, WA have been coming to Mount Rainier to offer services that contribute to the revitalization of the park. From storm debris removal in the 2006 flood, Restoration of the parking lot around Paradise Inn and the Jackson Visitor Center, and this week, planting along the Steven Canyons Road.

“We want to create an opportunity for these kids to be exposed to a National Park and understand the purpose that the parks represent,” says Carole Allen the group’s leader. “How an idea and a attitude towards preserving such wonderful places can be experienced by these kids, so when they bring their children back, they will have an understanding to educate them on why they should take care of these special places.”

From all of us here in the National Parks we want to thank all the volunteers that have contributed to the preservation of Mount Rainier National Park. We also want to express an appreciation to groups like the MEAD Alternative Learning School that invoke a purpose of stewardship in the next generation.

We will be finishing out the season with various volunteer projects in the park on Saturday September 28th for National Public Lands Day. The Nation’s largest, single day volunteer effort for public lands.

This year’s event will take place on the west side of the park, with registration by the National Parks Conservation Association beginning at Longmire at 8:00am and the day’s work kicking off at 9:00.

If there are those who are interested in volunteering, but need to stay closer to home, you can find opportunities at http://www.publiclandsday.org/ to find something in your area.

10 Facts about Youth Service

Today's food for thought:

1. Between 20% and 55% of all young people volunteer (depending on who and how you ask).

2. Young people are more likely to volunteer when engaged through schools, youth organizations, or religious groups.

3. Having family and friends who volunteer makes it much more likely that a young person will volunteer themselves.

4. Young people under age 25 make up 1/3 of the population in the United States and 1/2 of the world's population.

5. Young people are uniquely suited to solve problems through service.

6. High quality service-learning leads to increased academic engagement & success.

7. Volunteering improves career and workforce readiness.

8. Service is a "gateway asset" that can lead to increased positive youth development outcomes.

9. People who volunteer when they are young donate more to philanthropic causes when they are older. (They are also more likely to volunteer and to vote as adults.)

10. Volunteering can help improve your health.

Get all the details behind each of these facts at:
www.YSA.org/blog/2013/08/01/10-facts-about-youth-service

WTA Youth Crew takes on Wonderland Trail maintenance

Every once in a while, I have an opportunity to get out of my office and go visit a volunteer work crew in the field. These are often the most rewarding parts of my job: I get to get off the computer and out into the beautiful landscapes that we work so hard to protect, and to actually meet the people who are getting dirt under their fingernails to make it happen.

This was the case last Friday, when I biked and hiked almost all the way to the Carbon Glacier to meet up with a youth crew working on the Wonderland Trail with the Washington Trails Association. WTA has been leading "volunteer vacations" for a couple of years now at Mount Rainier, including youth crews, and I've been meaning to get out and see one in action. But unlike the SCA Community Crew I visited last week, which just happened to be working on the trail across from my office, this group was based out of the old Ipsut Creek Campground, trekking out three or four miles each way on a daily basis to do brushing and tread repair in a remote part of the park. Still, I couldn't bear the thought of putting it off another year... I wanted to meet these intrepid young people and see what they were doing, and what motivated them to do it.

And thus I found myself finally catching up to an energetic group of half a dozen young men and women, ages 15 to 17, mid-day on Friday the 19th of July. I caught them as they were coming back down from work higher up on the trail, and they were moving so rapidly that I was hard-pressed to keep up with them.

Soon they came to their second work site of the day, a side drainage that had washed out in recent winter flooding, and after a brief water break, they set to work rebuilding the eroded trail, digging immense rocks out of the soil in high spots, filling low spots with smaller rocks, and carving out the bank alongside the trail to make easier passage. As they did so, I chatted with them about their experience. They'd come in the previous Saturday, and had been working at various locations all week, with a rest day on Wednesday. Saturday the 20th was to be the day they headed for home. They came from all over the local area -- Seattle, Bellevue, Gig Harbor -- and most of them were looking forward to earning community service credits toward high school graduation. It had been a tiring week, but a good one, and they had developed an efficient comraderie among themselves, which showed in the easy way they worked together to pry out rocks or deliver them, fire brigade style, to where they needed to go.

It took so long to get out to their work location that I only had about an hour or so to spend with them before I needed to head back to the trailhead. Even so, stopping to chat with a few visitors on my way out, I had only just reached Ipsut Creek Camp again when they caught up with me, hiking hard on their way back to camp for the evening. Several of the people I had encountered along the trail thanked me for how nice the trail looked. "Don't thank me," I said. "When you pass the trail crew up ahead, tell them how grateful you are for their hard work."

WTA will have two more "volunteer vacations" in the field at Mount Rainier this summer -- an adult crew at Indian Bar starting the 7th of August, and another youth crew on the east side of the park beginning August 11. And, of course, WTA leads day-long trail projects every week on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays: just check their website to sign up!

Base to Base Camp at Mount Rainier: SCA Program to help Military Families enjoy outdoor recreation and help conservation efforts

In partnership with the National Park Service, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, the Sierra Club and the Office of Congressman Norm Dicks, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) is leading a demonstration project to create a conservation service and outdoor recreation opportunity for the dependents of active service military families.

This summer, SCA will be fielding a conservation crew of eight teenagers from military families serving from Joint Base Lewis/McChord (JBLM) into Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. The crew members will be accomplishing critical trail-building and habitat restoration projects for this iconic national park that has enjoyed a partnership with SCA for over 40 years. The crew will camp and work for 15 days at Mount Rainier in both backcountry and front country settings August 6-20, 2012. Tangible outcomes will include trail(s) built, restored or maintained and habitat areas restored.

The program will offer hands-on, practical work skills, environmental knowledge, personal growth, awareness of career opportunities, as well as connectivity to the dedicated professionals of the National Park Service.

SCA will recruit a crew composed of eight high school students between the ages of 15-19 from military families stationed at JBLM. SCA is working with the Child, Youth and School Services program (CYSS) of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation office at JBLM in implementing the program. CYSS expertise and familiarity with participating students (and families) will be critical to the program’s success. SCA sees this first-year demonstration program as replicable and scalable, with strong possibilities for providing a pathway for the members to other SCA opportunities.

There is also a great opportunity for expansion to other military bases where both parents and children are feeling the strains of the sacrifices they are making in service to their country. SCA will plan for multiple crews to place and serve military families, including reaching out to Yakima Training Center (under JBLM administration) and the Yakima Nation. SCA is evaluating opportunities to increase our reach to Naval Base Kitsap and other installations.

SCA and JBLM are exploring the possibilities of facilitating on base SCA programs to help the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation program staff connect with the forestry program already well-established on base. SCA sees great opportunity for developing youth members to become mentors on base and share in conservation activities with younger children. As members matriculate into the program, SCA will provide tuition free opportunities for “Base to Base Camp” members to serve in SCA programs throughout the country.

Almost 2 million children in the U.S. have parents that are military service members. The need to educate and serve these children is a national concern; SCA is proud to provide leadership, support, and opportunities for these young Americans and their families.

Tools in the ground: ArrowCorps 502 begins!

Two years after the idea was first proposed to us here at Mount Rainier National Park by advisors of the T'kope Kwiskwis Lodge of the Boy Scouts of America, "ArrowCorps 502" is officially off and running!

The program takes its name from the "Order of the Arrow," the Boy Scouts' leadership corps who have planned and coordinated the project from its inception; from a similar project called ArrowCorps5 that occurred on several National Forest sites back in 2008; and from the Seattle-based group's Lodge number, 502.

As described in a press release last week, nearly a hundred Boy Scouts from all over the country have converged on Camp Sheppard, just north of Mount Rainier National Park, in preparation for three intensive days of volunteering. As I write this, crews are preparing to begin work tomorrow at Government Meadows, Silver Creek, and Crystal Mountain in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and at Crystal Lake and Ipsut Creek in Mount Rainier National Park.

I had the opportunity last evening to join the group at Camp Sheppard for their official opening ceremony. Already the boys had spent the day planning, gathering and learning to use tools, conducting safety briefings, and learning first aid and Leave No Trace techniques. When Acting Superintendent Randy King, Seasonal Volunteer Coordinator Patti Poulin, and I arrived, they were preparing for dinner. And while those camped at Ipsut Creek this week will be eating camp rations, back at base camp the fare was more generous: salmon and wild rice with corn on the cob and salad, tasty enough to be worth the drive all the way from our offices on the south side of the Mountain.

After dinner, we adjourned to the amphitheater for speeches and "shows." Arrow Corps member Ian Bellows emceed the event, beginning with the lowering of the flag for the evening, welcomes by Randy King and myself, and the presentation of a letter of support from Congressman Dave Reichert, who was unable to attend in person due to pressing business in the other Washington. Congressman Reichert also sent a flag that had been raised over the U.S. Capitol in honor of ArrowCorps, and which will be flown throughout this week at Camp Sheppard. After the speeches, the ArrowCorps "Show Team" presented several short videos, introducing us to Mount Rainier National Park and the history of Boy Scout volunteer projects in the National Parks, and summarizing the work that had been done up to that point. A final video, called "Why You? Why Now?" left us all with a challenge to go out and make a difference.

Congressman Dave Reichert sent a
special welcome and a flag flown over
the U.S. Capitol.

A special camera and video crew will be traveling around the park over the next few days to document the work in the field, and Friday evening the Corps will re-gather at Camp Sheppard for a celebration of the week's work, including another feast and another presentation of images and video gathered along the trail.

We left for home at 9:00, tired but excited by the spirit and enthusiasm we'd seen, and impressed by the level of organization. Most of the work on ArrowCorps 502 has been done by youth members of the Order of the Arrow, led by Evan Skandalis, Matt Allyn, and Ian Bellows. They and their crews represent the next generation of stewards of our national parks and other public lands--and by all indications, those resources are in good hands.

Patti, Randy, and I will be visiting crews in the field throughout this week, and hope to post more images and status reports on this blog along the way, so come back for updates. You can also check out the ArrowCorps website at http://www.arrowcorps502.org/.

Volunteer contributions to Recovery Act projects

Every once in a while I get a request for information related to the volunteer program that leads me down a previously unanticipated trail toward some fascinating discoveries. I had such a request this afternoon, from a coworker looking for the amount of contribution volunteers had made toward the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more commonly known as ARRA, the Recovery Act, or the "Stimulus Bill."

We have had a total of 16 ARRA projects at Mount Rainier, most of which employed people without any volunteer assistance (replacing electrical lines, for example, or building slurry walls along the Nisqually River for flood protection). But two of the projects did include volunteers: the construction of an accessible trailhead at Paradise in 2009, and trail reconstruction at Glacier Basin and Carbon River. Volunteer contributions to the trail projects, especially, have been substantial, and have allowed us to get more done, in less time, and with the partnership of hundreds of members of our community. Here are the numbers I came up with:

ADA Trail Construction at Paradise
Total volunteer hours: 720
Total volunteers: 9
Youth* hours: 710
Youth volunteers: 8

Major partners:
Volunteer value**: $15,012
Japan Volunteers in Parks Association (550 hours, 6 youth)

* "Youth," for these purposes, are volunteers under the age of 25.
**Volunteer value is based on an equivalent rate of $20.85/hour to for salary and benefits, as estimated by the non-partisan group Independent Sector.

Wonderland Trail at Carbon River
Total volunteer hours: 7,041
Total volunteers: 108
Youth hours: 5,664
Youth volunteers: 50
Volunteer value: $146,805
Major partners:
Washington Conservation Corps (5,640 hours, 48 youth)
Washington Trails Association (413 hours, 2 youth*)
Sierra Club (960 hours, no youth)

*Youth numbers for WTA and Sierra Club are estimated.

Glacier Basin Trail
Total volunteer hours: 39,143
Total volunteers: 1,281
Youth hours: 28,052
Youth volunteers: 312
Volunteer value: $816,132 (!)

Major partners:
Washington Trails Association (10,531 hours, 100 youth)
Student Conservation Association (7,822 hours, 63 youth)
Washington Conservation Corps (15,620 hours, 60 youth)
Northwest Youth Corps (2,195 hours, 45 youth)
Boy Scouts of America (450 hours, 32 youth)
Earthcorps (1,512 hours, 21 youth)
Mount Rainier National Park Associates (346 hours, no youth)

Interesting note: The flood repair projects at Carbon River and Glacier Basin used $986 thousand in ARRA funding (for staff, equipment, supplies, etc.). The total value of volunteer contributions to these projects is $963 thousand. We've basically doubled our money with the help of volunteers!

These are fantastic numbers. Thanks, everyone, for all the hard work that went into generating them -- and all the great things that were accomplished with the time.

Teens + Volunteering = AWESOME. A Case for Youth Involvement

Here's a great blog post on VolunteerSpot last week talking about youth volunteerism.

"Volunteerism is a way for kids to cut across social and financial boundaries and connect with people different from them."

Much of what we do at Mount Rainier has nothing to do with crossing between different social and economic groups. But that's not always true. SCA's Conservation Leadership Corps makes a special effort to reach out to diverse groups, not just the traditional groups that have connected with the national parks for decades. And check out our new Camping Adventure with My Parents program, including new photos I've just posted from this past weekend's group. As our volunteer and outreach programs slowly merge, there may be more and more opportunities for youth to become involved in ways that give them exposure to social needs as well as environmental ones.

I would also take minor issue with the idea that there are only two possible benefits to youth volunteerism: building job skills, and developing empathy with groups different than oneself. Here at Rainier, we also encourage a sense of stewardship, of responsibility in the natural world. That, I would argue, is also an awesome case for youth involvement.

Getting American youth more involved in the National Parks is a difficult challenge and a golden opportunity

From the National Parks Traveler blog of the National Parks Conservation Association:

Nurturing broadly-based advocacy for the national parks has never been more
critical, and promoting greater youth interest and visitation is a key
consideration. Some progress is being made, but much more can be done.