MRNPA Exotic Plant Removal Work Party - July 9th

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates work party will be Saturday, July 9th. The group will be working with Will Arneson's Ecological Restoration crew doing exotic plant removal (weeding). The project is to work along the Westside Road removing non-native plants that are invading the areas adjacent to roadway. The work area will be along the 3.5 miles of the Westside Road, from the Nisqually Road junction to the end at the Fish Creek parking lot.

To participate there is no need to know much about native plants. Will and his crew will teach you which plants to remove, and they will be able to identify for you all the native plants in the area. The Westside Road is not heavily traveled, so vehicle traffic will not be a problem. There will be no heavy tools (like shovels and pulaskis) to carry and work with. Because the group will be working along the road, you will not need to carry your pack. Packs will be transported to the lunch site.

Things you should bring are work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel or your favorite gardening tool, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and a full set of rain gear. Considering how this year has progressed so far, a warm jacket would be good to include. If you have a reflective safety vest, bring that too. All participants will be required to wear safety vests because we will be working along a road that is open to vehicle traffic.

Everyone will meet at 8:30 AM at the junction of the Westside Road and the Nisqually Road. (That is about a mile just inside the Nisqually Entrance to the park). Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM. Tell the ranger as you enter the park that you will be working on a volunteer project and you will be admitted to the park for free.

If you would like to camp for free in the park before or after (or both) participating in this work party, camping is available at the Longmire VIP campground. To camp for free you will need to make camping reservations by contacting Will Arneson at Will_Arnesen@nps.gov or by phone at 360-569-6762.

If you plan to attend this work party please fill out a Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer form indicating that you are coming and include the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you. An estimate for the number of volunteers so that the Park can be sure to have enough tools for everyone.

For more information visit www.mrnpa.org or contact John Titland (MRNPA's Volunteer Coordinator) at volunteer@mrnpa.org.

Annual Volunteer Potluck

Annual Volunteer Potluck
August 13th
4:00pm
Longmire Community Building

You've worked hard all year long volunteering thousands of hours on your feet, sometimes on your hands and knees, through meadows, forests, rain, snow, occasionally sunshine and all on your free time. Now it's time to pat each other on the back, swap stories, and celebrate all your work over the past year.

Please plan on bringing a dish to share to the Longmire Community Building August 13th, 2011 at 4:00pm. Utencils and plates will be provided.

We will also be putting together a slide show presentation to highlight all the accomplishments of our fantastic VIPs since last August and we would love to include some of YOUR best photos showing your volunteer experiences at Mount Rainier. Please send them to Jim Ross (Jim_Ross@nps.gov).

Full Time VIP Opportunity for Summer 2011

We are pleased to announce a full time VIP opportunity for Summer 2011.

This position is slated to begin on or around July 6th, 2011.

Please note that due to the impending start date all applications received by end of day Tuesday June 28th will be given preference.

Position: Visitor Use Study

Duration: July – September 2011

Internship Description:

The purpose of this internship is to collect information as part of a study to help Mount Rainier National Park staff manage visitor use and transportation in a manner that protects park resources and the quality of visitor experiences. The study will be conducted in the Nisqually Corridor and includes three interrelated components: 1) observation of visitor use on trails in Paradise Meadow and the Comet Falls Trail; 2) visitor surveys to assess the effects of crowding, resource impacts, and transportation conditions on the quality of visitor experiences in the park; and 3) transportation-related data collection. Together, the three study components will help park managers better understand connections among transportation conditions, park resource conditions, and the quality of visitor experiences.

Internship Tasks:

Multiple interns are needed to conduct several complimentary tasks, including:

(1) Visitor Use Counts on Hiking Trails :

a. This task involves observing and recording information about the number and types of visitors using trails in Paradise Meadow and the Comet Falls Trail.

(2) Visitor Surveys on Hiking Trails and at Popular Park Destinations:

a. This task involves administering surveys to park visitors, including the use of photo simulations to understand the effects of crowding and transportation conditions on the quality of visitor experiences.

(3) Parking Surveys at Trailheads and Popular Park Destinations :

a. This task involves recording information about the number, types, and duration of parked vehicles at key visitor destinations and parking areas in the Nisqually Corridor.

(4) Vehicle Traffic Observations at Paradise Intersections :

a. This task involves observing and recording with a handheld data collection instrument the number and direction of travel of vehicles that pass through two key intersections at Paradise.

Desired Skills and Abilities:

a. Ability to work independently and in settings with limited contact with other people.

b. Ability to interact professionally and comfortably with the public (e.g., to administer visitor surveys and collect other information from park visitors).

c. High degree of personal accountability to ensure timely, systematic, and consistent conduct of data collection tasks.

d. Attention to details and a good sense of quality control in the data collection process.

e. Good note taking skills, particularly to document unusual or unexpected circumstances that can affect data collection tasks.

f. Aptitude for/ability to learn how to work with electronic data collection devices (e.g., infrared trail counters, Palm Pilots, GPS-units, etc.).

g. Ability to hike up to 3 miles (one-way) on varied and often steep terrain.

h. Ability to travel on foot over flat to moderate terrain (e.g., Paradise parking areas) for an 8-10 hour period to conduct parking surveys.

i. Previous experience with data collection or other aspects of scientific studies is desirable, but not necessary.

Dates and Duration:

The internship period will be 9-10 weeks in duration, starting approximately July 6, 2011 and ending approximately September 15, 2011. Please note – due to the type of work (visitor use), interns will be required to work every single weekend day (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and some days during the week. In other words – days off will be taken on weekdays.

Compensation:

§ Interns will earn a stipend for the 9-10 week period.

§ Housing and transportation will be provided for interns while they are working in the park. Interns may want to have their own transportation for personal travel on days off.

§ Interns are responsible for travel to and from the park at the beginning and end of the internship.

Application Process:

Interested applicants should send a current resume and 1-2 page statement of interest containing at least the following information:

§ Relevant experience, research, or courses taken (if any) related to this research opportunity

§ Why you are interested in this research opportunity

§ How this research opportunity relates to your career goals/interests

§ Three professional references



Please forward all application materials to:

Brett Kiser

bkiser@rsginc.com

Meadow Rover Training

The 2011 Meadow Rover training is happening this weekend!

Training Times and Locations

New Meadow Rover Training , Saturday, June 25
For those who have not attended a Meadow Rover Training

Location: Mount Rainier National Park Tahoma Woods Education Center (Between Ashford and Elbe)

Time: 9:30 AM -4:30 PM

Experienced Meadow Rover Training , Sunday, June 26

Location: Tacoma Mountaineers Clubhouse: 2302 North 30th Street, Tacoma WA 98403
The clubhouse is at the corner of North 30th & Carr Streets, in Old Town Tacoma.

Time: 10 AM - 4 PM

If you plan to attend either training please RSVP to MORA_Meadow_Rovers@nps.gov

2011 Eatonville Fourth of July Parade

The snow is starting to melt away and summer is starting to make an appearance! Once again we will be walking in the Eatonville Parade and would love to have all of our wonderful volunteers walk with us waving and spreading goodwill.

Each year we ask staff and volunteers to join in and represent Mount Rainier NP in the Eatonville 4th of July parade. Dave U. has been there almost every year walking, waving, and shaking hands.

This year he gets to ride. We want to honor Dave at this year's parade. So he (and hopefully Barbara) will have the seat(s) of honor. We need others to walk along and show our thanks for his service here and support for his move to Grand Canyon.

The parade starts at Noon and usually takes less than an hour. We meet on Penn Ave. a block up from the high school between 11:30 and 11:45. You can just show up on the 4th or email Jim Ross (Jim_Ross@nps.gov) and let him know that you will be coming.

If you work in uniform please wear it. If not, dress for the occasion (patriotic).

Longmire VIP Campground Update

After a prodcutive spring clean up with CITO (Cache In Trash Out)this past Saturday (June 11th), the Longmire VIP Campground is cleaned up and ready for VIP tent and trail campers!

Just a head's up though, we currently do not have any platform tent sites available due to unexpected equipment difficulties. We do, however, hope to have them up and ready for people within the coming weeks.

A big thank you to CITO for sprucing up the campground!

If you would like to make a campsite reservation pleast contact Patti Poulin at 360-569-6588 or patricia_poulin@partner.nps.gov. Also, a quick reminder to please check in with Jean and Harry, our Longmire Campground Hosts, upon arrival.

MRNPA Exotic Plant Removal Party Happening July 9th

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates work party will be Saturday, July 9th.

They will be working with Will Arneson's Ecological Restoration crew doing exotic plant removal (weeding). The project is to work along the Westside Road removing non-native plants that are invading the areas adjacent to roadway. The work area will be along the 3.5 miles of the Westside Road, from the Nisqually Road junction to the end at the Fish Creek parking lot.

To participate there is no need to know much about native plants. Will and his crew will teach you which plants to remove, and they will be able to identify for you all the native plants in the area. The Westside Road is not heavily traveled, so vehicle traffic will not be a problem. There will be no heavy tools (like shovels and pulaskis) to carry and work with. Because we will working along the road, you will not need to carry your pack. We will get the packs transported to the lunch site.

Things you should bring are work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel or your favorite gardening tool, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and a full set of rain gear. Considering how this year has progressed so far, a warm jacket would be good to include. If you have a reflective safety vest, bring that too. We will be required to wear safety vests because we will be working along a road that is open to vehicle traffic.

Everyone will meet at 8:30 AM at the junction of the Westside Road and the Nisqually Road. (That is about a mile just inside the Nisqually Entrance to the park). Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM. Tell the ranger as you enter the park that you will be working on a volunteer project and you will be admitted to the park for free.

If you plan to attend the this work party, please complete a volunteer form at http://mrnpa.org/workprojectdetails.php or email John Titland (MRNPA's Volunteer Coordinator) at volunteer@mount-rainier.org.

If you would like to camp for free in the park before or after (or both) participating in this work party, camping is available at the Longmire VIP campground. To camp for free you will need to make camping reservations by contacting Will Arneson at Will_Arnesen@nps.gov or by phone at 360-569-6762.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

MRNPA Location Change for June 11th Work Party

The monthly MRNPA trail work party will be happening Saturday, June 11th. This time they will be working on the Twin Firs Trail, near Longmire, rather than the trails on the east side that were in the original plan.

The group will meet at the Longmire parking lot, near the museum, between 8:30 and 9:00 and will carpool to the site. The work begins right at the road, so there will be no need to hike to the site.

For more information or to RSVP please visit http://mrnpa.org/workprojectdetails.php.

Employee Safety Handbook posted

Whenever you take on a volunteer project at Mount Rainier National Park, your highest priority should always be safety. Your position description, supervision, training, and daily orientation should all address any hazards you might encounter on your job, with instructions for how to reduce risk to yourself and those around you. Make sure this is the case with every job you do for us! And if it's not safe, don't do it!

A good first step to ensure your safety is review Mount Rainier's 2011 Employee Safety Handbook. This document lays out our policies and procedures regarding safety, and is good information for any employee to know, including volunteer employees.

For future reference, a link to the Safety Handbook will occupy a prominent place in the list of resources in the right-hand column of this blog.

Happy reading, and be safe out there!

Kevin Bacher
Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager

Evergreen State College Students Dig Cougar Rock Campground

If you haven’t already heard, or read on the Mount Rainier National Park website, the current heavy snowpack has caused a delay in the opening Cougar Rock Campground. Lucky for us we have an awesome staff and dedicated volunteers from The Evergreen State College working side by side with shovels in hand to get the campground open by Friday, June 3rd.

With up to three feet of snow still sitting in some areas of the campground and rain falling from the sky, thirty (plus) students have enthusiastically spent the past two days digging out campsites within the campground. This is the first of several projects this group will be dedicating volunteer time towards this upcoming summer.

A big thank you for all of your hard work this week and we look forward to working with you throughout the season!