Saturday, April 28, 2012

Volunteer Newsletter for May 2012


The snow is disappearing fast, thanks to a few days of summery weather here in the Park and that means we’re starting to gear up for the season. We’re reviewing volunteer applications daily, looking for just the right people to fill vacancies, so if you’re interested in something specific, now is the time to apply. We have lots of group projects on the agenda as well as opportunities for individual volunteers. Check the park's website at http://www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/vip-positions.htm to see what positions are available, and keep an eye on the volunteer blog at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com for updates.

Before we go any further, I’d like to extend an invitation to any of you who would like to attend the Volunteer Brunch on Saturday, May 5.  Whether you are a new volunteer or a returning one, the presentations are bound to be of interest. The event is a potluck, and will be held in the Community Building at Longmire at 10 AM. Attendees will be given free admission to the Park, but you will need to RSVP to Kevin Bacher at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov as soon as possible so that he can put your name on the guest list. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet other volunteers!

Mount Rainier National Park Associates Projects – Saturday April 28, 2012 and forward

This year, the Mount Rainier National Park Associates have six projects on tap, four of which will be dedicated to trail maintenance and two for “alpine gardening,” i.e., removal of non-native plant species and meadow restoration.  Specific locations will be announced at a later date. You are welcome to join us on any or all of the following dates:

  • April 28th doing trail maintenance (rain or shine!)
  • May 19th doing trail maintenance
  • June 16th doing trail maintenance
  • July 14th doing exotic plant removal (weeding) along the Westside Road
  • August 11 doing trail maintenance, followed by a pot luck dinner, and an overnight camp for the volunteers who have worked that day    
  • September 8 planting wildflower seedlings to re-establish alpine meadows near Sunrise

For more information, contact Mount Rainier National Park Associates directly at www.mrnpa.org.

Volunteer Handbook

The long-awaited Volunteer Handbook is finally available on line! You can find this go-to resource on our volunteer blog or by following this link to our 2012 Volunteer Handbook.

Volunteer Opportunities Abound!

As summer rolls in and Park visitation increases, we will be looking for more people willing to work as Meadow Rovers. You should apply now if you wish to participate! Training for new Meadow Rovers will occur on June 23rd, and for returning Meadow Rovers on the 24th.

Seasonal interpretive training dates will be May 29 through June 2 and June 5 through June 9. If you’re interested in learning more about the park's natural and cultural resources, or about the field of interpretation, you are welcome to join us. You’ll have the chance to hear experts on various topics as they expound on their favorite subjects and how they relate to the Park. Please watch the blog for more details!

Positions available!

Are you well-acquainted with Park trails and landmarks? Perhaps you’d like to apply for the position of digital photo librarian. We presently need people who can reliably identify locations from unlabeled photographs for inclusion in an online digital library, so a familiarity with the Park is a must!

Curatorial assistant wanted! If you are interested in the photographic history of the Park, this may be an excellent opportunity for you to contribute to it. We are looking for detail-oriented participants to assist with processing of historical documents. Four volunteers are needed for the period May through September. You may contact Brooke Childrey at 360-569-6784 for more information.

Campground Host needed for Cougar Rock! Debbie Hannevig and Matt Chalup are looking for candidates for Campground Host(s) at Cougar Rock for the period from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. You can find details and a link to the vacancy announcement here.

Follow us!

Mount Rainier is now on social media! Look for the links to our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr pages, as well as our webcams at Paradise and Longmire, on our park website at www.nps.gov/mora. Like us, follow us, friend us, and join the interactive discussion! The volunteer program has Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts of its own, so look for those links on our volunteer blog at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com.

It promises to be a busy summer, folks! We hope to see you soon!

Kevin Bacher
Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager
360-569-6567

1 comment:

Terence said...

Very interesting post.