MRNPA Work Party Reminder

A reminder from John Titland:

 The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer work party will be Saturday, July 16th.  This will be the annual Mount Rainier National Park Associates Exotic Plant Removal work party, which we refer to as the "deveg".  We will be working at the site of the new Carbon River Ranger Station, and the Marsh Property, both located a few miles west of the Carbon River Entrance of the park on the Carbon River Road.  The ranger station occupies a building that was formerly identified as the Carbon River Ranch.  The area is still referred to as the Thompson property.  The property extends all the way from the road down to the Carbon River.

Things you should bring are work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel, or your favorite weed removing tool, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and a full set of rain gear.  A warm jacket would be good to include.

We will meet between 8:30 and 9:00 AM in front of the ranger station.  Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM.

If  you plan to attend this work party and have not already contacted John, please reply to volunteer(at)mrnpa.org and provide him with the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you.

MRNPA: Two Work Parties In July

From John Titland:

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer work party will be Saturday, July 16th.  This will be the annual Mount Rainier National Park Associates Exotic Plant Removal work party, which we refer to as the "deveg".  We will be working at the site of the new Carbon River Ranger Station, and the Marsh Property, both located a few miles west of the Carbon River Entrance of the park on the Carbon River Road.  The ranger station occupies a building that was formerly identified as the Carbon River Ranch.  The area is still referred to as the Thompson property.  The property extends all the way from the road down to the Carbon River.

To participate in the Exotic Plant Removal work party there is no need to know about native plants.  The NPS crew members we will work with will teach you which plants to remove, and they will be able to identify for you all the native plants in the area.  There will be no heavy tools (like shovels and pulaskis) to carry and use.  Safety helmets are not required.

Things you should bring are work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel, or your favorite weed removing tool, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and a full set of rain gear.  A warm jacket would be good to include. 

We will meet between 8:30 and 9:00 AM in front of the ranger station.  Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM. If  you plan to attend this work party, please reply to this email indicating that you are coming and give me the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you.  I need an estimate of the number of volunteers who will attend.

A second MRNPA volunteer work party in July

In the advanced stages of planning is a potential MRNPA volunteer trails work party on Saturday, July 30th at Lake Tipsoo at Chinook Pass.  The project would be to remove and replace one of the foot bridges on the path around the lake.  Howard Selmer, the seasonal ranger at Lake Tipsoo, tells me that it would be a good day to wear rubber boots or an old pair if tennis shoes because wading in the water will likely be involved.  Sounds like a fun project!   And the work site is only a few paces from the parking lot .  But that has a down side too.  Saturdays in July can be  pandemonium at Lake Tipsoo.  We may need as many volunteers to assist Howard in crowd control as we need volunteers to work on the bridge.

Part of the uncertainty of this project is - on such short notice can we assemble a big enough MRNPA crew to do the whole job in one day?

 If you are interested in participating in this project and really do think you can attend on July 30th, please reply to this email to tell me you can come and if you can bring additional volunteers with you.  This really is a case where I need to know now how many MRNPA volunteers will be coming.

A Sampling of Photos from MRNPA's First Service Project of 2016

A very special thanks to VIP Melissa Rogers for snapping these pictures while working with the Mount Rainier National Park Associates as they were starting to rebuild the Boundary Trail out of Carbon River.  Visit www.mrnpa.org to sign up for their next volunteer day!

 

 

MRNPA April 30th Work Party

From John Titland:

Here are the details of the Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer trails work party happening on April 30th.

We will meet at the Carbon River entrance to the Park between 8:30 and 9:00 AM.  Our cars will be parked inside the locked gate so drive right up to the gate and someone will open the gate and let you in.  Be ready to head out by 9:00 AM.  The word I get Is: Most likely you will be going up the Boundary Trail.  For those of you that haven't been up the Boundary Trail - expect a good uphill workout just getting to the work site.  Be sure to bring a warm jacket and good raingear.  We have had several cold, wet days when working at Carbon River this early in the season.

If you plan to attend, please reply to this email to indicate that you are coming and to tell me how many volunteers you are bringing with you.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.)  Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses.  People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat.  If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it.  If you do not have a hard hat, we and the NPS have hard hats that we loan for the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses.  Because of cleanliness issues, some people don’t like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people.  For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear.  The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping.  A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10.  And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

Mount Rainier National Park Associates: Jacks and Jills of All Trades

The volunteers at Mount Rainier National Park Associates have many talents: trail work in any and all weather conditions, invasive species removal (or conquering alien invaders), revegetation of once destroyed meadows, and advocating for Mount Rainier National Park.  MRNPA has been a longtime partner of Mount Rainier, and over the years have played a crucial role in preservation of the beautiful resources that we all share in the park.  This year, MRNPA has volunteered 468 hours doing trails projects, 84 hours participating in the annual "deveg" day, removing exotic species, and 170 hours replanting native species in the former Sunrise Camp.  This totals to 720 hours of volunteering, equating to a value of $16,610.40!!

A huge thank you is in order to the Mount Rainier National Park Associates for all of their hard work and their longstanding dedication to the park over the past 30 years! 

 

Interested in learning more about MRNPA?  Seeing some of the projects they have participated in over the years?  Learning how to sign up for the next projects?  Visit www.mrnpa.org today!

A Heroic Tale of Conquering Aliens

Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt your regularly scheduled blog-scrolling to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Blog News Agency.  At twenty minutes before eight, central time, Professor Farrell of the Mount Jennings Observatory of Chicago, Illinois, reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas, occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars.  The spectroscope indicated the gas to be hydrogen and moving towards the earth with enormous velocity.  Professor Pierson of the Observatory at Princeton confirms Farrell’s observation, and describes the phenomenon as “like a jet of blue flame shot from a gun.”

I don’t mean to alarm you, but Mount Rainier is under attack from alien invaders.  Massive groves of what scientists are calling Geranium robertianum, or “Stinky Bob” for short, could be found encroaching upon the Carbon River Ranger Station as recent as just last weekend.  Now, this may seem like something out of a certain book that has entered the public domain as it was written in the late 1800’s and may have been loosely quoted above, BUT this is real life.  Much of the newly acquired land around the Carbon River entrance was once used for agriculture, featuring plants that are not native to Mount Rainier’s lush forests.  Luckily help had arrived, right on time.

The Mount Rainier National Park Associates arrived in full battle gear, thick leather gloves on hand and plastic trash bags nearby, to ensure the alien invaders could not escape once more.  With the help of the Revegetation Crew’s extensive training on exotic and invasive species removal, the MRNPA were able to corral mountains of the invaders until no more could be seen. 

With special thanks to this crew, we can rest easy knowing the park is safe once more.

Are you interested in saving the planet from alien invaders?  How about helping to repopulate Mount Rainier with native species?  Maybe you just want to come out and volunteer?  Then check out the Mount Rainier National Park Associates’ website at www.mrnpa.org and sign up for one of their upcoming work projects.  No prior training in eradication of aliens is required. 

 

MRNPA - "Deveg" Work Party

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer work party will be Saturday, July 12th. This will be the annual Mount Rainier National Park Associates Exotic Plant Removal work party. If  you plan to attend this work party and have not yet contacted John Titland, please reply to volunteer(at)mrnpa.org indicating that you are coming with the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you. The NPS Volunteer Coordinator needs to have an estimate of the number of volunteers who will attend.

The work party will be at the site of the new Carbon River Ranger Station, which is located a few miles west of the Carbon River Entrance of the park on the Carbon River Road. The ranger station occupies the building formerly known as the Carbon River Ranch.

To participate in the Exotic Plant Removal work party, there is no need to know all about native plants. NPS crew members will teach you which plants to remove, and they can help you identify the native plants of the area.

No heavy tools (like shovels and pulaskis) will be used, but you should bring work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel (or your favorite weed-removal tool), your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink and a full set of rain gear.  A warm jacket would be good to include. You may bring a reflective safety vest if you have one. 

Meet at 8:30 AM in front of the ranger station.  Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM.

MRNPA Exotics Removal - July 12

From John Titland:

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer work party will be Saturday, July 12th.  This will be the annual Mount Rainier National Park Associates Exotic Plant Removal work party.  We will be working at the site of the new Carbon River Ranger Station, which is located a few miles west of the Carbon River Entrance of the park on the Carbon River Road.  The ranger station occupies a building that was formerly identified as the Carbon River Ranch.  The property extends all the way down to the Carbon River.  I am sure we will be able to find an abundance of invasive, exotic plants to remove.

To participate in the Exotic Plant Removal work party there is no need to know about native plants.  The NPS crew members we will work with will teach you which plants to remove, and they will be able to identify for you all the native plants in the area.  There will be no heavy tools (like shovels and pulaskis) to carry and use.

Things you should bring are work gloves, a small digging tool like a hand trowel, or your favorite weed removing tool, your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and a full set of rain gear.  A warm jacket would be good to include.  If you have a reflective safety vest, bring that too. 

We will meet at 8:30 AM in front of the ranger station.  Be ready to go to work by about 9:00 AM and expect to finish about 3:00 PM.

If  you plan to attend this work party, please reply to volunteer(at)mrnpa.org indicating that you are coming and give me the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you.  I need an estimate of the number of volunteers who will attend.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

MRNPA - The Mine Trail, Part Two

The June 15th MRNPA trails work party hopes to finish up the project begun on May 18 repairing the Mine Trail at Carbon River, and would appreciate your help.

The Mine Trail trail begins approximately 1.25 miles from the entrance on the Carbon River Hike and Bike Trail. It is a .26 mile trail leading to an old mine once owned by Washington Mining and Milling Co. These days the mine is closed off, but the history remains. Trail work will include maintenance and widening and smoothing the trail tread.

MRNPA volunteers will meet at the Carbon River Entrance to Mount Rainier National Park at about 8:30 AM.  Be ready to move out by 9:00. Park inside the gate, and please don't block the parking spaces available to the public. Bring your lunch and plenty of fluids to drink, work gloves and safety glasses and a full set of rain gear. A few vehicles will be used to shuttle people up the road.

Anyone using an aggressive tool (Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc.) or working near someone who is using them is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. Safety glasses and hard hat are strongly recommended but not required for people working with less aggressive tools.

If you can attend and have not yet contacted John Titland, please drop him a note at volunteer@mrnpa.org to indicate that you are coming and tell him how many volunteers you are bringing with you.

MRNPA Work Party, May 18

Per John Titland, May 18th's MRNPA work party will be on the Mine Trail. This trail begins approximately 1.25 miles from the entrance on the Carbon River Hike and Bike Trail. Now that the Carbon River Road is closed to vehicle traffic, this trail is more easily accessible to visitors and could use some improvement to handle the higher foot traffic. The Mine Trail is a .26 mile trail leading to an old mine once owned by Washington Mining and Milling Co. These days the mine is closed off, but the history remains. Trail work will include maintenance to sections of a 49-foot swamp bridge and widening and smoothing the trail tread.

MRNPA volunteers will meet at the Carbon River Entrance to Mount Rainier NP at about 8:30 AM.  Be ready to move out by 9:00. Park inside the gate, and please don't block the parking spaces available to the public.  Be prepared for a hike the 1.25 miles to the work site.  Bring your lunch and plenty of fluids to drink, work gloves and safety glasses and a full set of rain gear. During May, it is common to have rain or wet snow falling at Mount Rainier, so bring warm clothing too.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. Anyone using an aggressive tool (Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc.) or anyone working near someone using them is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required to wear a hard hat, but are encouraged to do so. Please bring your own hard hat if you have one. If you do not have a hard hat, MRNPA and the NPS have hard hats you may use for the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don’t like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people.  For these reasons and others, please provide yourself with a pair of personal safety glasses for your own use.  A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10, and are available at hardware stores and other sources. Be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

If you plan to attend and have not yet contacted John Titland, please drop him a note at volunteer@mrnpa.org to indicate that you are coming and tell him how many volunteers you are bringing with you.

Science Learning Network Grants

Mount Rainier National Park was recently awarded two grants from the Science Learning Network for two projects, both of which utilize members of our volunteer team. Thank you, SLN!
LiDAR mapping is slated to go forward at Carbon River to assess geohazards, gathering data from approximately 20 square kilometers. This data will be put to use to characterize sediment transport in the river basin, demonstrating the landscape response to climate change and providing clues as to the best ways to manage the area.

Butterflies are sensitive indicators of climate change. Our Butterfly Crew conducts several species censuses in specific transects in the Park during the summer months. The grant from SLN will be used to obtain a GSA van and miscellaneous supplies for this project.

First Washington Trails Association project of the year posted!

Mount Rainier National Park is pleased to welcome back the Washington Trails Association for another year of partnership in building and maintaining trails. WTA has been a key partner for a long time, but never more so  than in the years following the devastating floods of November 2006. Since 2009, around 500 volunteers per year have worked under WTA's leadership to rebuild the Glacier Basin Trail and others around the park. The reconstructed Glacier Basin Trail reopened last summer, but a great deal of work still remains -- finishing repairs to the flood-damaged Wonderland Trail near Carbon Glacier, converting the flood-damaged Carbon River Road to a hiking and biking trail, and simply catching up on all of the year-to-year maintenance that has been deferred for five years while we've been doing flood recovery.

As in previous years, WTA will be leading trail projects throughout the park every weekend throughout the summer. Opening day will be National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2, 2012, on the West Boundary Trail near the Carbon River Entrance at Mount Rainier National Park. WTA's listing on their website says "We'll work on restoring this trail back to good hiking condition. Last year we worked on removing downed logs, repairing the tread and other maintenance needs."

To sign up for this project -- or the others that will be advertised soon -- go to WTA's website at www.wta.org and click on "Trail Work Parties" under the "Volunteer" tab at the top. Or, go to this specific project at http://vols.wta.org/web/web.pl?sm+19495+WP for details and to sign up.

See you out on the trail!

May 19th MRNPA Trails Work Party

Greetings,

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party will be on this coming Saturday, May 19th.  I just got the word from my NPS trail crew contact that we will be working to repair some switchbacks on the Boundary Trails at Carbon River.  The work site is about 3/4 mile from the road so be prepared for a short, uphill hike.  And be sure to bring your rain gear.  This beautiful weather can't last!

We will meet at the Carbon River Entrance.  Plan to arrive about 8:30 AM and be ready to move out by 9:00 AM.  I expect we will be back at the road by 3:30 PM.

If you plan to attend and have not yet contacted me, please reply to this email to indicate that you are coming and to tell me how many volunteers you are bringing with you.


John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates



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MRNPA's Final Work Party for 2011 - October 1st!

Greetings,

The last Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party for 2011 will be on Saturday, October 1st. We will be working on the Rain Forest Loop Trail at the Carbon River entrance. I am told we will be doing maintenance on the trail tread and possibly some repair of the wooden bridges. As always, volunteers should bring a lunch and plenty of fluids to drink, work gloves, safety glasses, a hard hat if they have one, and a full set of rain gear. October is frequently rainy, so bring some dry clothes too.

We will meet at between 8:30 and 9:00 AM, and be ready to go to work by 9:00 AM.

If you plan to attend this work party, please sign up at www.mrnpa.org and tell me that you are coming, how many volunteers you are bringing with you. I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for us all. If you have a hard hat that you will be wearing, please tell me that too.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear both a hard hat and safety glasses. People not working with or near an aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it. If you do not have a hard hat, we have hard hats that we loan for the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

If you are not able to attend the MRNPA work party on October 1st, but are interested in volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park, please take a look at the following message from Mount Rainier National Park concerning National Public Lands Day on September 24th. That may interest you.

John TitlandVolunteer CoordinatorMount Rainier National Park Associates

Join a trails project this Saturday, May 21!

The second Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party for 2011 will be on Saturday, May 21st. That's less a week away. The project will again be to work on the Boundary Trail which begins right at the Carbon River entrance. We will meet at the Carbon River entrance station at about 8:30 AM and be ready to move out by 9:00 AM.

As always, bring your lunch and plenty of fluids to drink, work gloves and safety glasses, and a full set of rain gear, and some warm clothing too.

If you plan to attend this May 21st trails work party, please send an email ASAP to volunteer@mount-rainier.org indicating that you are coming and give me the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you. I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for us all.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it. If you do not have a hard hat, we have hard hats that we loan for the day the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

If you are not able to attend a MRNPA work party, but are interested in volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park, please take a look at the Mount Rainier "Volunteers in the Park" website for other volunteer opportunities that may interest you at http://www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/vip-positions.htm.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

Trails Work Party April 30th

From John Titland of the Mount Rainier National Park Associates, one of our most dependable volunteer partner groups:

Greetings,

The first Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party for 2011 will be on Saturday, April 30th. That's the Saturday after next. The project will be to work on the Boundary Trail which begins right at the Carbon River entrance. We will meet at the Carbon River entrance station at about 8:30 AM and be ready to move out by 9:00 AM.

Be prepared for uphill hike to the work site. As always, bring your lunch and plenty of fluids to drink, work gloves and safety glasses, and a full set of rain gear. During April it is common to have rain or wet snow falling, so bring some warm clothing too.

If you plan to attend this April 30th trails work party and have not yet contacted me, please write to volunteer@mount-rainier.org indicating that you are coming and give me the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you. I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that Park staff can be sure to have enough tools for us all.

There are safety equipment requirements for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool - like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc. - or anyone working near them - is required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near a less aggressive tools are not required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. If you own a hard hat that you can wear, please bring it. If you do not have a hard hat, we have hard hats that we loan for the day the day.

Wearing safety glasses is encouraged at all times. Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons, and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

Mount Rainier National Park Associates schedules first work party of 2011 for April 30

I received this notice from John Titland, of the Mount Rainier National Park Associates. MRNPA leads a monthly project throughout the summer and has done so for many years, so they're a great way to get involved as a volunteer!

Future events (mark your calendars!) are tentatively scheduled on:
April 30
May 21
June 11
July 9
August 13
September 10
October 1

Greetings,

The first Mount Rainier National Park Associates trails work party for 2011 will be Saturday, April 30th. I know that is a full month away, but this early reminder to get the trail work party on your schedule can't hurt. Right now I know we will be working at Carbon River. The project options are either to work on the Boundary Trail, which starts right at the Carbon River Entrance, or the Green River Trail, which will involve a hike up past the washout to get to the trailhead. Either way, expect some hiking to get to the work site.

As always, you should bring work gloves, safety glasses, a hard hat if you have one, your lunch, fluids to drink, some warm clothing and full rain gear. This early in the season it is not unusual for there to be some snow on the ground or falling from the sky.

If you plan to attend this work party please reply to this email indicating that you are coming and giving me the number of volunteers you expect to accompany you. I need an estimate of the number of volunteers so that the Park can be sure to have enough tools for us all.

I know this may be too early to decide if you will join the MRNPA work party on April 30th, but if you are considering attending I would also like to hear from you. I will send a reminder email about a week prior to April 30th when you can tell me your final decision.

For volunteers under 18 years of age, the National Park Service requires a parent or guardian sign a consent form, which we have copies available at the work party.

There are safety gear rules for all MRNPA trail work volunteers. (These rules apply to all trail workers.) Anyone using an aggressive tool (like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc.) or anyone working near them, will be required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near less aggressive tools will not be required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. Wearing safety glasses will be encouraged at all times. At this time we do not have a clear idea of how many volunteers will need hard hats or how many hard hats will be provided by the park. If you own a hard hat, please bring it along. We have a supply of hard hats for those volunteers who do not have one.

Safety glasses are a different issue! Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of cleanliness issues, some people don't like wearing safety glasses that have been worn by other people. For these reasons and probably many others, please purchase (acquire, find, dig-up, whatever) a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping if you need a new pair. A serviceable pair or safety glasses will cost about $10. And be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

WTA Advertises 2011 Volunteer Vacations

It's only February, and it was snowing outside my window this morning, but the Washington Trails Association is already planning for summer! The calendar of Volunteer Vacations is posted on their website, and they're filling up rapidly.

If you've considered visiting Mount Rainier on your summer vacation and spending a week doing something worthwhile -- building and repairing trails in some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth -- sign up now before it's too late! WTA provides crew leaders, food, and tools; you provide the sweat; and we provide the scenery!

Three volunteer vacations will be within Mount Rainier National Park:
Carbon River - May 28-June 4
Carbon River - June 4-June 11
Carbon River - September 3-10

See you on the trail!

An easy way to volunteer this month

Mount Rainier National Park has just released its Environmental Assessment exploring options for managing access to the Carbon River area of the park, and will accept comments from the public for 45 days, until November 3, 2010. In addition, public meetings are being held this week, including one Tonight, September 30, at 7:00 PM at the Seattle REI store.

I'm often asked by people, this time of year, how they can volunteer. We have another trails project at White River this weekend, Saturday October 2, sponsored by the Mount Rainier National Park Associates, and Meadow Rovers are still needed at Sunrise and Paradise; but other than that, most of our volunteer work is done for the season. Trail crews have wrapped up their assignments and planting crews are finishing up, both with considerable help from volunteer groups; visitor centers are shutting down; and the weather is turning cold and wet.

So, get out your pen and paper and make a difference for park planning! Read the park's planning document, review the proposed alternatives, and send us your thoughts. Do you like the Park Service's preferred alternative, or one of the other ones? What are your priorities for the Carbon River area of the park? Your input could have as much influence on the future of your national park as if you'd picked up a pulaski in better weather!

Flood updates

Reports are slowly coming in about the damage we sustained from the flooding two weeks ago. In the frontcountry, our crews have restored the road at Kautz Creek, and you can now see, from the road, where the river chose its third channel in two years. Fortunately, the river is once again flowing through the culverts designed for it, rather than over the roadway. At Tahoma Creek, our crews are now working on measures to protect the bridge there.

Like last time, some of the greatest damage in this flood was at Carbon River, where the road lies uncomfortably close to the river channel. The Superintendent issued this statement on Friday:

"Vehicle access is open to barricades located at the county road washout on State Route 165. Parking is extremely limited. From this location it is a 1/2 mile walk to the Carbon River Entrance. Inside the park the Carbon River Road/Trail sustained further heavy damage making hiking hazardous through rough terrain and fallen trees. The park does not recommend attempting to access the area."

It will likely fall to our trail crews to eventually carve a passage through the debris, as they did two years ago. Watch our websites--both this one and the main park website--for updates about access to this area.

Damage on the Fairfax Road outside the park

Damage on the Carbon River road

The Wonderland Trail sustained further damage in Stevens Canyon, mostly on steep slopes that sloughed off in the storm. I'm not sure whether these were some of the same areas affected by the flood two years ago, but they will certainly require repair next summer before being passable for hikers. Volunteers will undoubtedly play a role in these repairs, as they did after the 2006 floods.

The Wonderland Trail near Martha Falls

The new suspension bridge at the Grove of the Patriarchs also was damaged again, though not irreparably this time. However, it remains unstable and is closed to hikers for the time being.

The silver lining in all of this, besides the damage being less than it was in 2006, is that everyone knows how to respond this time. Our road crews responded quickly and efficiently to restore the road at Kautz, and when the time comes (after the winter storms have passed and the snow has melted), our trail crews will do the same. Our volunteer program stands ready to help.

For now, you can help in two ways. First, make sure you're on our mailing list! We'll get back in touch with you next spring as our crews head out on the trails to make their repairs. Keep an eye on this website, too, for all the latest updates about storm damage and repair plans. Second, consider contributing to Washington's National Park Fund or the Washington Trails Association. The latter organization will work in tandem with our own staff to lead volunteer trail reconstruction efforts, and Washington's National Park Fund has committed to supporting the volunteer program as a whole, including our recruitment and youth volunteer efforts.

Thanks for your support, and we'll look forward to working with you on the trails again next spring!