October 3rd Paradise Reveg Info

This is the last notice about the Paradise Reveg on Saturday, Oct 3rd, and I wanted to make sure everyone had the information they needed to join us.

When: 9:00 AM on Saturday, October 3rd
Where: Lower Paradise Parking Lot, where the old visitor center was.
Bring: Gloves, warm clothes, food and water, some people also bring knee pads. Gardening tools are provided, but if you wish to bring your own, feel free.

You'll be joining employees from REI and the Reveg Crew, helping put a dent in the 130,000 plants that still must go in the ground before winter closes in. It'll be a lot of work, but we have the right volunteers for the job.

Even rain and snow won't stop this party. Will Arnesen, the reveg coordinator, has managed to obtain a large canopy to put over the work site. Now you can plant and stay dry at the same time. Very plush, but I'm still hoping for sunny, 76 degree weather.

Whatever the weather, I hope are able to make it to Paradise. This Saturday may be your last chance to help restore Paradise before the snow comes. So come up and join us on October 3rd and celebrate a great year at Mount Rainier.

Make that 180+ volunteers... and 29,500 plants!

We're still gathering statistics from National Public Lands Day, which is a little more complicated than usual this year because we had projects in three different locations (Longmire, Paradise, and Glacier Basin), and I'm still waiting for final numbers from the crew leaders. But I spoke with Will Arnesen at Paradise yesterday and he confirmed that at that site alone, 151 people had signed in, and that those 151 volunteers had planted 29,500 plants! Those are amazing numbers, folks! We've never had a volunteer project in the history of this park, so far as we know, that has attracted so many people all at once.

And if there were any project that needed that much effort, it was (is) the planting project at Paradise! We have a total of 130,000 plants to put into the ground this fall before snow drives us out of Paradise. We're obviously not going to accomplish that in one weekend, but we're also not going to manage it with only our full-time park planting crew. Together, we can get it done!

We have Middle School students coming up this week, if the weather doesn't drive them away, and REI employees next weekend. Saturday October 3 is an open planting day for anyone who wants to help! Will even has tents coming this week that will allow his crew--and any intrepid volunteers--to keep planting even if it snows. (It'll be in-tents!) We'll hope for weather as nice as last weekend. But if the weather's poor, dress warmly, bring hot cocoa, wear gloves--but still come. The plants have to get into the ground!

Meanwhile, THANK YOU to all of you who participated on National Public Lands Day. We had at least 30 people on the Bench Lake and Fourth Crossing trails and in the Longmire Campground, and probably a few dozen over at Glacier Basin, so that's more than 200 of you parkwide. You guys are awesome!

140+ National Public Lands Day volunteers on the west side!

National Public Lands Day 2009 was a huge success! We had around 140 volunteers working at Longmire and Paradise (final numbers are still being tallied), and I haven't heard from Glacier Basin yet, where at least another 30 volunteers had pre-registered. I'll write more with the details tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's a selection of photos from the event. THANK YOU to everyone who participated!!

Other projects on National Public Lands Day

Mount Rainier National Park isn't the only local agency looking for volunteers on National Public Lands Day, this Saturday, September 26. Here's a summary in The News Tribune, including projects on local Forest Service and State DNR lands. If you can't make it to The Mountain, maybe you can help elsewhere!

Citizens Science a Sucess

As the season slows down and projects begin to end, pictures and reports start to trickle into the office, reminding us just how many volunteers there are in the park and how varied their work is.

Kevin and I recently received a year’s end report on the Citizen Science program, along with a bevy of pictures documenting the work over the past three months of Caitlin Kenny and fourteen volunteers in the program.

The Citizen Science program at Mount Rainier was a resounding success over the past three months. The Citizen Science program recruits and trains volunteers to help conduct scientific experiments and projects throughout the park. Led by Caitlin Kenny, a fellow intern through the Student Conservation Association, more than a dozen volunteers collected data on amphibian populations throughout the park. Working this summer and fall, from July into September, volunteers spent varying amount of time with the program, some working 8 hours, others more than 50 hours! With their help, Caitlin surveyed fifty sites at all corners of the park.

It’s good to hear about the success of the program, Citizen Science is one of my favorite volunteer opportunities here at the park. Where else can a grown adult go hunting around in lakes for frogs and salamanders like a little kid. But it’s not all fun and games. The work our Citizen Science volunteers do is extremely important and useful. They gather data from sites that the park doesn’t have the resources or people to survey, and all of this data helps us to understand the impact humans are having on the habitat of these animals. Using this data, we will make better, more informed decisions in the future.

Caitlin just finished up her internship and now she is off to bigger and better (hard to get better than Mt. Rainier) things. I want to recognize Caitlin Kenny for all the hard work she put into the program, and the incredible job she did coordinating volunteers. Not an easy task when you attention is also focused on collecting data and writing reports for our Natural Resource division. Caitlin rightly made volunteers her top priority in the program, but not just the regulars. She was always ready to work with the sudden school group, no matter how large or how unexpected. Her work with younger groups such as the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium was particularly appreciated.

And finally, I want to recognize and thank all the volunteers who participated in the Citizen Science program. Dave Purdon, Carol and Jim Miltimore (who are involved in everything park-volunteer related), Melanie Wisdom and everyone was a huge help. It’s because of you that programs like this are so successful. Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it.

National Public Lands Day 2009 will be a day of service and celebration

On National Public Lands Day, Saturday, September 26, 2009, more than a hundred volunteers will assemble at Mount Rainier National Park to plant native plants, maintain trails, and restore a historic campground. The work day will cap a highly successful season in which more than a thousand volunteers contributed to the protection of the park’s natural and cultural treasures and helped serve its visitors.

National Public Lands Day is an annual celebration of public involvement in the stewardship of America’s national, state, and local parks and forests. More than 120,000 individuals are expected to participate in events all over the country. In recognition of this, entrance fees have been waived at all national parks. Volunteers will receive an additional coupon for free admission on a day of their choice.

September 26 has also been designated a Day of Service and Celebration by the National Park Service, in anticipation of the airing of a new documentary by filmmaker Ken Burns that will be released on PBS the following day, titled The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Volunteers will be invited to attend a preview showing of 45 minutes from the series following their day of service.

National Public Lands Day volunteers will gather at the Longmire Museum at 9:00 a.m. Teams under the direction of crew leaders from the National Park Service and Student Conservation Association will help revegetate the site of the old Jackson Visitor Center, which was torn down and replaced by a new building last fall. Volunteers throughout late September and early October will plant more than 130,000 native plants at the site. Other teams on National Public Lands Day will work on basic trail maintenance and restoration of the historic Longmire Campground for use by future volunteers. Meanwhile, in the opposite corner of the park, the Washington Trails Association will continue a massive effort to rebuild the Glacier Basin Trail, which was obliterated by flooding three years ago. Projects will be available for all ages and levels of physical ability.

A coalition of nonprofit organizations and corporations has supported volunteer efforts at Mount Rainier throughout the summer and will help with National Public Lands Day. The Student Conservation Association plays a major role, with interns serving as volunteer coordinators and on trail teams throughout the park. The National Parks Conservation Association has led efforts to increase public awareness and understanding of issues facing northwest parks, including climate change and increased dangers from flooding. The Washington Trails Association and its members have worked hard to repair and maintain trails throughout the state. Washington’s National Park Fund has supported flood recovery and volunteer efforts through fundraising. Corporations including Boeing, REI, and Starbucks have contributed with both financial and on-the-ground volunteer support. Hundreds of individuals and dozens of groups have invested their time and sweat, in partnership with park employees, to build and patrol trails, assist and educate visitors, conduct citizen science research, plant native plants, remove invasive species, maintain backcountry campsites, and catalogue historic records. Last year, 1837 volunteers contributed 70,130 hours of service at Mount Rainier, an effort valued at $1.4 million.

Individuals may RSVP to help with National Public Lands Day, as well as many other projects extending into October. Up-to-date information, a calendar of activities, and pictures of volunteers in action may be found on Mount Rainier National Park’s website at www.nps.gov/mora, or on its volunteer program blog at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com.

- NPS -

C.A.M.P. on YouTube and Yahoo Video

I’ve just posted a 4-minute video from our summer outreach program on YouTube and Yahoo Video. The video is culled from hours of footage captured by outreach participants themselves, using “Flip” video cameras purchased by our education program. I’m pleased with the results, and look forward to sharing this video with the generous donors who sponsored the program through the National Park Foundation, Washington’s National Park Fund, and REI.

This is a program we hope to continue and expand next summer. We are seeking grants now, so if anyone knows of any funding sources that would apply, please let us know! This is a program that has tremendous potential to connect families with Mount Rainier National Park who would otherwise never have the opportunity to do so.

Enjoy the video. Here’s the official promo text:

In the summer of 2009, 21 families from Seattle pioneered a new program at Mount Rainier National Park called C.A.M.P.: Camping Adventure with My Parents. The program was designed for families who had no experience with the National Parks, or who had never been camping before. Over the course of three days, they learned how to set up tents, how to build a campfire, and how to cook dinner in the woods. They went on hikes, attended ranger programs, learned about volcanoes and glaciers, played in the river, and helped with volunteer projects. They made new friends, and had many new experiences. When they arrived at the park, each family was given a camera with which to record their experiences. This is their story, through their own eyes, and in their own words.

Update: For anyone who's interested, here's a link where you can download the full 4-minute video at its original full resolution (640x480):

www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMP%20promo%20medium%20quality.wmv

For our CAMP participants, I've also uploaded the full 28-minute "highlights reel" I showed at our CAMP reunion event in Seattle on September 20. Downloading this one's more complicated, for a variety of reasons related to the limitations of our government website. I'll spare you the details, but here's what you need to do:

1. Download all three of the following files. You can do so most easily (on Windows-based computers) by right-clicking on the link and choosing "save as."
   
   File 1: www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMPsplit.zip
   File 2: www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMPsplit.z01.zip
   File 3: www.nps.gov/mora/supportyourpark/upload/CAMPsplit.z02.zip
   
2. Rename the second and third file by removing the ".zip" extension. To do this (at least on a windows-based computer), right-click on the file and select "rename," then position the cursor at the end of the file name and hit the backspace key four times. Leave the .zip extension on the first file. You should end up with three files, named:
   
   CAMPsplit.zip
   CAMPsplit.z01
   CAMPsplit.z02
   
3. Double-click on the file named "CAMPsplit.zip" and follow the instructions to "unzip" it to a location of your choosing (e.g. your computer desktop).
   
4. If your computer does not have Winzip or a comparable file compacting program, you can download a free version online at http://www.winzip.com/.

Good luck, and if you run into any problems, let me know.
Another update: Both videos are now available on Joe's Shutterfly site, rainiercamp.shutterfly.com! You can watch both the 4-minute and 28-minute videos there, but you won't be able to download them from this site.

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

Tomorrow night, KCTS TV (Channel 9) will air the first of a two-part series called National Parks: Northwest Stories. The two 30-minute features (the second will be aired next week) will focus on Mount Rainier and other Washington national parks, including the role of volunteers in Mount Rainier's flood recovery efforts over the past few years:

KCTS 9 shares stories from the National Parks in Washington State. From the magnificent peaks and glaciers of the North Cascades, to the dense rainforests of the Olympics, to the awe-inspiring and iconic Mount Rainier, we take you deep into our National Parks, bringing you stories of the land, and the people who have dedicated their lives to preserving these "sublime wonderlands" that belong to all of us.

The films will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Friday September 18 and 25.

These features add a local angle to the "Big Event" coming up a week from Sunday (8:00 September 27), the new documentary by Ken Burns entitled The National Parks: America's Best Idea. This 12-hour, six-episode series will focus on the people who made the National Parks what they are today:

Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature's most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — The National Parks: America's Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration - set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.

If you love the national parks, this is must-see TV!

For a special 45-minute preview of the Ken Burns film, plus a showing of the KCTS specials, join us for National Public Lands Day on Saturday September 26. Meet at Longmire at 9:00am with water, lunch, and work clothes, and be prepared to work on trail maintenance, native plant revegetation, and historic campground restoration for the day. Gather at the historic Community Building afterward for pizza and movies. Then watch the Ken Burns series with pride, knowing that you--you!--are one of the special people Burns is talking about when he tells stories of those who have worked to protect some of the most extraordinary places in the world!

National Public Lands Day registration now open!

National Public Lands Day will be fast upon us--Saturday, September 26 from 9am to 4pm! As reported earlier, we have a wide variety of projects ready for volunteer hands to help with, including native plant revegetation, trail maintenance, and campground restoration.

After the event, we will be gathering, beginning at 3:30pm, at the Longmire Community Building for pizza and a preview showing of the new Ken Burns documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," which airs on PBS beginning the following night.

In order to help us know how many crew leaders to arrange and how much pizza to buy, we would appreciate it greatly if you could please RSVP at the following website:

http://npld2009.eventbrite.com

You are welcome to register once for your entire group or family.

Thanks, and we'll look forward to seeing you here!

9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

From Serve.gov (also known as Volunteer.gov):

This year we commemorate the first September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 inspired Americans to come together in a remarkable spirit of unity and compassion. It was a stark reminder that our fate as individuals is inherently tied to the fate of our nation. Eight years later, September 11 continues to evoke strong emotion and is an homage to sacrifice and a call to action.

In April, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which, for the first time, officially recognizes September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. This year, on September 11, the President, the Corporation for National and Community Service, MyGoodDeed and the 9/11 families will ask all Americans to remember that Tuesday eight years ago and recommit to service in their communities throughout the year. We encourage you to continue to promote service by commemorating this milestone through the United We Serve initiative.

Mount Rainier National Park does not have any public projects on the calendar for September 11. However, consider joining the Mount Rainier National Park Associates and the Washington Trails Association the following day to help rebuild the Glacier Basin Trail. In addition, you can find dozens of projects in your area to help with, both on the Serve.gov website and on that of its partner organization, Service Nation. Please consider finding some way to help: if not here, then somewhere in your community. Thanks!