MRNPA Announces 2016 Work Parties

It's time to start thinking ahead to summer! Mount Rainier National Park Associates has released the dates for their summer Saturday work parties.

During 2016, MRNPA will be conducting six volunteer work parties at Mount Rainier, consisting of four Saturdays of trail maintenance and two Saturdays "gardening in the Park." Please mark your calendars to join us on any or all of the following dates. The locations will be determined by park staff about two weeks before each volunteer work party.

April 30 - trail maintenance (a great day to get that first spring outing at Mount Rainier)
May 21 - trail maintenance
June 18 - trail maintenance
July 16 - "deveg" (exotic plant removal)
August 13 - trail maintenance during the day, followed by a pot luck dinner and an overnight camp for the volunteers who have worked that day
September 10 - "reveg"  (planting wildflower seedlings to re-establish alpine meadows)

I hope to see you on one, or more, of these MRNPA volunteer work parties.
John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

For more information, contact John at volunteer@mrnpa.org

The Life You Want to Live is the Life of a Nordic Patrol Volunteer

 

Entering their 23rd year of volunteering on the snow-covered meadows of Paradise, the Washington Ski Touring Club has been out in full force over the past few weeks marking routes by placing new bamboo poles along the paths, digging out the previously placed poles after they had been buried by 5+ feet of snow, marking off hazards in the backcountry, and making numerous visitor contacts along the way.

 

This is just a quick glimpse of some of the work the Nordic Patrollers do on a daily basis.  Just keep in mind the rest of their time in the backcountry is full of blue bird skies and deep fresh powder under their skis and snowshoes.

 

 

If you are interested in learning more about Nordic Patrol and the Washington Ski Touring Club, visit their website at http://wstc.clubexpress.com/ today!  Are you a member?  Send your pictures and stories to ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov

A Wild Snow Rover Appears

NPS / VIP Kelly Teale

 

 

Rambling around the Mountain in the winter, you may see many different sights.  Maybe a pika out for a quick stretch before heading back deep into the snowdrifts.  Maybe a raven singing its angelic tune overhead.  Possible even a very cold and confused black bear, but more likely is a warm and alert snowshoe hare.  But, if you are ever around Paradise on a holiday weekend, you will see many visitors in search of any or all of these things, usually to no avail.  What you are more likely to see out there are more and more of our volunteers, out in full force.

 

Many times our Snow Roving volunteers will be dressed to the nines in their warmest gear, trekking poles in hand, with a pack that appears to be almost too heavy to sling onto a back, full of the Winter Ten Essentials as well as a few other odds and ends (maybe a Meadow Stomper button or two from the summer?).  Sometimes you will encounter one of these wild creatures in their natural habitat: high up the mountain, surrounded by untrampled snow, blazing a path of visitors to find their way around.

 

NPS / VIP Teale

NPS / VIP Teale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you were on the Mountain over New Years weekend, you know it was very busy (see: my last post), but even with hundreds upon hundreds of visitors flocking to the snowy subalpine meadows of Paradise, there was still a bit of peace and serenity to be found.  And VIP Kelly Teale was able to capture some of it, with a camera in tow.

 

This was Kelly's first time serving as a Snow Rover, but you may recognize her from the Education Center.  She is an Education Technician, developing and leading programs for students ages both in the park and all over the world through the Park's ever-growing Distance Learning Program.  Over the winter, in addition to having this new found love of Snow Roving, Kelly is also hard at work volunteering for the Park's Archives and Museum Collections, spending countless hours each day handling artifacts that helped to shape the park into what it is today.

NPS Photo / VIP Kelly Teale

 

I still want to hear about your story!  Have you taken any amazing photos while volunteering at Mount Rainier?  Want to share them with the world?  If so, send them to Ian at ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov and you too can be featured on our Volunteer Blog and Facebook Page, visited by millions of people every day! (Okay, that may be only slightly made up)

Just in Case You Hadn't Heard...

...sometimes it snows at Paradise.

NPS Photo / Harvey

VIP Sarah Pigeon shadowed by Eagle Peak
NPS Photo / Harvey

And then sometimes, we get over sixty inches of snow in just a few days span.  This is what happened to Mount Rainier National Park at the beginning of the holiday break for many people.  On December 23rd and 24th, the entire park was closed due to the sheer amount of snow we had received.  In the lower elevations, the snow was so wet and heavy that it was weighing down seemingly healthy trees left and right, many of which fell upon the roadway.  The roads crew was hard at work on both of those days, trying to clear the road as best as possible. 
When the Nisqually gate finally opened at noon on December 25th, the line of cars stretched well past the park boundary and continued over a mile down the road.  Luckily in that line of cars were a few of our hardy Snow Rovers, who spent their afternoon strolling along the Trail of the Shadows and trekking up the Wonderland Trail, making hundreds of contacts on a beautifully sunny day. 

With the abundance of snow, the plows were working extra hard to carve their way to Paradise.  In doing so, our ancient snow moving machines suffered a few losses, and at one point, we were left with only one plow to move all of that snow.  With thanks to the park's auto shop, the plows were on the road in no time, and Paradise was finally open to the public once more.

NPS Photo / Harvey

In the days following the re-opening of Paradise, you could not ask for more perfect weather.  The alabaster snow was glistening under the warmth of the midday sun hanging high in the electric blue sky.  Of course, the Mountain, donning a new jacket reminiscent of mother-of-pearl, drew in all of the attention of park visitors and volunteers, stealing the show, as usual.  Just to the south, shadows were dancing across the ridges and valleys on the serrated Tatoosh Range, leaving the spectators in awe as the sun began to fade below the horizon.  Not to be outdone, every color of the rainbow was visible for only a few seconds on the flanks of the mighty Tacobet, as the sun was starting its race around the Earth, only to come up the following morning and do it all over again.

NPS Photo / Harvey

While the sights were inspiring to say the least, every single volunteer that took in the spectacular wonders of nature also assisted thousands of visitors, either directly or indirectly, during what could have been a chaotic time.  To put it in perspective, the Upper Lot, the Paradise Inn Lot, the Lower Lot, Narada Falls Lot, Christine Falls Lot, and Comet Falls Lot were all full of eager visitor's by 11:30am on Saturday, January 2nd.   

The introduction of over five new feet of snow, sunny skies, and the official opening of the Snow Play area at Paradise were all contributing factors to the influx of excited people to the Park, and with thanks to help from our Nordic Patrol, the visitors were able to find their way around on many miles of marked routes around the Paradise area. 

A big thank you goes out to all of our volunteers, and especially those who spent part of their holiday breaks giving back on the Mountain!  Without your help and dedication, this break would not have been as wonderful as it was!

NPS Photo / VIP Kelly Teale

How 'Bout those Fishers?

photo Kevin Bacher, NPS

On Thursday, 3 December 2015, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service and Conservation Northwest took the first step in restoring fishers to the Cascade Ecosystem of Washington. These organizations and their partners are working together to reintroduce fishers to the Cascade Mountain Range. They released the first group of fishers at the Cispus Learning Center in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, approximately 10 miles south of the town of Randle, Washington. A total of 7 fishers (4 females and 3 males) were released in front of a large group of wildlife enthusiasts interested in seeing the first fishers return to the Cascades.

The second fisher release event occurred Wednesday 23 December and was also at the Cispus Learning Center. Wintery and wet conditions, prior commitments, and the busy nature of the holiday season made it difficult for many folks to attend the release but about 25 hardy souls made the trek out to the Center. These folks helped release 4 fishers (3 males and 1 female) into the snowy forest landscape.

More releases are slated to occur soon. Mount Rainier National Park will be releasing fishers at Ohanapecosh and Longmire, possibly this month.

For the full story and photos from the first releases, please visit WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/fisher/updates_cascade.html.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Photo courtesy of Jon Epstein

Can you say "S-N-O-W?" Nordic Patrol's Jon Epstein trekked out to reset poles at Paradise. He's shown here at the Deadhorse Creek bridge. In Jon's words, "If you look to the far right of the photo you can see a small group of poles barely sticking out where they identify the bridge.  Had we not reset them this weekend they would have been lost for most of the winter."

The forecast is for snow to continue throughout the week, becoming heavy at times. If you go out, be prepared for winter conditions.

Seasonal -and Permanent- Greetings!

Photo by Kevin Bacher

The highly capable and eminently professional staff of the Volunteer Program would like to wish you and your families the best of the season. Now, let it snow!

Mark Your Calendars - 2016 Fee Free Days Have Been Announced!

Every Kid in a Park - Seattle Kick Off Event

Did you know that every single fourth grader can get a pass for free entry to any National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Education, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  That is millions of acres of federal land, just waiting to be explored by the fourth graders of this country (and their families, of course), for free! 

In the first year of this inititive, President Barack Obama has said:

"Because no matter who you are, no matter where you live, our parks, our monuments, our lands, our waters - these places are your birthright as Americans."

But maybe you aren't a fourth grader, reading this blog.  Parents can help their children get this pass by completing a short task together at www.everykidinapark.gov, printing out a temporary pass, and then exchanging it at any fee station of federal lands, including here at Mount Rainier National Park.

Are you a teacher of fourth graders?  Do you work at a camp or outdoor education center for fourth graders?  Sunday school?  Boy Scouts?  Girl Scouts?  A home-school leader?  Do you lead an after school program?  If you are an educator of fourth graders, then you can also create a lesson that touches on a few outlined topics, and you can hand out passes to any fourth graders that complete the lesson!  More information for educators can be found at www.everykidinapark.gov/get-your-pass/educator .

 

In September, Mount Rainier National Park, Klondike Goldrush National Park, Olympic National Park, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Islandwood and Washington Trails Association all held activities for a number of fourth graders from around the Seattle Area, issuing over 50 passes to very eager fourth graders!

You can get YOUR pass here (assuming that you are in fourth grade): www.everykidinapark.gov

Calling All Volunteers with a Name Tag!

Do you have a bronze name tag from your time volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park?  Have you put in over 100 hours of volunteer time?  Do you volunteer on the front lines, behind a visitor's center desk, in a wilderness information center, out meadow roving or patrolling the back country, or many other jobs where a name tag is a crucial part of your uniform?  Were you an active volunteer in 2015 and will you be an active volunteer in 2016?  If so, then this post is for you!

Just imagine this, shinier, and in pin form.

As you may already (hopefully) know, 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.  To help spread the news, we have ordered a limited number of 2016 Centennial pins to share with those volunteers who interact with the public on a regular basis.  You may have seen these pins on NPS Staff, centered just above their name tags, and they are an official part of the 2016 uniform for staff and volunteers. 

These pins do look best centered above the official NPS name tag, but if you don't have a name tag, don't you fret!  They are available for purchase at http://www.arrowheadstore.com/.  Since the volunteer program has a limited number of these pins, we only have enough for one pin per volunteer who meets the above criteria. 

So, if you have been an active volunteer in the past year and you are looking to continue volunteering throughout the winter or even next summer, with a name tag, please contact Ian at ian_harvey@partner.nps.gov and he will get your pin out to you as soon as possible!  In your email, please include your mailing address, if you would like to have your pin shipped to you!