From VIP to NPS

I received this letter over the weekend from Jay Satz, Regional Vice President of SCA:

Hello Colleagues,

I thought you would all enjoy seeing this photo shot by Kristin Mitchell of four year SCA alumnus Jaya Ghosh (Seattle Conservation leadership Corps, 2005-2008), in uniform this summer as an NPS interpretive ranger at North Cascades National Park.

Jaya participated in four years of our academic year program and spent her summers at Mount Rainier (twice, one as an apprentice crew leader), Hopewell Furnace NHS and the Glennallen Resource District (BLM) near the northern slope in Alaska. Along he way she also applied and received a City of Seattle grant for trail repair in one of Seattle’s city parks, presented on her Mount Rainier Recovery Initiative experience with two of her peers at Earth Vision and the Northwest Wilderness Conference and was a keynote speaker at Seattle’s Fiftieth Anniversary celebration and our kick off Earth Day event, sharing the dais with Mayor Nickels and Congressman Inslee.

It's always gratifying to see a "graduate" of volunteer service with the National Park Service get to put on the green-and-gray! In fact, many, many of us who have careers with NPS began as volunteers, often with SCA. I, myself, first worked as a volunteer at the South Rim Visitor Center at Grand Canyon National Park. I crossed paths with Jaya several times during the two summers she worked here, and am not surprised that North Cascades picked her up as an employee the first chance they got. Congratulations, Jaya!

Alyssa Herr named Natural and Cultural Resources Employee of the Year

Last week, Barbara Samora presented Alyssa Herr with the 2009 NCR Employee of the Year Award.

Alyssa was assigned the task of addressing wildlife food conditioning and habituation issues, in addition to her normal duties working on the spotted owl field monitoring crew. She was the field lead for the informational campaign to reduce feeding of wildlife throughout the park. She organized a huge volunteer effort to address wildlife feeding and habituation by recruiting volunteers and providing a hands on training session before sending them out into the field to patrol problem areas and educate visitors. Alyssa took the initiative to contact the local newspaper whose published article on the event aided in recruiting volunteers. She also took the initiative to develop a logo and had an unsolicited but interested donor provide t-shirts with the wildlife logo to provide to volunteers participating in the event.

Alyssa conducted patrols of campgrounds, employee quarters and outdoor concession facilities to address problems with improper food storage and educate employees and visitors on wildlife issues.

Alyssa also assisted the Ranger division staff in developing another wildlife campaign that focused on wildlife roadkill events as well as wildlife feeding. She worked closely with park Rangers and Interpreters to address these issues.

In addition, Alyssa assisted the Wildlife Ecologist by serving as field lead for spotted owl and other field wildlife projects in the absence of the lead bio tech.

Alyssa is enthusiastic, energetic and has taken incredible initiative in developing a program that educates both visitors and employees on the effects of wildlife food conditioning and habituation. She is well respected by her co-workers in all divisions. She is most deserving of the 2009 Natural and Cultural Resources Division annual award.

Please join with me in congratulating Alyssa for a job well.

Roger J. Andrascik
Acting Deputy Superintendent
Mount Rainier National Park

Tacoma Teachers Volunteer at Mount Rainier National Park

Phil and Lisa Hertzog spent several days this summer volunteering at Mount Rainier National Park. Phil teaches 10th Grade Biology at Stadium High School, while Lisa teaches 8th Grade Math at the new First Creek Middle School.

The Hertzogs served as Meadow Rovers on the trails surrounding Paradise on the west side of the Park. Their duties consisted of walking the trails and educating Park visitors on how to protect the fragile subalpine meadows. One footstep can destroy over 20 plants and 10 people walking across the meadows to the same snow patch can create a social path that can result in erosion and loss of native vegetation. With over 1.5 million visitors a year to Mount Rainier National Park, the Meadow Rover Program helps inform visitors to stay on the trails and to protect a significant national resource.

One of the biggest challenges Phil faced as a Meadow Rover was dealing with a group of fifty Korean Middle Schoolers. The students had never seen snow before and raced across the fragile meadows to have a snow ball fight. “As the students were trampling avalanche lilies, lupine, and pink mountain heather, I had to use hand gestures to communicate with the non-English speaking students about the damage being done to the meadows,” he said. Phil diplomatically got the students back on the trail and hiked them up another 300 yards where the students accessed a large snow field to continue their snowball fight without damaging the vegetation. Later the students spotted Phil at the Jackson Visitor Center and waved him over to join in a group photograph.

The Hertzogs also helped out with “The Shadows of the Past” Living History Program held at Longmire in the Park on the evening of August 15. Lisa carried a lantern to light the way for a group of 50 Park visitors on the “Trail of the Shadows” that runs 1 mile around Longmire Meadow. As an interpretive ranger made introductory remarks, volunteers dressed as historical characters, such as John Muir, would appear out of the darkness along the trail and describe their role in the history of Mount Rainier National Park. Lisa, Phil and other lantern bearers would light up the characters' faces as they acted out their parts and made for a magically evening in the shadow of Mount Rainier.

The Hertzogs plan to incorporate their volunteer experiences at Mount Rainier into their biology and math classroom lessons. Both Phil and Lisa encourage other Tacoma School District Teachers to consider volunteer opportunities at the Park.

Volunteer Opportunities at Mt. Rainier National ParkSeveral volunteer opportunities are available for both students and teachers at Mount Rainier National Park this fall and next summer. Volunteering at the Park can help you and your students improve science skills and help out our community. As a volunteer, you also have opportunities to participate in Park Service training sessions that may benefit your classroom curriculum.

This fall, the Park Service needs volunteers to help plant up to 140,000 plants at the site of the old Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise on the west side of the Park. The Park Service opened a new Visitor Center last fall and completed work this summer to allow revegetation of the old center site to start this month.

Will Arnesen, Mount Rainier National Park Restoration Ecologist, will lead the planting efforts and has set up the following the following weekends for groups who would like to help out: Sept. 19/20, Sept. 26/27, and Oct. 3/4.

Groups are encouraged to sign up for any of the above dates by contacting Will via e-mail at Will_Arnesen@nps.gov or calling (360) 569-2211 ext. 3374. Students under the age of 18 will need to have parents sign a National Park Service permission form. Individuals that would like to help out are welcome to drop by the old Visitor Center Site located in the lower Paradise Parking lot on Saturday September 26 and Saturday October 3. Individuals may be able to drop in on the other 4 dates listed above if we have other groups sign up for those days. Please contact Will to find out if planting will occur on those days if you have a strong interest. All volunteers should bring rain gear, work gloves and be ready to work in muddy conditions since our native plants need lots of water to get them growing upon planting.

The Park also has a number of volunteer opportunities next summer. These opportunities include patrolling the Paradise and Sunrise trails to educate visitors on how to protect the fragile sub alpine meadows, assisting with park research efforts, helping with trail maintenance, and participating in interpretive history programs. You can find out more information about these activities by going to the Park’s Volunteer Website at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com or contacting Kevin Bacher, Mount Rainier National Park Volunteer and Outreach Program Manager, at Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov or (360) 569-2211 ext. 3385.

Thank you to Phil Hertzog of Stadium High School, who wrote this article and can also talk to you about his volunteer experience at Mount Rainier. He can be reached via District phone at 253 571-3176 x-3176.

Rain can't stop the Federal Way United Methodist Church

A dozen members of the Federal Way United Methodist Church are here volunteering in the rain this weekend, camping in the Longmire Campground and continuing the work of cleaning up campsites for use by volunteers. "It looks as good as Ohanapecosh now!" enthused Jean Millan, the Longmire Campground host. The volunteers themselves were having a good time, too, raking up fallen branches and scattering them in the forest. "We should be thanking you," said one of the group leaders when I expressed my appreciation. "This is a great opportunity to camp out and give back."



Youth and adults from the church volunteered this morning and will do so again tomorrow, with time out for hiking at Longmire and Paradise. Above are some photos of their work. Click here for the full album.

Volunteers still needed for Puyallup Fair

Volunteers are still needed to staff Mount Rainier's booth at the Puyallup Fair. As you will recall from our previous post, volunteers will help cover three 3 1/2 hour shifts each day of the Fair: 10:00am-1:30pm; 1:30pm-5:00pm; and 5:00pm-8:30pm. The evening shifts are usually harder to fill.

Participants receive free parking and admission to the Fair. If you are interested in helping, please contact Jim Ross as soon as possible at Jim_Ross@nps.gov.

Look for the "OPEN" slots on the calendar to see what's still available: [update: as of 9/5, all spaces are full! If you're still interested in participating, however, contact Jim to be put on the alternates list.)



Jim can cover some (but not all) of the evening shifts on the 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, so the other remaining dates are higher priority. Thanks for your help!

NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY 2009

Plans are still being finalized for National Public Lands Day, but this is one event that you'll want to be sure to have on your personal calendar!

This year we'll be working on a variety of projects including trail maintenance and construction, native planting, and campground restoration. All ages and abilities are welcome, though some projects will require more physical ability than others. Bring gloves, boots, sunscreen, water, and a lunch, and gather in front of the Transportation Exhibit next to the National Park Inn at 9am on Saturday September 26. We'll work till mid-afternoon and then gather at the park's Community Building for a preview showing of 45 minutes of footage from the upcoming Ken Burns documentary on the National Parks. Details on the timing will be forthcoming.

In addition to projects out of Longmire, the Washington Trails Association will be leading a trail construction project on the Glacier Basin Trail in the northeast corner of the park, out of White River Campground. Visit their website for more information or to sign up for this specific event.

Mount Rainier, of course, will not be the only national park sponsoring volunteer projects on National Public Lands Day. If you don't live near Mount Rainier, visit the "America's Best Idea" page on the National Park Service website for information about projects near you. They even feature a photo of Student Conservation Association volunteers working at Mount Rainier last year!

Mount Rainier's National Public Lands Day project is its biggest volunteer event of the year, and is presented in cooperation with the Student Conservation Association, Washington Trails Association, National Parks Conservation Association, and Washington's National Park Fund. Come join our team to help protect the natural and cultural treasures of Mount Rainier National Park!

For more information about visiting either individually or as a group, contact Kevin Bacher at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385, or write to Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov. See you here!

Revegetation Opportunities at Paradise

As you know from previous blog entries, our revegetation program has more than 130,000 plants to put into the ground at Paradise before the snow flies, or as many as we can manage with volunteer help. We are still looking for volunteer groups who can help out; and individual volunteers are welcome to drop in and volunteer on any date when groups are scheduled.

Here are the current dates on the calendar:

• Saturday September 19 and Sunday September 20 - [UPDATED] Join Nisqually Middle School! Individual drop-in volunteers are welcome both Saturday and Sunday.
• Saturday September 26 - National Public Lands Day. The Mount Rainier National Park Associates will be working at Paradise; all other volunteers are welcome to join them! More details about NPLD will be coming out shortly.
• Sunday September 27 - No groups have signed up yet. We will plant on this date only if a group signs up.
• Saturday October 3 - REI employees will be volunteering, so individual drop-in volunteers are also welcome.
• Sunday October 4 - No groups have signed up yet. We will plant on this date only if a group signs up.

If you'd like to sign up as a group, please contact Will Arnesen at 360-569-2211 ext. 3374, or Will_Arnesen@nps.gov. Will can also answer any questions you may have. If you'd like to volunteer as an individual, you can drop in at the site of the old Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise on any of the dates when groups are working, currently September 26 and/or October 3. If you need overnight camping any of these dates, contact Nick Abel at Nicholas_Abel@partner.nps.gov.

J-VIPA Arrives at Mount Rainier

Here at Mount Rainier National Park, we are pleased to welcome back for several weeks the Japanese Volunteers-in-Parks Associates from Waseda University in Tokyo. This is the 16th year of partnership between the J-VIPA program and Mount Rainier National Park and every year we mark our calender in anticipation.

As some of you may already know, Mount Rainier National Park has a special relationship with Japan. We are the sister mountain to Mount Fuji, and every year we play host this remarkable program, bridging both geographical and cultural divides.

Every year, the J-VIPA participants work on a particular project around the park, last year it was a bio-toilet for backcountry use. This year the J-VIP's are helping to build an accessible trailhead at Paradise. A sorely needed amenity.

They arrived at Sea-Tac on Saturday the 22nd, but I only managed to make it up to Paradise to see their work on Thursday. Working with maintenance,the progress they've made is amazing. For these volunteers to come thousands of miles and create something that will last far longer than their stay is really quite a cool way of experiencing the place you travel. We all like to leave little reminders that we came.

This Sunday, I'm joining the J-VIP's and their host families as we head out to Safeco Field for day at an Mariners Game. This is something that speaks across culture, baseball is as big in Japan as it is here in the U.S. Plenty of pictures will be forthcoming. And encourage anyone planning to visit Paradise soon to go and admire the J-VIP's (and Maintenance's) handiwork. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated.

Well, that's about it, so I'll simply say ではまたあとで.

おやすみなさい

Mount Rainier National Park Associates plans final projects of 2009

On Saturday, September 12th MRNPA will conduct our last trails work party for this year. We will again be working on the reroute section of the Glacier Basin Trail. The building of this new section of trail still a priority. The work that has been done looks great. But, there is still plenty to be done and this new section of the trail probably will not be completed until the summer of 2011.

We will meet at the White River Campground parking lot at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning, and be ready to move out at 9:00 AM.

Bring work gloves, safety glasses, full rain gear (you never know if you will need it), your lunch, and plenty of fluids to drink. Also bring a hard hat if you have one.

On Saturday, September 26th MRNPA will be assisting Will Arneson and his Restoration Crew in planting of alpine meadow plants at the site where the old Jackson Visitors Center once stood at Paradise. Will Arneson and his crews will be working at this site on September 19th, 20th, 26th, 27th, and August 3rd and 4th. They would appreciate volunteers coming to assist them on any of these days, but MRNPA will be conducting our scheduled work party only on September 26th. [Editor's note: this is also National Public Lands Day.]

On Saturday, September 26th , the MRNPA volunteers will meet in the Paradise upper parking lot, near the new Jackson Visitors Center, at between 8:30 and 9:00 AM. We will work until at least 3:00 PM. Please find Rose or Allan Evans and sign in. The NPS needs to know the names and hours worked of all volunteers who participate - so please sign out with Allan or Rose when you leave too.

Bring your lunch, plenty of fluids to drink, and your favorite gardening gloves. Heavy leather work gloves are too clumsy. The thin gloves with rubber palms and fingers work great. We will be planting seedlings that are at times tiny, so clumsy gloves are not good.

Also consider bringing your favorite garden trowel or small digging tool and a knee pad. You will be on your hands and knees all day, so protecting your knees and keeping them dry really helps you enjoy the day. The NPS does have trowels you can use if you don't bring your own.

And of course, bring your sun hat, sun screen lotion, and a full set of rain gear. The weather at Paradise in September can be anything from a glorious autumn day to a cold and wet preliminary to winter.

Volunteers are welcome to camp in the Longmire Campground for free either the night before or the night after their volunteer service, or both. Please contact Kevin_Bacher@nps.gov, or Nick at Nicholas_Abel@partner.nps.gov, or call them at 360-569-2211 ext. 3385, if you'd like to reserve a site. Sites will also be available on a first-come, first-served basis, but you'll get the best selection if you call ahead.

If you plan on attending either the Saturday, September 12th, MRNPA trails work party at White River or the Saturday, September 26th planting work party at Paradise please write to the Mount Rainier National Park Associates at volunteer@mount-rainier.org indicating that you are coming and the number of volunteers you are bringing with you.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates

Shadows of the Past a HUGE Success

Hey everyone, long time no see. It's been awhile since I last wrote. I took some time off to visit my friends as school starts up, a sorely needed trip, but now I'm back and rearing to go. Hear's to the end of the season, lets let it go out with a bang!

Now for some late breaking announcements:

First off, I want to say "Thanks You!" to all the volunteers who participated in Shadows of the Past.

The Shadows of the Past program on Saturday, August 15th was a smashing success, not in small part due to the huge volunteer response we got. Whether you were a Lantern Bearer, helping to light the way and set the ambiance of the walk, or an actor, dressed up and playing the part, it was the volunteers who allowed this program to go on. It's you guys and gals who really make this program. So give yourself a pat on the back, because you deserve it.

The Lantern Bearers especially deserve our thanks and congratulation. Without them, the walk would not be nearly as successful, or even possible. We had 27! volunteers of all ages helping carry the lanterns, both first timers and old hands. They came early and stayed late, signed forms and waited patiently, and all did an excellent job. They have our recognition, because without the volunteers, there are no Lantern Bearers, and without the Lantern Bearers, there is no Shadows of the Past.

I also want to thank everyone who came to the Volunteer Picnic. It was great fun seeing everyone coming together and discusses the season. That picnic was for you, the volunteer, and it's our little way of saying thanks for helping out and making Mount Rainier National Park all the better for it.