Mount Rainier National Park Associates announces summer volunteer dates

Greetings,

Even though the dark days of winter are still here, for some of us the planning for spring and summer is well underway. For the Mount Rainier National Park Associates that planning includes setting aside days to work as volunteers at Mount Rainier National Park. This year MRNPA will be conducting six volunteer work parties at Mount Rainier: four days of doing trail maintenance and two days we think of as "alpine gardening" doing weeding and planting. MRNPA invites you to join us for a day or two of volunteer work, donating your time and effort, but also enjoying the amazing place that is Mount Rainier National Park and the company of a group of people who love that place.

Please join us on any, or all, of the following dates. The actual locations will be determined by park staff about two weeks before the volunteer work party.

• April 28th doing trail maintenance (a great day to get that first spring outing at Mount Rainier)
• 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 in areas that years ago were a campground near Sunrise

I hope to see you on one, or more, of our volunteer work parties.

John Titland
Volunteer Coordinator
Mount Rainier National Park Associates
volunteer@mrnpa.org

Digital Photo Librarian Needed!

Do you love working with digital images? Do you know and love Mount Rainier and all of its nooks and crannies? We need your help developing a digital library of images for use in park projects!

Mount Rainier National Park is looking for a part-time volunteer to assist in the development of a digital photo library. The volunteer will primarily be responsible for uploading photos to a new online digital library, which will involve identifying and describing a large variety of unlabeled park photos. Ideally, the volunteer will be familiar with the park and park locations.

The volunteer will begin by sorting a few thousand images that currently reside on the park's network, unsorted and undescribed and scattered across several disc drives and directories. The result of this project will be a tagged database of images that can be searched when a quality image is needed for a specific project. Some of the images will be included in a public collection of images on flickr.com.

The work schedule is week days only, between 8:00am-4:30pm, from one to five days per week, starting late March or early April 2012. Multiple individuals may be hired, if we can coordinate their work schedules. Housing is not available for this position, so ideally we're looking for someone nearby who is willing to commute. Because this position will work on government networked computers, a background check will be required.

How do you get involved in this awesome opportunity? I'm glad you asked! Fill out an online application at https://www.volunteer.gov/gov/new/results.cfm?ID=12141. If you have questions, contact Kristyn Loving at 360-569-6564, or send her an e-mail at Kristyn_Loving [at] nps.gov.

Looking for Cougar Rock Campground Hosts

Have you been toying with the idea of applying for a Campground Host position at Mount Rainier National Park? Now is the time! Our Campground Manager, Debbie Hannevig, is currently looking for candidates to fill that position between Memorial Day and Columbus Day. If you're not able to commit for the entire summer, that's O.K. too; we often work with one individual or couple at the beginning of the season and someone else for the second half. Do note, however, that maximum RV length is 30 feet, due to the small spaces in our historic campground.

You can find the vacancy announcement and online application link here, along with details on how to find more information about the position. We hope to see you here this summer!

Mission: Outdoors

This past weekend, Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th, I had the privilege of attending a Sierra Club listening session for their program to engage military families in outdoor activities. I attended as a representative of the National Park Service and, specifically, the Pacific West Region's volunteer program. The goal was to identify barriers in working with veterans and to develop strategies for overcoming them.

We had 20 people in attendance, at Islandwood, a residential environmental education facility on Bainbridge Island -- 5 from Sierra Club, 14 from various military connections, and me. The military attendees included active military from Joint Base Lewis McChord, and veterans who are now working with other veterans in some capacity like the VA or community-based organizations. The leader of the Sierra Club effort was Stacy Bare, a veteran who now works to get other veterans connected to outdoor programs through the Sierra Club, and who has a great personal story of finding healing and purpose through his own experiences hiking and climbing. Another of the Sierra Club people was an excellent facilitator who walked us through discussion topics like what barriers exist in working with military veterans and how to overcome them. And there was a lot of social interaction built in, too, which created a great comradery in the group. I made some friends, and I have some great contacts for making further connections with local military.

Sierra Club is also tentatively planning a weekend trip for veterans to Mystic Lake here in Mount Rainier National Park this summer, as one of the outcomes of our meeting.

The meeting was interesting for me, too, because a lot of the issues of engaging with the military apply in similar ways to outreach efforts in other communities as well, such as under-represented ethnic and economic groups.

Some key insights:

• Involve veterans in the outreach to veterans. Nothing breaks down barriers like having someone there who shares your experience.
• Consider mentorships. Don't just make the connection and then forget about it; actively check in on people.
• Plan a positive first experience that sets a welcoming tone.
• Establish a relationship with "two-way value." Don't just provide a service, engage the veterans in contributing as well.
• Find common ground and a common sense of purpose. This can help break down perceived barriers between groups (e.g. liberal tree huggers vs conservative gun nuts) and replace them with a common cause (e.g. working together to protect the natural places we both value).
• Create networks with other places, so that as military people move from place to place, they are welcomed in their new locations too.
• Be realistic about what you're offering. "We're not a therapy organization," Stacy said of the Sierra Club -- but they can offer outings in a therapeutic wilderness setting.
• Be sensitive to the issues some veterans face. Physical and psychological traumas like traumatic brain injury and PTSD can create challenges. At the same time, recognize than many vets have no such issues, and those that do are committed to overcoming them.
• Be mission oriented. That's what attracts many people to the military, and also to groups like Sierra Club (and NPS). Military people tend to relish a goal-oriented mission and challenge.

The Sierra Club's military outreach programs are just one aspect of a groundswell of such programs that are starting up all over the country as veterans return from Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They go by all kinds of names -- Post to Parks, Operation Warfighter, Operation Purple, Wounded Warriors, Mission: Outdoors, Veterans Job Corps, and more -- but they have in common a goal of working with veterans in positive ways. The National Park Service has already been identified as a key partner in these efforts, and based on my experience this weekend at Islandwood, I believe that the Sierra Club will, in turn, be a very productive partner for us in accomplishing these goals.

Read more on the Sierra Club's military outreach blog page.

Life and Death on Mount Rainier

Few people realize what an important role volunteers play in Search and Rescue efforts at Mount Rainier National Park. In fact, every time there's a major incident, one that lasts more than the initial few hours, a veritable batallion of volunteer rescuers show up to help. Our own Nordic Patrol volunteers, members of the Washington Ski Touring Club, who patrol the Paradise area on skis every weekend, are almost always some of the first to respond. They're followed by Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Olympia Mountain Rescue, Seattle Mountain Rescue, volunteer bloodhound teams, and more.

Even fewer people know that volunteers are part of an innovative effort by Lead Climbing Ranger Stefan Lofgren to prevent search and rescue events from happening in the first place. These volunteer "PSAR" -- Preventative Search and Rescue -- rangers patrol the upper meadows and lower climbing routes, talking to people on their way up the Mountain, and making sure they have good information about what they're getting into. It often doesn't stop people from walking further into danger -- but when those first signs of trouble come up, they're more likely to think back on the ranger's advice and turn back.

There was a great article in the News Tribune on Sunday about Carrie Tomlinson, our current PSAR volunteer.

For $20 per day, lodging at Longmire and 16 college credits, she spends weekdays at Paradise splitting her time between snowshoes and her desk, answering questions and relaying information, among other duties.... "You have the people who are 'Go big or go home,'" Tomlinson said. "But sometimes it's better to not go big so you can go home."

Read the whole article on the website of The News Tribune. And if this sounds like a great job to you, we hope to hire more PSAR rangers this summer. You can also volunteer with the Washington Ski Touring Club's Nordic Patrol or with a local Mountain Rescue unit!

Updated Procession Route

The route of Margaret Anderson's procession tomorrow has been changed. Here is the updated route (turn by turn directions can also be found at The News Tribune):


View Larger Map

This will be the last update on this blog before the Memorial Service; however, keep an eye on the Employee Blog in case there are any other last-minute notices.

Protocols for ceremonial events

The protocols for when and how to wear a hat (including a volunteer ball cap), how and when to salute, etc. have been posted on the Employee Blog. If you will be attending the ceremony, please review these protocols in advance. They will be reviewed in person, as well, at the 12:00 briefing for NPS employees in the Memorial Auditorium.

Shuttle Bus Update - Highly Encouraged for Traveling to Memorial Service RSVP by 2:00

From the Memorial Service planning team:

We are strongly encouraging employees to ride the shuttle bus to Pacific Lutheran University. The shuttle bus will have a police escort and will arrive at the auditorium before the procession. Since the bus is arriving before the procession, employees will be able to attend processional ceremonies, including multi-agency pipe bands, rifle team, and mounted patrol. It is expected that traffic will be difficult to maneuver, especially around the time the processional will arrive. Additionally, parking may be full early. Due to these factors, please consider riding the bus--it will reduce additional stress during this emotional event.


Response to the shuttle buses has been low, and we may cancel buses if more employees do not choose to ride. Please contact us immediately if you are planning to ride. Remember, family members and friends are also welcome and encouraged to ride the shuttle.

The shuttle bus for employees will be meeting at 7:00 am and leaving at 7:15 am from the Eatonville Baptist Church to the memorial.

Please contact us: MountRainierInfo@gmail.com

or

360-569-6592 (Brandi's line)

We also need to know the amount of people who will be traveling with you and a phone you can be reached from.

The church is located about 3 miles off of Hwy 7/Mountain Highway. Take the Eatonville Hwy West exit. The driveway to the church is on the right just as you go down the hill and enter the town limits. [Here's a link to a map.]

The bus will be leaving Pacific Lutheran University at 5:00 pm to return to the Eatonville Baptist Church.

Volunteers: Please RSVP if you plan to attend the Memorial

I've posted this before, but it's gotten buried in the flurry of other information, so just a reminder: if you plan to attend the Memorial Service tomorrow as a Mount Rainier National Park volunteer, please RSVP to MountRainierInfo@gmail.com. Let us know if you're attending with any family members. That will give us a better sense of how many seats to reserve. Thanks!

For clarity, we will only have room in the Olson Auditorium for staff (including volunteers) and their partners or family members. Members of the public who are not family members of active employees/volunteers will be directed to overflow seating.

Volunteer Q&A for Memorial Service

I received an e-mail this morning asking for specific information on uniforms and other logistics as they apply to volunteers. It's timely and relevant, so I'll post the questions and responses for everyone here:

• Q: Should we wear our green volunteer cap?
  A: Yes. If the uniform you wear while volunteering includes a hat with a volunteer patch on it, please wear it.
   
• Q: If a volunteer does not have a long sleeve shirt, can he/she wear a short sleeve shirt?
  A: Yes. If you have both, please wear long sleeves. If you only have a summer (short sleeve) uniform shirt, it's fine to wear that.
   
• Q: Can we wear some layer like dark turtle neck shirt under the volunteer shirt? With short sleeve volunteer shirt?
  A: Yes. Dark layers that match the uniform shirt may be worn underneath either the long-sleeve or short-sleeve shirt for warmth.
   
• Q: Can we wear fleece/softshell jackets with sewed-on volunteer patch that we wear during cool weather? If yes, does the color of the jacket matter?
  A: It will probably be too warm in the auditorium for fleece or jackets, and uniformed paid employees will not be wearing outerwear. Jackets of any color should only be worn if you do not own a long-sleeved volunteer shirt, your jacket is lightweight and appropriate for an indoor setting, and you feel that it looks nicer than the alternative. Use your own judgment.
   
• Q: How about footwear? Dressy street shoes or field boots (clean)?
  A: Dressy street shoes are preferable if you have them available. Clean field boots are appropriate only if you do not own dress shoes and your field boots look nicer than the alternative.
   
• Q: Who are considered current MORA volunteers?
  A: Our volunteers range from current, full-time, and long-term to those who came up for a single visit several years ago as part of a larger group. All are part of our extended "family," and everyone's contribution is deeply appreciated, however small, but lines do need to be drawn due to limited space. If you're a current, recurring volunteer (i.e. you've participated several times in the past year), you're welcome to join us. If not, we'd appreciate it if you'd defer to others. A good guideline is this: if you can promptly name your supervisor at the park, and if they would readily recognize you on sight, you should consider yourself invited.
   
• Q: Is the 12:00 pm briefing for Mount Rainier National Park employees and their immediate families for current paid employees only?
  A: The briefing includes everyone who will be seated in the Mount Rainier employees section in the first tier of seats in the auditorium. This includes both paid employees and active volunteers, as well as their families.

Thanks for the questions, and if you have others, feel free to give me a call or drop me a note. I'll be in my office at 360-569-6567 until approximately 4:30 this afternoon.