Let's Have A Parade!

It's almost time for the Eatonville 4th of July Parade. Be a part of the park's participation in this special event.

This year we will be celebrating 100 year of the Wonderland Trail.

We need  a set of "banner babes and/or dudes", flag wavers, folks smiling, waving, and giving high fives. As usually you can wear your uniform. But you can also dress to hike the Wonderland Trail. Or better yet, dress to work on the trail.  I'll have trail crew tools for you to carry!

Park staff, volunteers, scouts and their family members are welcome to join.
 
If you wish to take part, we gather at 11:30 AM, usually on Pennsylvania Ave., near Lynch St., one block west of the football stadium at Eatonville High School.  The exact spot is different each year and is not known until we arrive.  Just look around for some ranger hats.  For more information contact Jim_Ross (at) nps.gov
                                                                               
Please join us!

Jim

Meadow Rover Notes

First, I would like to thank all of you who attended the training sessions on June 13^th and 14^th.  I was overwhelmed by the response and the eagerness of both the new and returning rovers.  We gave Crow 57 new rover agreements and 65 returning!  A few of you did not turn in the volunteer agreement and will need to do so if you have not signed a new agreement since last year.

To date, I have held orientation for 15 new rovers at Paradise with 3 more scheduled for this weekend.  Lynn has also had several new rovers at Sunrise and they have been open less than a week!

For those of you who have done your orientation and completed your first solo rove, please remind me you have earned your “Meadow Rover” patch!  If I have forgotten to give it to you…feel free to tell me.  I am another year older after-all.

The weather is definitely hot – even at Paradise and Sunrise.  Please bring extra water, sunscreen, and bug repellant.  Your health and safety is paramount.

PARADISE PARKING

Crazy as usual!  Your best bet is to try the lower lot or picnic area.  If you wish to ride up with Interp crew, they leave at 8:45 and 11:30 from the Field Office.  The first shift generally has room for 3-4, the second 2-3.  I can take 2-3 with me around 9.  Please let me know ahead of time so I will wait for you.  Return times are around 5 and after 7pm.

TRAILS –

The Paradise trail crew has been working to rope troublesome areas and prevent damage.  They are constantly checking with me to hear of any reports from Rovers regarding trail conditions or hot spots.  Feel free to leave these on my desk or on the white board.  Sunrise Rovers can also leave reports with Lynn.

It has been a wonderful start to the summer.  So far visitor contacts have been very positive and the general population quite friendly.  So come on out and have some fun.  Thanks for being so positive about the job you do.

Maureen McLean

Coordinator MORA Meadow Rovers

360-569-2035

N2P Construction On Hold For 4th

Construction on the Nisqually to Paradise Road will cease over the upcoming holiday weekend, July 3 - 5.  While visitors can normally expect to experience delays on weekdays during daylight hours there will be no work this Friday, July 3.

It is still important to remember to drive safely when traveling along the park’s roads.  The roads are narrow and winding.  Roads throughout the park can be rough and uneven.

Construction along the road from Nisqually Entrance to Paradise began in May and is expected to continue through the end of July.  Work will resume again in early October. Delays of up to 15 minutes at each stop and no more than 30 minutes total through the project can be expected.

The road construction project is needed to address deteriorating road conditions that are due to many factors including abundant precipitation, structural and design deficiencies, large traffic volumes, and normal wear.  These improvements will preserve the road’s integrity as a popular scenic drive, and provide continued safe access for years to come.

Additional information on this important project is available on Mount Rainier National Park’s website: http://www.nps.gov/mora/getinvolved/nisqually-paradise-road.htm. Also, Follow MountRainierNPS https://twitter.com/MountRainierNPS on Twitter for updates on road construction status. 

Park-wide Fire Ban In Effect

New this afternoon:

"There is a parkwide fire ban in effect due to ongoing drought conditions and a red flag warning for the Mount Rainier area. Cooking by propane and white gas stoves and charcoal is permitted."

This ban affects all campgrounds in the park, including the Longmire Volunteer Campground.

Girl Scouts rock citizen science at Mount Rainier!

These seven young Girl Scout scientists from Tacoma spent the morning collecting data about flowers at Mount Rainier National Park! Their contributions will help us to understand variations in climate and their effects on the timing of plant bloom. They were assisted in their efforts by volunteer Crow and Student Conservation Association Centennial Ambassador Ian Harvey.

It's going to be hot... be careful out there

Mount Rainier's recreational forecast is predicting hot temperatures this weekend, peaking on Saturday with a high of 84 degrees at Paradise. While this is nowhere near the mid-nineties predicted for the lowlands, it's still a very intense temperature, especially when you factor in ultraviolet exposure at 5400 feet elevation (or higher at Sunrise). Please be careful!

From the National Weather Service's Special Weather Statement for the weekend:

...HOT WEATHER IS EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS WELL AS
RISING FIRE DANGER...

DURING HOT WEATHER IT IS IMPORTANT TO STAY HYDRATED BY DRINKING
PLENTY OF WATER. IF YOU ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE HEAT...STAY
INSIDE IN AIR CONDITIONED AREAS. AVOID LEAVING CHILDREN AND PETS
UNATTENDED IN CARS...AS TEMPERATURES INSIDE PARKED CARS CAN RISE
VERY QUICKLY TO DEADLY LEVELS. REMEMBER TO APPLY SUNSCREEN IF YOU
ARE OUTDOORS. 

There are a lot of activities scheduled in the park this weekend. The Washington Trails Association will be working on trails... Meadow Rovers will be out in force... Citizen Scientists are in bloom... and our intrepid volunteer program assistant, Crow, is still looking for people to help with Adopt-a-Highway litter patrol on Sunday morning.

Please make safety your number one concern. Watch your hydration and sun exposure, and take shelter if it becomes too much. Remember: the first rule of having fun is to STAY SAFE!

Fires limited in the Longmire Volunteer Campground

The fire ring north of Site 13, built by volunteers last fall,
will be further improved as a community fire ring.

If you've been up to the Longmire Volunteer Campground recently, you've noticed that fire grates and concrete fire pads have been removed throughout the campground. This is a decision by park management intended to reduce smoke and improve air quality. Campground regulations are being updated to reflect the new policy, which involves the following points:

• Fires are permitted only in established fire grates and fire rings.
• Self-contained cook stoves are permitted.
• Building new fire rings is not permitted.

Campground users will find a working fire grate in site number 6, and a second fire grate will be installed soon by park maintenance. A group fire grate will also be installed in site 13. These will be the only sites with facilities for campfires.

Site 6 has also been improved for wheelchair accessibility. It may be reserved like any other site in the campground, but with the caveat that those without mobility challenges need to defer to those who need the accessibility the site provides.

A community fire ring has been built and is already in use near site 13, and will be further improved soon by park maintenance with bench seating around it. This fire ring will be shared by everyone in the campground. Another fire ring is being built near the Community Building and will be used by both campers and residents. Campers are encouraged to gather at these sites and get to know their fellow campers.

For cooking food, volunteers should plan to bring self-contained camp stoves instead of firewood.

The revised campground regulations will be posted here as soon as they are updated.

MRNPA Work Party July 11 - "Deveg"

From John Titland:

Greetings,

The next Mount Rainier National Park Associates volunteer work party will be Saturday, July 11th.  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, 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 area is still referred to as the Thompson property.  The property extends all the way from the road down to the Carbon River.  There will be 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.  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 email 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

Stargazing with the Astronomers

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing? You can find out! The Park is now planning sky viewing (weather permitting) every night through Labor Day outside Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. We will start just after dark and continue for at least two hours. We will update our hotline recording at 360-569-6230 to provide information on what we will be viewing and to announce cancellations. Please join us in observing the wonders in the preserved wilderness night sky above the park.

Our stellar cast of volunteer astronomers includes:

Pat Beatie (Friday through Tuesday nights): Bellevue College Astronomy Professor and retired FBI agent.

Don West-Wilke (Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday nights): Recent Astronomer of the Year with Tacoma Astronomical Society. Also known as the Singing Astronomer.

Tom and Gracie Pauly (Thursday nights): Retired teachers and owner/operators of the non-profit Starryhill Planetarium and Observatory in Eatonville.

Matt Dieterich (Thursday through Monday nights): Geo-Corps astronomy intern recently graduated with a MS from the University of Pittsburg.

Additionally, our astronomers will also set up a solar scope outside the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise during some afternoons.

Litter Pickers Urgently Needed!

Just a reminder: Crow still needs a couple of volunteers to do a litter patrol along Hwy 706 on June 28. That's only ten days away, and so far, only one person has committed to the event. I need at least two more!

We will gather at Tahoma Woods (Park Headquarters) at 10 AM on Sunday, June 28. Long-armed grabbers, bags, gloves and safety vests will be provided. If you have not participated before, you will need to watch a short training video (required by DoT). Please RSVP  to Petrina_Vecchio (at) partner.nps.gov by June 24 if you are willing to help.