To get involved
Mount Rainier National Park volunteer program: www.nps.gov/mora or rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com
NW Parks and Public Lands Storm Recovery Coalition:
nwstormrecoverycoalition.blogspot.com
National Park Conservation Association: www.npca.org/northwest
Student Conservation Association: www.thesca.org
Washington Trails Association: www.wta.org The Boeing Co. has given $93,550 to three conservations groups aiding flood recovery efforts at Mount Rainier National Park.
The money will go to the Student Conservation Association, Washington Trails Association and National Parks Conservation Association to support the activities at the park.
The organizations will use the money to support volunteer citizen stewardship programs and public outreach and education.
The three organizations were instrumental in recruiting a record number of volunteers in 2007 to help the park rebuild following the devastating floods of November 2006. There were 1,724 people who volunteered at the park last year. The value of their time was estimated at more than $1.58 million.
The park and its partners are now planning for the 2008 season. Major work remains to be done, including rebuilding the Glacier Basin Trail and a portion of the Carbon Glacier Trail.
The Student Conservation Association will use $43,550 of the grant to support summer programs at the park, including programs to work with urban high school students from Seattle on restoration projects. The funding also will support public training in conservation skills to further develop a sustainable volunteer program at Mount Rainier.
With $25,000 from the grant, the park conservation group will host town-hall and conference events to discuss how the federal government can sustain long-term access to national parks as recurring storm damage limits public access. The NPCA will also redesign the Storm Coalition Web site and recruit volunteers for projects this summer.
The WTA will use $25,000 of the funds to station a crew leader at the park for the season. The crew leader will lead three trail repair work parties each week throughout the spring and summer to survey and repair damage.
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