Elwha celebration coming to Seattle

A multi-day celebration is planned in Port Angeles to coincide with the Sept. 17 start of removing two dams on the Elwha River. For those who can’t make it there, groups in Seattle are planning their own celebration of the largest dam-removal project.

Removing the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams will open more than 70 miles of river and stream to all five Pacific salmon species and steelhead.

The event will be part of the Mountaineers OutdoorsFest. Activities include the chance to watch a live stream of the dam-breaking ceremony from 11 a.m- 1 p.m.; talk to an Olympic National Park ranger about the project, its history and benefits to culture, wildlife, and habitat; sign-up for family programs being offered on the Elwha River; and participate in kid-friendly activities, including creating salmon hats, participating in a “mock” dam removal at noon, and becoming a junior ranger.

The Seattle event will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. in Magnuson Park, 7700 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle.

For more information on events happening during the weekend visit celebrateelwha. com. For more information on the river restoration project visit nps.gov/olym/naturescience/ elwha-ecosystem-restoration.htm.

PAINTING IN ALASKA

Kevin Bacher, who runs the volunteer program at Mount Rainier National Park, reports that Allan Dreyer, a meadow rover and artist who has painted many pictures of Mount Rainier, is in Alaska.

Former Mount Rainier ranger Julie Pinnix arranged for Dreyer to spend the summer painting for Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and Katmai National Park.

Dreyer’s trip is part of an artist-in-residence program there. He is the first person to take part in the program.

His work will be used in an exhibit at the refuge office. Dreyer has been asked to do large paintings for Becharof refuge and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge.

SUMMER WINDS DOWN

These are the final days of summer operations at a number of place at Mount Rainier. In the coming week or so, hours of operations will change.

Here is a look at the final summer hours at some key locations:

Longmire Museum: Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Sept. 5.

Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center: Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily through Sept. 5.

Ohanapecosh Visitor Center: Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Sept. 4.

Sunrise Visitor Center: Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through Sept. 10.

Paradise Guide House Climbing Information Center: Open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. daily through Sept. 5. Then 7 a.m.-3 p.m, weekends only through Sept. 30.

Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure

July visitation

MOUNT RAINIER

July 2011: 243,791

July 2010: 276,729

Difference: -11.9 percent

YTD 2011: 451,580

YTD 2010: 622,164

Difference: -27.4 percent

Lingering snow continues to play havoc with visitors’ plans, resulting in a continued decline in recreational visits. By now the wildflowers are past their peak at Paradise, but it was only in the last couple of weeks that the snow finally melted, allowing the flowers to bloom. Although down from past year, July’s numbers were an improvement from June. That month’s visitation total was down 51.5 percent from 2010.

OLYMPIC

July 2011: 509,287

July 2010: 515,266

Difference: -1.2 percent

YTD 2011: 1,491,304

YTD 2010: 1,481,333

Difference: 0.7 percent

July was a good month, but was slightly behind the count for the same month last year. Possible explanations include a number of temporary road closures in the park, including some access near the Elwha River dams. For the year, the recreational visit count is up 10,000 compared to 2010.

Jeffrey P. Mayor, staff writer