The names of two Mount Rainier National Park employees have been added to a memorial plaque that honors National Park Service employees who have died in the line of duty.
During a ceremony Feb. 21, staff from the Park Service and Department of Interior participated in the first ceremony to pay tribute to such employees.
The plaque, in the front hall in the Park Service’s office suite in the Interior Department offices, enshrines the names of employees who have died while on the job dating to 1908, when Virgil McGoodwin died following a workplace accident at Platt National Park (now Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma).
The names of 11 employees who died in the line of duty between 2010-2012 were added to the memorial plaque. They include Margaret Anderson and Nick Hall. Anderson died of gunshot wounds she received Jan. 1, 2012, while trying to stop a suspect in a Seattle shooting. Hall died June 21, 2012, while attempting to rescue a climber who had fallen into a crevasse.
The plaque now memorializes the names of 226 Park Service employees who have died while working during the past 104 years.
Before removing the flag that was draped over the names, Park Service Director Jon Jarvis director spoke about each one of 11 people and the circumstances that led to their loss.
KAYAK LAKE SAMMAMISH
Washington State Parks will be offering two spring kayak tours on Lake Sammamish.
The trips offer participants a chance to see some of the wildlife that live at the state park and in the area.
The guided trips will be from 1-3 p.m. March 17 and 24, leaving from Tibbett’s Beach, Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish State Park, Issaquah.
Tours will go along the shores of Lake Sammamish and up Issaquah Creek to view the raptors, herons and waterfowl living at the park. The state park hosts one of the largest heron rookeries in the Seattle area, with 80-100 great blue heron nesting pairs.
Participants should bring along binoculars for viewing wildlife from the water, as well as a lunch and water bottle. Spotting scopes are available for land-based birding.
Rentals are $12 for a single kayak or $15 for a double kayak. Free dry suits and booties will be provided.
Registration is required. To register, call 206-527-1825.
A Discover Pass ($10 a day/$30 a year) is required to enter the park.
For more information, visit kayakacademy.com or facebook.com/pages/The-Kayak-Academy.
Also on memorial plaque
Here are the other area people whose names are on the National Park Service’s memorial plaque.
Edward C. Beesler: Olympic National Park. He was a trails foreman and died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Hays River Ranger Station on Nov. 11, 1950.
James A. Sipe: Olympic. He was killed in the park June 6, 1967. While cutting brush alongside the road, he was run over by an unattended runaway dump truck.
Philip J. Otis and Sean H. Ryan: Mount Rainier National Park. Otis, a student ranger, and Ryan, a seasonal climbing ranger, died together Aug. 12, 1995, when they fell while attempting to reach injured climbers. They were tethered together.
Daniel R. Green: Olympic. He died Oct. 13, 2006, from injuries suffered in a fall from a dump truck Oct. 5, 2006.
Andrew J. Palmer: Olympic. He died July 25, 2008, from injuries suffered when he was struck by a falling tree while helping fight a wildfire in California.
Source: National Park Service Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
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