The coalition created to help Mount Rainier National Park recover from damage done by flooding in November 2006 has been named to receive one of the Department of the Interior’s highest awards.

The partnership between Mount Rainier National Park, the Student Conservation Association, the Washington’s Trails Association, the National Parks Conservation Association, Washington’s National Park Fund and The Mountaineers has won the 2008 Cooperative Conservation Award

The award is the departments’s highest honor presented to private citizens and organizational partners who support the agency’s mission and demonstrate significant contributions to its programs.

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will present the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 21.

“This award justly recognizes the commitment of our partners, and the critical role they played in our flood recovery efforts,” said park superintendent Dave Uberuaga. “It also acknowledges the huge number of deeply committed individuals and community groups who worked through those partnerships to support the park.”

The volunteer effort involved 1,724 people who contributed 84,038 hours of service at the park in 2007, an effort valued at almost $1.6 million.

The Mount Rainier Recovery Initiative will continue flood recovery efforts this year. Volunteers will be needed to help with major projects on the Glacier Basin Trail, Carbon Glacier Trail and the Wonderland Trail in Stevens Canyon. Volunteers also will continue to play important roles in the day-to-day protection of park resources and service to park visitors.

To Get involved

For more information about the park’s volunteer program, including ways to get involved in the coming year and links to partner Web sites, visit the park’s homepage at www.nps.gov/mora or its volunteer program blog at rainiervolunteers.blogspot.com.