North Cascades Opportunities for Support
Washington's National Park Fund is actively seeking charitable contributions to help make these projects possible in North Cascades National Park.
Re-vegetation of North Fork and South Fork Camps w/Youth Stewards - $15,000
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Youth
The North Fork and South Forks areas of Bridge Creek in North Cascades National Park have recently been impacted and, along with resulting in large areas of bare ground, have begun to impact an archaeological site. This project will ensure the future safety of this archaeological site, moving camps to less sensitive areas of the park, and restore the already impacted areas. High school ages students will be highly involved in all aspects of this project, from plant propagation and identification to replanting techniques.
Connecting North Cascades Staff with Pathways Youth in the City - $6,400
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Youth
North Cascades National Park, in partnership with a number of Puget Sound organizations, schools and community centers, is actively focusing on engaging youth from urban areas in the park. This project will allow a park ranger to visit youth centers or programs in the greater Puget Sound area as a presenter and/or participant. This partnership within urban areas will not only widen the interest in North Cascades National Park, but also develop a connection between the park and the next generation of stewards.
Youth Transportation into North Cascades - $11,600
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Youth
North Cascades National Park is located more than 60 miles from school districts that are comprised of over 50% Latino and Hispanic youth, which is a priority demographic for the park to create lasting connections with youth in the area. This program will enable the park to overcome the schools lacking transportation budgets, and provide busses to bring these students into the park. In addition, this program will provide transportation for student groups to take the ferry into Stehekin, as well as provide a level of transportation for student and youth volunteers and interns. Due to the large size of North Cascades National Park, overcoming transportation issue could be the key needed to introduce a wide and new audience of park stewards. Estimations for the program would provide transportation for at least 400 youth and six school districts and organizations.
Supervision for the Youth Work Crew - $10,600
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Youth
North Cascades National Park has created a program, in partnership with Youth Conservation Corps, providing six diverse teenagers from the Skagit Valley with their first paid job within the park. Funding for this program has been awarded by the regional and Washington DC National Park Service offices. However, for this program to reach its full potential, an experienced crew leader and assistant crew leader will be needed. Their duties will vary, from developing to curriculum and goals to supervising actual work projects. Funding for these two employees will better engage the students as park stewards and advocates.
Sahale Arm Trail Reconstruction - $58,440
Focus Area: Greener Parks - Trail/Camp Enhancements
Cascade Pass is the iconic hike in North Cascades National Park. The Sahale Arm Trail is a 2.2 mile trail from Cascade Pass to the Sahale Glacier Camp, the highest camp in the park at an elevation of 7.686 feet and one of the most popular destinations for both overnight and day hikes. Currently, the trail is in poor condition with steep, muddy, rock-filled terrain endangering both visitors and the resource itself. This project, over the course of two or three summers, will enable NPS employees to bring in native rock and gravel via helicopter, add drainage, and relocate trails where they are no longer possible to maintain in their current location. During peak season, this area of the park sees more than 2,000 day hikers and about 53 overnight users.
Lake Juanita Camp and Summit Trail Rehabilitation - $17,000
Focus Area: Greener Parks - Trail/Camp Enhancements
Due to difficult logistics and lack of funding, the Lake Juanita Camp and Summit Trails area of North Cascades National Park have been overlooked for maintenance and improvements. This project will enable the park to build and rebuild camp trail, add and replace signs, relocate the composting toilet, revegetate bare ground, and add drain, among other things. Volunteers will be used as much as possible throughout this project, creating a stronger bond between these volunteers and the park.
Determine Status and Distribution of Hozomeen Wolf Pack - $54,100
Focus Area: Protecting Wildlife - Scientific Research
For the first time in decades, wolves have been documented in the northern part of North Cascades National Park. The National Park Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have already initiated intensive remote camera surveys in the Hozomeen area of Ross Lake, but more is needed to learn about and protect this species. This project will fund the capture and collaring of two wolves in an effort to learn more about their movement, reproduction and pack activities. Information gained from this project will be shared with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Washington Wolf Recovery Team, and the BC Ministry of Environment, in an effort to recover wolf species in Washington State.
Wildflower Guide of North Cascades National Park Checklist - $9,000
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Publications
The North Cascades National Park herbarium, in partnership with a wide variety of sources throughout Washington State, will create a wildflower and vascular plant guide and checklist. Creation of this guide will be printed in both hard copy, and be made available in electronic format compatible with iPads and the Kindle. A similar guide was created in Mount Rainier National Park and can be viewed online.
Bear Safe - Bear Safety Brochure: for recreating and living in bear country - $2,000
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Publications
To meet growing demands for bear safety materials, the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP) has produced a new Bear Safe brochure with the most comprehensive information on bear safety. These brochures have been distributed throughout Mount Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, but more are needed. This project will provided needed funding for revisions, distribution, printing, and the ability for the parks to disseminate this information thoroughly.
Behind the Science - $9,500
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Technology
North Cascades National Park is unique for having a large proportion of wilderness area where numerous scientific studies take place. The studies, which are usually not available to the average park visitor, are significant in the State of Washington and in the National Park Service. This project would enable North Cascades National Park to bridge the gap, and provide this information, via the internet, to a wide audience. Breaking these studies into "Nature and Science" and "History and Culture", and including photos, interviews, vignettes, this information will become available to even the most physically challenged park advocate!
Cascade Transects: Detecting the Past as Windows to the Future - $45,000
Focus Area: Protecting Wildlife - Scientific Research
North Cascades National Park has proposed to establish several transects within its ecosystem to serve as focal points to conduct biological inventory, monitoring and research. Transects will serve as study areas to facilitate interdisciplinary research on the long-term dynamics of ecosystem processes and to inform proactive management of our changing landscapes. These studies will provide quantitative and visual baselines for evaluating future changes and estimating changes from the past 100 years. This program will incorporate interns, NPS employees and volunteer citizens, in an effort to engage the public.
Work with Northwest Indian College and Saturday Science Academy - $ 17,500
Focus Area: Connecting People to Parks - Youth/General Outreach
North Cascades National Park has an existing relationship with the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) and Saturday Science Academy, but recognizes the opportunity to expand this relationship. Through this program, two interns from NWIC would be given 6-week internships in the park's native plant nursery, teaching them propagation techniques and nursery management first hand.
Thank you!
