Your Dollars at Work in North Cascades
Your generosity made these projects possible!
2011
Reconstruct Monogram Lake Trail and Campsites with Volunteer
Teams - $50,000
Easy access off of the Cascade River Road and good fishing makes
Monogram Lake
a popular destination for local day hikers and overnight backpackers who come
from around the Pacific Northwest. This
project will improve visitor satisfaction and safety, and also protect
resources by reducing erosion, minimizing bare ground, and managing human
waste.
Engaging Urban Youth as Trail Stewards - $16,500
North Cascades trails staff will provide supervision,
training, and mentoring for organized groups bringing urban youth to the park,
including Boy Scouts, Urban Wild, Passages Northwest, YMCA. At least 100 young
people (ages 11-16) will participate in stewardship projects in the "back
country" during the summer of 2011.
Connecting Tribal Youth to the Land in North Cascades -
$21,000
In partnership with the Upper Skagit Tribe, Northwest Indian College,
WSU Master Gardeners program, and Skagit County Compost and Waste Management,
tribal youth will work with the park's native plant propagation program and
develop stewardship, leadership and job skills.
2010
Wilderness Information Center Improvements - $7,550
The primary point of entry for park users - hikers, campers, backpackers and climbers - is the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount. Improvements will allow after-hours visitors a secure place to leave permits, obtain information and acquire or return bear canisters.
Teacher-Ranger-Teacher - $10,000
Now in its fourth year, this highly-successful initiative will place a Pacific Northwest K-12 school teacher in the park as a summer ranger, with an emphasis on leading educational programs. At the end of the summer, the teacher will return to his/her school while maintaining a relationship with the park to connect students to North Cascades National Park.
Junior Stream Stewards Education - $12,500
Through hands-on science and habitat restoration activities, 450 seventh and eighth grade students, their teachers and community will connect with North Cascades National Park. Focus areas include salmon, water quality issues, research methods, native plants, aquatic insects, local geology, watershed restoration, and the value of national parks and other protected lands.
Impacts of Climate Change on Pika Populations - $20,000
Global warming is occurring at a rapid rate and mountain ecosystems are particularly susceptible to climate change. In many national parks, the pika has become one of the animals most likely to exhibit changes in activity and habitat as it adapts to a changing environment. This study will develop baseline data for park managers to better understand these impacts in the North Cascades.
Volunteer Butterfly Monitoring in North Cascades and Mount Rainier National Parks - $20,000
Butterflies are an easily monitored and charismatic indicator of the influence of our rapidly changing climate on national parks resources. This project, using citizen scientists, is the first step toward understanding the impacts of warming climates on fragile subalpine ecosystems in Washington State.
2009
Volunteer Shelter at Marblemount - $35,000
The new shelter at Marblemount Ranger Station provides volunteers, visitors and park staff with a place to gather that is protected from the elements, but also is available for community gatherings, celebrations, meetings and classes.
Botanical Foray - $10,000
Botanical forays are intended to search specific areas of the park and look for plant species not previously found. Park scientists gain valuable information about the flora of the park, including adding new species information and collections to the herbariums of the park and the University of Washington. Volunteers on this project receive an extraordinary opportunity to put their field botany skills to work in a beautiful park setting. In 2008, 6 new species of park plants were discovered.
Landbird Inventory and Monitoring - $10,000
Monitor and inventory landbirds to detect annual fluctuations in bird populations. The six most commonly detected species include Pine Siskin, Dark-eyed Junco, Red Crossbill, Varied Thrush, Winter Wren, and Townsend's Warbler.
2008
Teacher to Ranger to Teacher Program - $5,000
Following the successful launch of this outreach and education initiative in 2007; North Cascades National Park continues this unique model in 2008. A K-12 teacher is selected to work in the park as a ranger for eight (8) weeks in the summer, interacting with park staff and visitors while also developing a curriculum to use with her/his students during the next school year. Initial results from the 07-08 school year are encouraging with more than 800 young people (primarily minority and financially disadvantaged) introduced to national parks and North Cascades National Park for the first time in their lives.
Cascades for Kids Program - $10,000
Continuing its commitment to improving the visitor experience for young people, North Cascades National Park will create a dynamic, hands-on children's corner for the park's main Visitor Center in Newhalem.
Diablo Lake Overlook Interpretive Shelter - $26,000
With the park's 40th Anniversary in October 2008, visitation is expected to increase throughout the summer and into the fall. This project would design and build a low-profile, enclosed on two sides structure at the Diablo Lake Overlook, providing a focal point for the Overlook as well as a shaded area for park interpreters to engage visitors in informal contacts.
Junior Ranger Program - $11,500
This project will develop a new series of Junior Ranger booklets that engage children (and adults) age four and above in various educational activities. The Junior Ranger Program developed a new series of Junior Ranger booklets and created lesson plans for use in the park and with activities for "Family Getaways" at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center.
Botany Forays - $8,000
In an effort to improve knowledge of the flora of North Cascades National Park, botanical forays have been conducted each summer since 2002 in cooperation with the University of Washington Herbarium. These forays are intended to search specific areas of the park and look for new plant species, using skilled volunteers to cover large areas in a short period of time. The park gains valuable information about the flora of the park, including adding new species information and collections to its herbarium; the volunteers receive an extraordinary opportunity to put their field botany skills to work in a beautiful park setting.
Thank you donors and friends for all your support!