Your Dollars at Work in Mount Rainier
Your generosity made these projects possible!
2011 Projects
Free Summer Shuttle Service - $50,000
Continuation of the summer shuttle bus service is a high
priority for Mount Rainier
National Park. Operating
between Ashford and Paradise, the shuttle
served 30,000 visitors in 2009 and 25,300 visitors in 2010, reducing private
vehicle use, congestion, and emissions. New in 2011 will be the addition of
park-specific and environmental education displays on the buses, as well as a
park interpretive ranger riding along on selected routes.
Enhance Volunteer Program: Year 1 of 5 - $50,000
Funded by Eleanor Wilson Charitable Trust
Camping with My Parents (CAMP) - $10,000
CAMP encourages families from Seattle/Tacoma who have never
camped before to experience Mount Rainier for
a weekend of fun and educational activities. Equipment, transportation, food,
and instruction are all provided free of charge. Following two successful
years, the 2011 program will serve 150 campers to enhance their connections to
nature and each other.
Restore Volunteer Campground at Longmire - $16,500
The Longmire Campground has served as a base for volunteer
operations since 2007, with 31 individual and two group sites, and eight
platform tents. This project will add picnic tables, fire rings, and an outdoor
shelter/pavilion where groups can gather in inclement weather. The campground
has the capacity to serve hundreds of volunteers each summer, supporting
critical work in the park.
Connecting Students to Parks - $10,000
This project brings 500 students from 10 schools to the park
by covering the cost of travel expenses and a substitute teacher. Children will
experience the natural environment and develop and appreciation for Mount Rainier National Park.
2010 Projects
Connecting Students to Parks - $10,000
Addressing "Nature Deficit Disorder" with children spending less time out in the natural environment is a priority for all national parks. This project will provide schools interested in visiting the park with travel subsidies to cover the cost of bus rentals and substitute teachers. Ten schools serving 500 students will be able to visit the park on field trips.
Paradise Meadow Restoration - $16,670
As one of the most visited areas of the park, the Paradise Meadow requires native plant restoration to help maintain a vibrant ecosystem. Through greenhouse and in-park planting, both volunteers and local students will learn about plant biology, human impacts to the meadow, revegetation, and greenhouse techniques.
Camping Adventure with My Parents (CAMP) - $10,000
An additional 150 new campers from the Seattle-Tacoma area would experience the glories of Mount Rainier over a six-week period, building on the tremendous success of the 2009 program. Campers would learn camping skills and enhance their connections to nature and each other.
Free Summer Shuttle Service - $60,000
Park visitors can ride a shuttle bus through the park from Longmire to Paradise, with stops at campgrounds and trailheads, Fridays through Sundays from mid-June until early September. Weekend visitors also have the option of parking in the City of Ashford and riding a shuttle bus into the park. This project meets Mount Rainier National Park's goal of reducing its carbon emissions 45% by the year 2016, and also achieving Climate Friendly Park status.
Fleet Management Study - $15,000
Another aspect of the park's goal to become carbon neutral in its operations is a more effective and efficient use of its fleet of vehicles and motorized equipment. Recommendations from this study will directly result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions within park boundaries.
2009 Projects
Connecting Kids to Parks - $15,000
Addressing "Nature Deficit Disorder" with children spending less time out in the natural environment is a priority for all national parks. This project will provide schools interested in visiting the park with travel subsidies to cover the cost of bus rentals and substitute teachers. Ten schools serving 500 students will be able to visit the park on field trips.
Camping Adventure with My Parents (CAMP) - $12,000
More than 100 young people and their families will experience Mount Rainier National Park for the first time as campers and hikers. Transportation, equipment and food are provided, along with park staff to ensure the group has a fun weekend.
Volunteer Outreach - $18,800
Funding for this program supported a Student Conservation Association intern and a 4-month volunteer. These individuals worked with the full-time Volunteer Program Manager to coordinate the park's volunteers, building on the successes of the 2007 and 2008 Mount Rainier Recovery Corps.
Paradise Meadow Restoration - $10,000
As one of the most visited areas of the park, the Paradise Meadow requires native plant restoration to help maintain a vibrant ecosystem. Through greenhouse and in-park planting, both volunteers and local students will learn about plant biology, human impacts to the meadow, revegetation, and greenhouse techniques.
2008 Projects
Mount Rainier Recovery - $50,000
The storm and flood damage recovery work that began in earnest during the summer of 2007 continues throughout 2008, beginning in early June and continuing into October. Projects include additional front country trail re-route and re-build, along with extensive trail cleanup and re-build in the back country. Native plant restoration (revegetation) is also vital to park recovery both along new and repaired trails, as well as throughout the Paradise meadows.
Solar Panels on Ohanapecosh Ranger Station - $50,000
Visitors to Mount Rainier National Park will have an opportunity to learn about sustainable energy sources while experiencing the park's commitment to environmental stewardship and participation in projects that impact global climate change. Construction includes a 10kW grid-connected solar array on the roof of the Ohanapecosh Maintenance/Ranger Building. The array will tie into the commercial grid and actually feed the grid when building loads are less than solar power created. The goal is to offset rising electrical costs by using one of the better solar sites in the Park to generate electricity.
Thank you donors and friends for all your support!