By Andrea Christensen, Director of Donor Engagement
Interested in joining us for a hike? Click here for details.
While there are so many places in Washington’s national parks to visit and hike this summer, joining a group of people with a like-minded interest in Washington’s national parks, while learning more about the parks, is a rare opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
Washington’s National Park Fund has pulled together a variety of interesting opportunities, many of which showcase interesting park projects that donors support through their contributions. With 40 to 50 projects funded by WNPF donors each year and so many programs and sites to visit, it was difficult to narrow them down to just a few!
Whether you enjoy learning about the hidden secrets of the North Cascades’ Newhalem or getting tips and tricks of celestial photography, there is something for everyone to choose from. How fortunate are we to have such amazing resources right in our backyard?
Experience the parks in a new and meaningful way this summer through a night sky photography program, “Starry Night at Hurricane Ridge: A Celestial Adventure.”
Six-time Emmy Award-winning television producer, instructor at the Photographic Center NW, and WNPF volunteer, Mark Erskine, will share how to capture stunning star-filled images with a DSLR camera.
No experience is necessary to join the fun, and any adjustable camera will do. We’ll even try an iPhone! Bring your camera and tripod, or simply enjoy the celestial spectacle as you learn. For this unforgettable stargazing experience, we’ll witness the universe in ways rarely seen.
Our event is timed to coincide with astronomical twilight – the best time for night sky photography and viewing. As an added bonus, our group will also be able to meet up with the WNPF-donor-supported Dark Sky Telescope program, also held at Hurricane Ridge that evening. We will also be able to join in their late-night program. If we’re fortunate, maybe we’ll be able to capture an aurora! It’s a night of wonder and fun under the stars!
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a Meadow Rover volunteer in Mount Rainier National Park? This summer you will have the opportunity to shadow a Rover and see first-hand how donor funds are used to power this program.
Each year hundreds of thousands of donors’ dollars are directed toward volunteer programs that support visitor services and resource protection in Mount Rainier.
Meadow Rovers have the challenging but rewarding role of informing visitors about the fragile ecosystems they are walking through while providing a safe and memorable experience. Learn more about how meadows are restored in this blog.
“Our goals as Meadow Rovers are to help visitors have safe, memorable park experiences—while minimizing our impact on the landscape. Over the years, I’ve seen how donor funding enables this program to be increasingly effective. From providing radios to funding the volunteer coordinator position, donors have made a difference in our ability to be a ‘park presence’ on the most heavily used trails, providing on-the-spot assistance and education. There are literally hundreds of Meadow Rover volunteers who, together, donate over 11,000 hours of their time each year because we love ‘the Mountain’ and we enjoy interacting with visitors. I would be pleased to host some of you on one of my volunteer days so you can see the benefits for yourself.“
– Meadow Rover and park volunteer, Margot Tsakonas
Driving across Highway 20 into North Cascades National Park is the little hamlet of Newhalem. We know it for its large parking lot, strong internet connectivity, and the General Store.
But did you know there are also secret gardens, hidden graves, mysterious industrial artifacts, and an incredibly beautiful waterfall?
Our day of exploring Newhalem and Diablo includes a few very short hikes and learning the fun history of the area. We’ll ring the bell on old #6, see where the Skagit River runs dry, and maybe see some salmon spawning.
Newhalem and Diablo are intriguing locations with fascinating histories starting with native people using the area to travel to eastern Washington and continuing through to the present day as the western gateway to North Cascades National Park.
Ever wonder what it’s like inside a national park patrol cabin? This is your chance to find out! We will visit the Mowich Lake cabin, one of the oldest in Mount Rainier National Park, and hear a little about the resident ranger’s duties and what it’s like to live in such a rustic building.
Next, with park volunteer, Margot Tsakonas, we’ll hike 8 miles round trip from Mowich Lake and up to Spray Park to enjoy beautiful wildflowers in bloom.
We also have the option of taking a short detour to spectacular Spray Falls along the way. As we walk, we’ll hear some of the area’s history, including how European-origin explorers and businessmen formalized trails and developed tourism– along with exploitive plans like damming up the lake’s outlet.
In addition to carpets of wildflowers, if the weather is clear, we will see “Fay Peak” named for the first non-native woman to climb Mount Rainier. After our hike, for those interested in food and camaraderie, we’ll join the WNPF-sponsored “Pizza and Pints” in the northwest gateway community Wilkeson.
We hope you will join us on one or more of these Washington National Park adventures! Take a look at the various opportunities, and contact Director of Donor Engagement Andrea Christensen if any of these strike your fancy and you would like to join us.
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. We raise money to preserve and protect these three national parks, funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep them strong and vital now and forever.
Cover photo: WNPF donor hike on Sahale Arm in North Cascades National Park, by Amber Nelson