By Kelly Sanderbeck, Donor Engagement Manager
We’re grateful for the parks and grateful to have the Fund in our lives to contribute to. It’s wonderful to have something to work for that uses all our past skills and expertise for a cause that touches our hearts. ~ Richard and Alinda Page
They first met 49 years ago when he, as the Assistant Dean of the (now) Evans School at the University of Washington, recruited her for graduate school. But it wasn’t until 16 years later that they married, having worked together twice during their impactful and varied careers. (He headed Seattle’s Forward Thrust, King County Metro, the Federal Transit Administration, and the DC Transit Authority; she was the first woman Deputy Federal Highway Administrator, and for the past 30 years owner of her own consulting firm. Both were appointed by President Carter for their DC roles.)
You can see their passions continue in a home full of color and inspiration, a welcoming abode with beauty that extends to the outdoors, where they play host to an abundance of guests. And in their work with the Fund – he serves as Board Vice President and Chair of the Board Development Committee, she serves as a Community Volunteer and perennial advocate, and together they’re members of the Over the Top Society.
They discovered the Fund after visiting Yosemite and its friends group, the Yosemite Conservancy. It led them to wonder, “There must be something like that for Mount Rainier!” So they headed home to research. That thread led to the Spring Dinner & Auction in 2014 where Richard ran into Herb Bridge, a WNPF Board member and colleague of Richard’s from the Washington Roundtable. Introductions were made all around, and the next year Richard was on the Board.
Visiting national parks throughout their lives, both Richard and Alinda viscerally remember those early experiences. She went camping with her family, mostly at Yosemite, when you could still view bears at garbage cans; and he spent his time in the east at Great Smoky Mountains and Cape Cod National Seashore. They’ve since traveled to many of the parks in the west, including a memorable small-town 4th of July parade outside of Zion. “Afterward, the local football field was filled with families and their picnics. It was such a sweet event to experience!”
A graduate of Oberlin and Princeton, Richard first visited Mount Rainier in the winter where he remembers the walls of snow 10 feet high along the road. Their favorite trips now are the Berkeley Park wildflowers for Alinda and First Burroughs for Richard (both outside of Sunrise at Mount Rainier). He’s hiked to First Burroughs every year on his birthday for 25 years.
When I met with them to interview them for this profile, one of the liveliest moments was when Alinda said: “What will we buy this year at the auction? Who will be our ranger for the day?” Each year, they eagerly scan the catalog to see what park packages are offered, often banding together with their table mates to buy one. One year it was a “Gourmet Picnic up Pinnacle Peak at Mount Rainier,” complete with a ranger and red-checked tablecloth! Another was a “Day Hike with a Plant Ecologist at Mount Rainier, Exploring Wildflowers at Paradise.” Last year was a hike out of Colonial Creek Campground in the North Cascades where they learned about “Cubic Butt Rot” from the enthusiastic ranger who kept dashing off the trail with more and more discoveries to share (apparently kids really LOVE hearing, and repeating, this phenomenon!). After the hike, they were treated to a catered lunch at the campground, complete with roasted lemonade and pulled pork sandwiches. The night prior was spent at Glacier Peak Resort & Winery (formerly Clark’s Cabins), inhaling their infamous cinnamon rolls, barbeque, and sampling wines.
Their favorite auction purchase was for the Cascade Butterfly Project, long-term monitoring where community scientists work with biologists to track subalpine butterflies and plant flowering patterns. The Pages were seated with Regina Rochefort that year, Science Adviser at North Cascades, and were fascinated to learn about her research regarding climate change and its effect on pollination. They tried to buy the package, but someone else beat them out. Enticed by the auctioneer and all the enthusiasm at the table, Regina offered to do a second hike and Richard and Alinda succeeded in their group purchase!
On a day later that summer, they drove with their auction table mates to the North Cascades Wilderness Center and met Regina and her two assistants. First off was learning how to use the butterfly nets in the parking lot — Swoop, hook, close! — since the whole idea is to catch, identify and then release them unharmed. Then off to Sauk Mountain to the defined area where scientists regularly visit for counts. Regina’s first instructions were to be “Excited, delighted and grounded” as the trails are narrow and they don’t want anyone lunging for a butterfly and going off a cliff!
All participants spent the morning catching as many butterflies as they could – gently guiding each one into a jar, having a ranger identify it, then releasing. They took a break to eat their sack lunches, as well as Regina’s homemade cookies, while she highlighted why the type of butterfly matters because of what they eat and when they pollinate. “Regina is so patient and committed; she’s knowledgeable, fun and inspiring!” They found about six types of butterflies, and each of the 10 community scientists caught 1 or 2. As Alinda said, “When most of us think of butterflies we think of monarchs, or a zoo ‘butterfly house.’ This trip wasn’t like that. We love the commitment and passion of these scientists and rangers. The fact they have so much knowledge AND are capable of dealing with people is truly amazing!”
When Richard and Alinda are not promoting the Fund, they spend much of their energy at their church, the Center for Spiritual Living. One event they’ve been doing for years is a self-titled ‘Climb for Clarity’ at Paradise. Their practice is to hike with friends in silence, journal along the way, and share their experiences afterward. Some hike to Panorama Point, while others do a smaller wildflower loop. After any hike Richard’s passion for pralines & cream ice cream leads them to search for the local Baskin Robbins!
Travelling, gardening and their 6 grandkids round out the rest of their time. Richard also reads about 40 books per year: history, biography and spiritual works. Alinda’s valued time is spent as an interfaith minister, spiritual counselor, and body-psychotherapist. She became officially ordained a few years ago because of a deep interest in understanding faiths across the world. And even though she admits to having “snow phobia,” she’s planning to spend more time in it so she doesn’t miss out on time with her snow-loving grandkids!
Their dream is to see the Fund grow in number of supporters and dollars given back to the parks, especially because of the substantial need and ever-growing visitation. They see the Fund becoming a bigger, stronger and more active partner with our three national parks over time.
The National Parks are a treasured legacy in our country. Our hope is that Congress will fund the maintenance backlog so the parks are protected. We’d like boundaries expanded to include National Forest lands. We’d like to expose people who don’t go naturally to the parks, as well as keep these wild places conserved for urban populations. Most of all, we want these places preserved for all the generations to come. ~ Richard and Alinda Page