By Susan Nebel, Director of Philanthropy
Last year, Washington’s National Park Fund announced Together for the Parks, our multi-year fundraising campaign for Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic. We set an ambitious goal of supporting annual projects at the level these parks have come to expect and rely on, while asking our generous community of supporters to go above and beyond.
That additional support will help fund larger-scale, transformative projects and build healthy endowments, which will generate investment income to provide ongoing, reliable funding for key needs that are going unmet year over year in the parks’ federal budget.
One of the most critical? Addressing the housing shortage in North Cascades National Park.
It takes a village to run a park, but what happens if that village can’t house the people tasked with doing the work? That’s what we’re seeing right now in North Cascades National Park and many other parks across the country, including Mount Rainier and Olympic National Parks.
What sets the North Cascades apart is the reason that so many of us love it: its remoteness. It grants us the ability to seek out true solitude and rejuvenation outdoors and away from crowds. But it also means quality housing for park employees is hard to find – and hard to afford.
Marblemount, just 20 minutes from the park’s North Cascades Visitor Center at Newhalem, is the only location where the park has housing for employees in the northern part of the park.
There, you can find two historic houses – one two-bedroom, and one three-bedroom – plus three 50s-era homes and two apartments. Many of the unlucky seasonal staff who help keep park operations running smoothly in the busiest season of the year are left squeezing two or three to a bedroom or camping in the field.
The result? The park is struggling to hire and retain qualified staff. And with more extreme weather – and the droughts, floods, and wildfires and smoke it brings – it’s more important than ever that the park can bring in skilled rangers, scientists, and park employees.
Housing is the single biggest barrier to being able to hire and retain people. We have a 20% lapse rate per year with people leaving, and in many cases we can’t fill both seasonal and permanent positions. People accept the job and then they research the market, and they say, ‘I can’t afford to move there. I can’t afford to live there.’ And so, people turn down job opportunities.”– Don Striker, North Cascades National Park Superintendent
The park is at a crisis point. Through Together for the Parks, with your help, we’re planning to provide the park with the resources to address it.
Whether you can donate an hour’s pay, or your situation provides you with the grace of giving thousands, every gift makes a difference as we tackle the parks’ greatest challenges, from housing to overcrowding, transportation, and infrastructure. We hope that you share the good feelings knowing that your support is having an impact on the parks, the staff members who keep them running, and the park volunteers who give freely of their time.
Ready to join us and make a difference? Get in touch by emailing me at susan@wnpf.org – I’d love to share more about how you can get involved.
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. With your help, we raise private support to preserve and protect Washington’s national parks, funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep these parks strong and vital now and forever, for everyone. You can learn more about our five-year campaign at togetherfortheparks.org.
Cover photo and park housing photos by Mitch Pittman, WNPF Creative Partner and volunteer.