By Kelly Sanderbeck, Donor Engagement Manager
I bet you have a few things that really turn you on in the parks. Maybe it’s the thought of chasing around butterflies and recording the details? Or seeing a trail crew at work, 3 miles in, with their hard hats and tools? Perhaps the sound of giddy school kids getting off a bus to see snow for the first time?
Whatever gets your geek on, I bet WNPF has a project you can sink your teeth into! And now’s the time to show your Parks Proud with a gift to Washington’s National Park Fund. We’re looking to you to help fully fund projects by the end of our fiscal year (September 30) to push priority project funding up and ‘over the top.’ Here are a few projects from our four core areas, requested by the superintendents this year, that we hope will spark your interest:
Youth & Family
The North Cascades Hiking Club (funding goal: $8,500) will build a program for youth and families from the Concrete area in coordination with the Community Health Outreach Program (CHOP). The club will take guided hikes that integrate natural history with conservation, and volunteer group leaders and park staff will teach orienteering and other outdoor skills. The program also consists of a “challenge” to encourage participants to recreate and exercise in the park. Day and waist packs will be provided and loaned out during hikes, and free water bottles and other incentive items will be given to all. The primary goal of this project is to expand the community’s use of parks as a healing tool, and increase citizen recognition of the value of parks to improve health and well-being.
Visitor Experiences
The Kalaloch & Quinault Accessibility Project at Olympic National Park (funding goal: $50,000; $30,000 raised so far) will bring trails into compliance with federal standards, as the National Park Service works to ensure that people with disabilities can participate in the same programs, activities, and employment opportunities available to those without disabilities. The work for this project includes new trail construction at the Kalaloch Big Cedar Trail and the July Creek Loop adhering, to the greatest extent possible, to accessibility standards. Construction will include building gravel turnpikes, adding handrails, and creating universally-accessible benches.
The Washington Trails Association Partnership Project at Mount Rainier (funding goal: $24,000) will fund a WTA trail crew leader (as well as housing within the park) for day-long work parties, beginning on National Trails Day (June 1) and running until National Public Lands Day (end of September). WTA recruits volunteers for these weekly events — Friday through Sunday for four months. They also convey information about work type and location, and coordinate transportation and meeting places, and provide personal protective equipment, hand tools and a safety discussion to all who participate. Mount Rainier provides a trail worker to describe the work to be completed, a description of the trail standards, and oversight on the work quality. This program gives volunteers an easy way to get attached to a trail project, completing real work to correct deficiencies along the 275 miles of trail within the park. WTA provides a comfortable work environment and easy sign-up system which attracts novice and experienced trail workers alike. Mount Rainier National Park relies on volunteers to keep trails in good condition and this program provides an excellent opportunity for citizens to be involved and give back to the park.
Science & Research
The Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project at Mount Rainier (funding goal: $20,000) will address non-native brook trout, which are one of the greatest threats to recovery of the park’s threatened bull trout population. This Citizen Science-based program will assist in field projects in aquatic restoration using Student Conservation Corps interns. They will organize volunteer anglers who will target known brook trout hot spots in the Carbon River watershed, and also assist with fish removal in select lakes – in particular, an illegally-introduced population of threespine stickleback recently documented in a high-elevation lake in the park.
Volunteer & Stewardship
Search & Rescue Personal Protective Equipment (funding goal: $8,500) at North Cascades will fund personal protective gear and two-way satellite communication devices for rescuers and park staff to use during SAR incidents. They will also be used for patrolling the backcountry as an important backup for times when the standard radio system is insufficient. According to statistics released by the State of Washington Search and Rescue Volunteer Advisory Council, there were 53 missions in Whatcom County in 2017 — the fourth most for any county in the state — and a 17.8 percent increase from 2016. These volunteers often travel from across the state to assist in rescues, but lack critical safety items in the remote and rugged North Cascades, which is known for its severely inclement weather. SAR incidents often transpire over prolonged periods of time, in off-trail and remote areas, so waterproof and high-visibility outerwear will be purchased to protect rescuers responding to visitors in distress. It is critical for both rescuer and visitor safety to be able to locate rescuers when they are in hard-to-find places with thick vegetation or complex rock formations, especially with poor visibility.
These are just a few of the projects we will fund this year, with your help! Last year we gave back over $750,000 to the parks, and this year we hope to hit $1,000,000. You can find more projects in need of additional funding on our website. Help bring park priority project funding ‘over the top’ — make a gift today!
Thank you for supporting your parks!