By Kelly Sanderbeck, Donor Engagement Manager
At this year’s Spring Dinner and Auction we’ll be celebrating North Cascades National Park’s 50th Anniversary, and Washington’s National Park Fund 25th Anniversary. But it’s not all about looking back. This year, when we gather at the Fisher Pavilion on April 7th, we’re raising the paddle for the future. We know that introduction to our national parks at an early age encourages a lifelong love for public lands, and those who love our national parks become the very best stewards of all. That’s why we’re raising money for youth and family programs in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Park. Here’s a perfect example from an intern who was in Olympic last summer:
One of the most incredible parts of this summer was watching the kids’ personal transformation as they became more comfortable in the outdoors. The first few hikes were a challenge for several kids who frequently asked when it would be time to get back on the bus. These same participants were almost unrecognizable at the end of the summer. At our last outing, they were so engaged in tidepool exploration that no one wanted to leave! On our walk back to the buses, we passed several backpackers and one of the girls (who hadn’t been so sure about hiking a few weeks earlier) asked me what they were doing. When I told her they were going to camp on the beach, she turned to her younger cousin and said, “When we’re older, we’re going to come back and do that too. -Molly Sullivan, Northwest Youth Corps intern
To protect our parks and leave them “unimpaired for future generations,” we must inspire and build that next generation of passionate park people. And even though thousands of kids live just miles from park boundaries, many of them don’t have the means or opportunity to ever get there. With your support, we make sure they do. They come in buses and vans. They have layers of clothes and (hopefully) shoes that will keep them dry. Not all are excited or, at first, even interested. They have a noticeable wave of panic without cell phone connection. But in the end the scenery, the wildlife and just plain fresh air inevitably leaves them curious for more.
The Education Rangers at Mount Rainier meet student groups coming to the park, mostly during the spring when Paradise is buried in snow. Whether from a nearby town or the center of the city, many of these kids have never been to a national park, much less spent time in a snowy environment. While it is often sunny and warm at sea level, it can be blizzarding in April on “The Mountain.” When they arrive, they are met by their own personal ranger for the day and receive place-based education about the natural and cultural history of the park. The kids are then led out on a snowshoe walk with chaperones and learn to safely negotiate snow trails (and have some fun in the process!). Last year, 29 different field trips with over 1,700 kids (representing 9 different school districts) got to visit Mount Rainier National Park!
The Endangered Species Trailer at North Cascades will educate visitors, students, and the public about some of the 37 species of animals believed or known to occur in Washington State that are on the Threatened and Endangered Species List, including the grizzly bear and gray wolf. The cargo trailer is equipped with photos inside and out, and includes mounted mammal and bird species, along with examples of furs and feathers, skulls, scat and replica tracks. The kids LOVE picking up and playing with the pseudo scat! The trailer is also taken to schools, utilized at visitor centers and campgrounds for hands-on learning, and operated at special events and festivals to engage with new and diverse audiences. A similar bear trailer was used last summer and in 4 months had nearly 10,000 visitors! When the kids can’t go to the park, we make sure we can bring the park to them!
Adventures in Your Big Backyard at Olympic National Park partners with area Boys and Girls Clubs to introduce summer camp kids to the full diversity of ecosystems — ocean, mountains, rivers and rain forests – all contained within the park. They spend their days canoeing on Lake Crescent, swimming at Sol Duc Hot Springs, rafting the Elwha River, and hiking the Pacific Coast, taking away transformative experiences. They will invariably move on to become the next generation to serve as stewards of our beloved lands.
The impact of this program is not necessarily in the numbers, but in the experiences. We give lots of programs that I feel are “a mile wide and an inch deep” – bringing big busloads of students to the park and have them with us for 90 minutes and then they go on their way. This program is “an inch wide and a mile deep” – we are dealing with small numbers of kids for several hours each trip, repeated several weeks in a row. The experiences and the relationships that our rangers build with these kids are not easily measured or quantified. -Dean Butterworth, Outreach and Education Specialist, Olympic National Park
So, come to the Spring Dinner and Auction as we spend the evening with park rangers, bid on unique Park Packages and support the kids!