People of Interest

Meet Our Creative Partners

We are fortunate to have a host of talented creative professionals who donate their images and videos of the sights, tranquility and power of our cherished Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. Meet the photographers and videographers who help us bring our parks to you.

Trailblazers: Susan Nebel

As Director of Philanthropy for WNPF, Susan manages major giving for the organization and growing and cultivating relationships with passionate park lovers in our community who give back through charitable gifts. She will play a key role in WNPF’s upcoming strategic growth campaign kicking off this year.

Trailblazers: Kristen Oliphant

Meet the newest member of the WNPF team: Kristen Oliphant. Kristen plans and manages the events and partnership programs for the Fund including the annual Auction for the Parks and our Climb for a Cause fundraising climbs of Mount Rainier, Mount Olympus, and Mount Shuksan.

A New Era for Our Parks - It Starts with A Website

As we approach a new era of strategic growth in support for our parks, we recognized that we would need to revamp our website to meet the needs of our supporters and better communicate our vision for our parks. Luckily for WNPF, we have many friends who share our passion.

Trailblazers: Judy & Curly McNamee

WNPF works to fund critical priority projects in Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks, and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated supporters. Our Trailblazers series celebrates these passionate park lovers and all of their reasons for giving. This week, meet Judy & Curly McNamee. We had a...

An Ode to Hiking Solo

Much has been written about the restorative powers of being in nature. When I think about the moments that I have felt the most alive in the outdoors, I think about being in remote spaces far away from crowds. Many experiences are with a friend or a small group, but...

Mount Rainier National Park: An Artist’s Tour

This is a brief story about how I came to write Mount Rainier National Park: An Artist’s Tour, published by Mountaineers Books. I started visiting Mt. Rainier decades ago when I was 23 years old, and I’ve made art about it since that time. After every visit I always wanted...

Trailblazers: Gerry Chambers

Washington’s National Park Fund works to fund critical priority projects in Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks, and we couldn’t do it without our dedicated supporters. Our Trailblazers series celebrates these passionate park lovers and all of their reasons for giving. This week, meet Gerry Chambers, a committed park...

Marriage, the Mountain and the Martins

Last summer, the threat of COVID put a damper on many of our plans and travels. However, WNPF donors and Tennessee residents Morgan Harris and Conner Martin were steadfastly committed to make the trip from Smithville, TN, to Mount Rainier National Park where, on August 10 with family and a...