National Park News

National Park Says “Please Don’t Feed the Foxes”

Mount Rainier National Park is asking that visitors don’t feed the Cascade foxes frequently found along the roadside within the Park. From the Mt. Rainier National Park Website:

Date: December 12, 2011
Contact: Mason Reid, Wildlife Ecologist, 360-569-6771

“Mount Rainier National Park has just begun a research project to assess visitor impacts on Cascade foxes (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis). The Cascade fox is a rare species currently known to inhabit only Mount Rainier and Mount Adams. Many of Mount Rainier’s Cascade foxes have learned to get food from people, “begging” on roadways in the Paradise area, increasing the risk to both foxes and humans. The research will evaluate the ecological impacts on these foxes as a result of human activities, and will enable park managers to better manage visitor use and protect the foxes. The study is a cooperative effort between Mount Rainier and the USGS-Forestry and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center.

Visitors may see radio collars on some foxes. These radio collars automatically collect time and location information via GPS receivers. similar to what is used in a car or on the trails. Programmed to record time and location at 3.5 hour intervals, the collars will provide a wealth of information of how visitor use may alter the natural movements and habits of foxes.

Mount Rainier has had a persistent problem with people continually feeding the foxes, and this project is designed to better evaluate the behavioral responses of the foxes to this illegal and damaging practice. The substantial ongoing efforts to educate the public and enforce no-feeding laws will continue. Results of this study will lead researchers to better understanding human impacts and develop new ways of protecting the foxes and keeping our wildlife wild.”

Photo Credit: blaircook on Flickr via Creative Commons license

Mt Rainier Fall 2011 News: Stevens Canyon Road Closure, Paradise Shuttle Schedule, and National Public Lands Day

The National Park has release a fall update with information on road closures, shuttle schedules, and more:

With Labor Day rapidly approaching and the school season beginning, Mount Rainier National Park will begin the transition to Fall operations. For park visitors, there are still many opportunities to enjoy camping and hiking, mountain climbing, picnicking, and due to the late snow melt, maybe a rare opportunity to view wildflowers and fall colors simultaneously.

Visitors also have one last chance to ride the free weekend shuttle bus to Paradise. Shuttle operations will end on Sunday, September 4. Busses leave Longmire Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning at 10:00 a.m. and from Ashford on Saturday and Sunday.

A major impact for visitors beginning September 6 will be the closure of the Stevens Canyon Road on the east end for road construction. This road will be closed to all traffic between the gate located just west of the Grove of the Patriarchs to just east of the popular Backbone Ridge viewpoint beginning September 6, through the 2011-2012 winter (see map). This will be a 24/7 closure. However, visitors will still be able to access the Backbone Ridge, Reflection Lakes and Box Canyon areas via State Routes 7 and 706 through the Nisqually Entrance (southwest entrance). Visitors traveling between the east and west sides of the park have two options: Gifford Pinchot National Forest Road 52 (Skate Creek Road) beginning in Packwood, or the longer route via State Route 7 beginning in Morton on US 12 and connecting with SR 706 at Elbe.

Also, September 24th will be National Public Lands Day:

On September 24, the park will participate in National Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance public lands. Volunteers can participate in helping park staff on projects in the Sunrise and White River areas of the park. Volunteers can sign up to help the park out on the Volunteer webpage, or by calling 360-569-6567 for information. September 24 will also be a fee-free day at many federally managed lands, including Mount Rainier.

For current information and programs visit the park’s web page or call 360-569-2211.

Read the full update here: http://www.nps.gov/mora/parknews/transition-to-fall.htm

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Photo by .curt. on flickr via CC Attribution 2.0 commercial-ok license.

Researchers Find Disease-Resistant Pines in Mt. Rainier National Park

The peculiar conifers with the massive fatty seeds and silvery trunks sprout way up on wind-swept slopes, where they’re central to high-mountain ecology.

Whitebark pine trees provide food for more than 20 different animals, from grizzly bears to squirrels to Clark’s nutcrackers. They stabilize alpine slopes, slow snowmelt and reduce spring flooding.

But these important trees are dying by the millions across the West, thanks to bugs, disease, a century of fire control and a changing climate. Their future is so dim the federal government this week agreed whitebark pine deserves a spot on the endangered-species list, though the government said it lacks the money to put it there.

So, researchers have been hunting down healthy trees, hoping to stall the decline by reproducing and replanting stronger trees. And one of the greatest crops of disease-resistant whitebark pines is in our backyard.

“What we do is go out and collect cones off of trees and grow seedlings from those,” said Richard Sniezko, a geneticist with the U.S. Forest Service tree lab in Cottage Grove, Ore. “And of all the trees we’ve tested so far, the ones from Mount Rainier seem to have the highest disease-resistance found anywhere.”

Continue Reading the Full Article: “Rainier’s Trees Could Hold Key to Saving Whitebark Pines”

Photo Credit: National Park Service

First Wildflowers Bloom at Mt. Rainier

Despite a late start to summer at the National Park, wildflowers have begun to bloom:

While wildflower opportunities are limited at traditional places such as Sunrise and Paradise, there are still some places to view flowers. Among them is the Westside Road, not far from the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park.

According to reports, avalanche lilies can be seen around the parking lot at the end of the road and orange paintbrush are visible up the trail.

In the meantime, much of Paradise is still deeply covered by snow. Snow depth readings showed there were 94 inches on the ground Friday, 855 percent of normal. Typically there is only 11 inches of snow at this time.

Read the full article: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/07/24/1756763/first-wildflowers-finally-bloom.html

New Camp Muir Webcam at Mt. Rainier

There’s a new addition to the webcam selection at Mt. Rainier National Park: now you can view updated photos from Camp Muir, the climbing base camp located at 10,080 feet in elevation (the peak of Mount Rainier is 14,411 feet). Here’s the live image (you can see the timestamp in the upper left corner). Click on the image to view the full size shot.

Camp Muir Webcam at Mt Rainier National Park

You can click here to see all of the Mt. Rainier webcams.

Paradise Selected as a Leave No Trace Hotspot

Photo shows erosion issues on a popular trail at Paradise - Image Courtesy Leave No Trace Center

According to the Olympian, Paradise at Mt. Rainier has been selected as a Leave No Trace Hotspot by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics:

“In its second year, the Hot Spots program tries to raise awareness about natural areas around the country facing the threat of irreversible environmental damage. As part of the initiative, The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics works with volunteers, nonprofit organizations, friends groups and governmental agencies to reduce the effect of recreational activities in the selected area.

The center will provide Leave No Trace training for key park staff and volunteers, developing Paradise-specific Leave No Trace information, create signs to convey information and consult on best management practices for minimizing the effects in the Paradise area. Another aspect of the program is the Backyard Session. The sessions encourage Leave No Trace community activism and create a platform for training, environmental youth programs and Leave No Trace–based stewardship activities, said a press release.”

According to the Center:

“Paradise is the most heavily visited location in the park, known for its outstanding scenery, spectacular wildflower displays, historic inn, hiking trails and winter recreation opportunities. Recreation – related impacts at Paradise are severe, including miles of social trails and damage to subalpine meadows caused by off – trail travel. All these factors have led to the designation of Mount Rainier as a 2011 Leave No Trace Hot Spot.

National Park Service’s National Natural Landmarks Photo Contest

Image of Myrtle Falls taken by Lacey resident Matt Bell at Mount Rainier National Park was the winning photo in last year's National Park Service’s National Historic Landmark photo contest. (Matt Bell)

The National Park Service has just announced this year’s Natural Landmarks Photo Contest:

“We are pleased to announce the start of the 8th Annual National Natural Landmarks Photo Contest! Help us capture images of our nation’s scenic natural landscape for display in our 2012 calendar honoring the NNL Program’s 50 years (1962-2012) of supporting the conservation of America’s natural heritage. The winning photographs from this year’s contest will be beautifully displayed in our specially-designed 50th Anniversary Commemorative NNL Calendar.”

According to the Adventure Guys at the News Tribune, “last year’s contest was won by Matt Bell of Lacey. His winning image, a view of Myrtle Falls near Paradise Inn at Mount Rainier National Park, was featured on the cover of the 2011 National Historic Landmark event planner.”

Photos of last year’s contest, including the winning image from Mount Rainier National Park, can be found here.

Submissions are due by June 30th, so grab your camera and get out there!

Mt. Rainier Climbing Fees to Increase

Posted today at the Seattle PI:

SEATTLE — Climbers will have to pay more if they want to scale Mount Rainier.

Mount Rainier National Park officials announced Tuesday that an annual climbing pass will cost most adults $43, or an increase of $13. A new youth fee will cost $30 for climbers 24 and younger. The new fees go into effect immediately.

About 11,000 people climb the 14,411-foot volcano each year. Climbing fees pay for rangers salaries, updated climbing routes and weather information, maintenance of toilets at high camps and other services.

Park officials say the fees haven’t covered the full costs of the climbing program over the years. The climbing fee was last increased in 2003.

Original Article: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_rainier_climbing_fee.html

Image courtesy mckaysavage at Flickr.

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