Sunday Jay Satz with the Student Conservation Association, Sally Jewell NPCA board member and David Uberuaga Mount Rainier Superintendent will appear on "KCTS Connects." The panel will discuss the recent storm damage to Mount Rainier and how interested indivduals can get involved in its repair.
On March 26th, the National Park Service will hold a Centennial Initiative listening session at Seattle's Town Hall from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The meeting is open to the public and designed to allow interested individuals the ability to shape the park system's next hundred years. More information on the Centennial Initiative can be found here. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is expected to attend.
Over the weekend, the New York Times ran an article on the difficult task Park Service personnel face in predicting future flood events like the ones the devastated Mount Rainier, Olympic and North Cascades this last November. This unpredictability makes it extremely difficult to mitigate damage, while maintaining access.
Eric Sorensen in a special for the Seattle Times details what visitors to Mount Rainier can expect this summer. There is good news and some bad. On the positive side, it looks like the Paradise area should be open to the public by either April or May. Unfortunately, other areas such as the Wonderland trail will see limited access this year. Other Washington parks and forests are likely to see similar impacts to visitor access.
The National Parks Conservation Association will host an exhibit highlighting the recent storm damage to Washington's National Parks. Featured images will include shots from all three national parks, as well as the work of Lani Doely and Don Geyer. The show runs from March 15th thru June 6th with an Artist reception to be held April 5th.
