Landslide closes section of SR 410 Chinook Pass

Just got back from a great two week tour with the family.  The "Adventure Truck" took us safely through Utah, Oregon, Idaho and Eastern Washington.  The fall colors were spectacular and we visited some world class wineries and restaurants.  On our way home we noticed that SR 410, Chinook Pass access to Tipsoo lake has been closed by a landslide.  For more information about the closure, read here.

While we were gone MRIP received it's CUA to operate in Mt. Rainier National Park in 2010.  So the dates posted on the website are now official.  A reminder for those of you that attended the Landscape Photography 101 workshop at the 2009 Rainier Arts Festival.  You can receive $100 off any regularly scheduled Master Class, if you sign up before October 31st, 2009.

Adam

Climate Friendly Parks.

The two day Climate Friendly Parks workshop held at the Community Center in Mt. Rainier National Park was a huge success. As a member of the public and a business partner with the park, I am very excited to be part of what will certainly be one of the premier models for green operations in the Pacific Northwest!  The details of the two day event are extensive, so I will spare you the details here.  I would, however, like to direct you to a couple of resources listed below.  I also might be able to help steer you to the right park personnel to answer your questions as they arise.

The first web based resource is the "Do Your Part" website of Climate Friendly Parks and the National Parks Conservation Association.  You can visit it at www.doyourpartparks.org. Climate Friendly Parks is the first interactive online program in the country that provides national park visitors and supporters with the tools to understand and reduce their carbon footprints and thereby help to protect our national parks from global warming. Do Your Part! is sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in support of the National Park Service’s Climate Friendly Parks program.

Do Your Part!’s interactive mapping feature lets you explore park goals and the progress park stakeholders are making towards those goals. Its carbon calculator provides the tools you need to understand your current carbon footprint and then set goals to reduce your impact. Its tracking tool displays progress in real time towards park and related group goals.

The other online resource for more general and comprehensive information is www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks.

Thank you for showing interest in Climate Friendly Parks, and I hope to see you on Mt. Rainier.

Adam

Climate Friendly Parks Workshop, Mt. Rainier National Park

On behalf of the Institute I will be attending the Climate Friendly Parks (CFP) Program this week at Mt. Rainier.  The CFP is a collaboration of the National Park Service and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, to provide national parks with management tools and resources to address climate change. The program aims to provide national parks with comprehensive support to address climate change both within park boundaries and the surrounding community.

The goals of the workshop will be:

•To educate park employees and park partners about climate change/global warming and the
role each can take in addressing the problem.
•To empower every park employee and park partner to serve as communicator—helping the
public understand global warming/climate change, how the park is dealing with it, and the difference that each person can make.
•To provide a framework and ongoing support for actions to communicate both internally and externally about progress and challenges of becoming a Climate Friendly Park.
•To develop a Park Climate Action Plan with concrete emission reduction goals.

If you have any questions about concessioners and CUA holders in Mt Rainier National Park and the CFP, please feel free to contact me.

Adam Angel

Commercial Use Authorizations, Mt. Rainier National Park.

Mount Rainier National Park Mission Statement

"Together we preserve, for future generations, the natural and cultural resources in Mount Rainier National Park.  Through a variety of high quality park experiences, we promote park values, personal connections, and responsibility for the environment in our local and global communities.  With integrity, teamwork, pride, and motivation, we demonstrate environmental leadership and deepen our understanding of the park’s ecosystems.  We value our diverse range of individual contributions by showing respect and concern for each other and the park.  The Mountain inspires stewardship.  Its protection and preservation is our legacy."

Mt Rainier National Park is truly a unique and special place.  It is an island of ecosystems and climates, with many scientific, experiential, and creative treasures.  In putting together the Mt. Rainier Institute of Photography's application for a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) in the park, I came across the park's mission statement.  It was such a relief to read it and to know that the park is in such good hands.  Part of Mt. Rainier National Park's General Management Plan is the Commercial Services Plan, which includes administering concessions and commercial use authorizations within the park.  By administering all commercial services within the park, the resource that Mt. Rainier National Park is can be protected.  Both Concessions and CUA holders are held to the highest standards when operating in MRNP.  By using a service that is operated under a Commercial Use Authorization and administered by the National Park Service, you are not only getting the very best in business practices, you are helping to protect the resource.  There are several companies operating photography workshops in Mt. Rainier National Park without Commercial Use Authorizations, and in addition to operating illegally are not operating within the scope of good environmental practice.  They and their clients may be subject to disciplinary action from the National Park Service.  CUAs are available to these companies and I hope that you will hold them to this standard.  As you investigate the available options please keep this in mind.

Adam