Mt. Rainier National Park Considers Improvements to Camp Muir

Post by Andre, Public Lands Policy Intern

Camp Muir, looking west from the helipad. The historic Guide Shelter is on the right;

the Client Shelter is on the left.

The National Park Service (“NPS”) has proposed several site rehabilitation plans at the Camp Muir Historic District, located in Mount Rainier National Park.

Camp Muir is the primary base camp for west-side ascents to the summit of Mount Rainier and is a common destination for day hikers. Up to 500 climbers and hikers visit Camp Muir per day during peak use months. The popularity of Camp Muir as a climbing base camp and destination day hike strains existing toilet and overnight facilities, and has contributed to erosion of the pumice soils on the ridge. Extreme environmental conditions also contribute to the deterioration of structures and challenge Park managers in their efforts to maintain the site and its public facilities.

  

Structures at Camp Muir like the “big black box” sleeping shelter would be modified, replaced or removed, and the purposes of structures would be optimized to improve visitor and employee safety while protecting natural resources, adjacent Wilderness, and the National Historic Landmark District. The NPS has prepared an Environmental Assessment to analyze four potential rehabilitation plan Alternatives. Alternative 1 (No Action), which would result in no change in the facilities available at Camp Muir; Alternative 2, representing minimum development, in which structures that are not historic would be removed; Alternative 3 (preferred), in which non-historic structures would be replaced with new structures compatible with the Historic District near their current locations; and Alternative 4, which would also replace non-historic structures with new structures, but with a modified spatial arrangement.  

Alternative 3 is the NPS preferred course of action. The preferred plan calls for the replacement of non-historic shelters with new structures that are more compatible with existing Historic District structures and landscape.  The new shelters would be designed to consider enclosures for utilities to minimize visual impact to the Historic District, provide increased safety to users (i.e. a new cooking area partitioned within the building to provide separation between sleeping and cooking functions), and the replacement of existing toilets. Utilities and support infrastructure would be similar to present conditions, but new technology may be used to decrease the size of equipment and reduce energy consumption. 

PUBLIC COMMENTS DEADLINE: September 10, 2012:

SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT HERE

Learn more about the Camp Muir project

Safety first at Mailbox Peak in Middle Fork Snoqualmie

Guest post by Diana Lofflin

Can you imagine going to your favorite hiking spot, taking a wrong turn, and getting stranded overnight? A few weeks back this happened to hikers descending from Mailbox Peak in Middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural Resources Conservation Area (NRCA), just outside of North Bend in East King County.

The Mailbox Peak Trail gains 4,000 feet elevation in miles. Photo: DNR 

Hikers are drawn to the beautiful forests, streams, wildlife, and views of Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area from the Mailbox Peak Trail, but many have stayed away because of safety concerns and environmental damage on the trail.The current trail is very steep, with a 4,000-foot elevation gain in just 2 miles. This grade causes significant erosion along with dangerous conditions where hikers can become injured or lost.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), with the help of Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, has broken ground on a new trail and trailhead that is being built with safety and sustainability in mind. DNR looks forward to hosting a celebration for the completion of this 18-month project on National Public Lands Day, September 2013.

So, what can you do? Here are three things you can do today to stay safe on the trails—and also lend a hand.

1. Safety is always first. No matter the length of your hike, always make sure you tell someone where you are going and pack the ten essentials.

2. Get dirty! Get your hands dirty and volunteer to help build the new trail at the following work parties:
• July 28
• August 11

Be sure to register beforehand with Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust.

3. Speak up. Mailbox Peak is in the Snoqualmie Corridor recreation planning area that is currently underway with the help of a citizen-based planning committee. We are asking for feedback on what recreation opportunities the public would like to see on DNR-managed state trust lands and conservation areas within the corridor.  Read the DNR blog for more details and take a few minutes to fill out the survey.  

Questions? Contact DNR Representative, Diana Lofflin at 360-902-1169 or diana.lofflin@dnr.wa.gov.  Stay current with what’s happening on DNR-managed recreation sites by subscribing to their blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter Fire pages.

Wild Olympics Bill Introduced

Congressman Norm Dicks and Senator Patty Murray recently introduced the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their major tributaries, a total of 464 river miles, as Wild and Scenic Rivers.  If enacted, the legislation would designate the first new wilderness on Olympic National Forest in nearly three decades and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic peninsula.

The bill would offer permanent protection to some outstanding backcountry destinations, including lands in the areas of Moonlight Dome, South Quinault Ridge, Rugged Ridge, and Lost Creek, as well as additions to existing wilderness areas including Buckhorn, The Brothers, Mt. Skokomish, Wonder Mountain and Colonel Bob Wildernesses.  Read the bill & check out the Wild Olympics Campaign homepage for more information.

Congressman Dicks and Senator Murray have worked tirelessly to craft this proposal.  Please take a moment to send a personal letter to thank them for their work on the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.  Contact Congressman Norm Dicks or Senator Patty Murray & let them know you support the Wild Olympics!

Hydro dam on the North Fork Snoqualmie?

Over the objections of the recreation and conservation community, including The Mountaineers, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a preliminary permit last fall for the proposed Black Canyon Hydroelectric Project that would construct a new dam  on the North Fork Snoqualmie River.

The river forms the border for the Department of Natural Resources Mt. Si Natural Resources Conservation Area that includes some of the best remaining intact old-growth riparian forest at low elevation in the western Cascades. The river section proposed for development has been found eligible and recommended for designation as a Wild and Scenic River by the U.S. Forest Service, and is identified as a protected area from hydropower development by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Finally, the lands along the river are protected by a conservation easement held by King County that specifically prohibits hydropower projects of the scale proposed. Despite these concerns, FERC concluded that these issues could all be evaluated once a formal application was filed.

Want to help keep the North Fork Snoqualmie free-flowing? FERC needs to hear from you during the current public comment period.  Mark your calendars & tell your friends – you can attend either the daytime or evening scoping meeting on Tuesday, June 19 to learn more and raise issues and concerns. The virtual site review will provide an opportunity to get a more in-depth overview of the project.  

Daytime scoping  meeting, Tuesday, June 19 11:00 a.m.

Virtual site review, Tuesday, June 19 2:00 p.m.

Evening scoping  meeting. Tuesday, June 196:00 p.m.

All meetings will be held  at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center Auditorium, 19901 Cedar Falls Road SE, North Bend, WA 98045.

A public comment period is now open with comments due by July 24, 2pm (PDT).  For more background and information about how to weigh in this proposal, visit American Whitewater’s webpage on the proposed North Fork Snoqualmie hydro developments.

Vantage Toilet Fundraiser!

Those of you who love the basalt and sunshine at Vantage (a.k.a. Frenchman’s Coulee) know that Eastern Washington's most popular climbing destination is in desperate need for a permanent toilet. 

This remarkable desert recreation area is a long way from the nearest rest stop. The area is used by hundreds of climbers on busy weekends during the spring and fall climbing season, and concert goers headed for the Gorge Amphitheater also camp here during the Summer concert season. This area is popular in large part because it is a unique bit of desert landscape and easily accessible because it is close to Interstate 90. It is also a fragile area. The desert environment does not support rapid decay of human waste and toilet paper left under rocks or even on the surface; human waste presents not only an unsightly mess but an environmental threat. 

The Washington Climbers Coalition, American Alpine Club & The Mountaineers are joining forces to help establish a toilet at Vantage - your dollars are appreciated, we have just $40k to go to reach our fundraising goal! Donate to WCC 's Vantage toilet fund today - $5 or $50, anything helps!