#moraemployees

[mountrainiernps]

Past damage has left many meadows at Mount Rainier in a state of repair.

Our revegetation team works on projects that can take years to actualize. To repair damaged areas, the seeds of native plants are collected and grown over the winter. The following season, the plants will be placed at the site from which the seeds were collected. Usually, the work doesn’t end there. With weather and other factors, the team may return for several years to water the plants and ensure their success.

Depending on how accessible a location is, this can be a time-consuming task. Luckily, with the help of volunteers, some aspects of their job are eased with extra hands. Their work is a reminder of the long-lasting impact we have on our environment, with meadow recovery continuing for years to come.

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: (top) A park employee kneels in dirt demonstrating how to properly plant in the meadow. (middle) Black trays filled with plants are spread out around a barren, dirt area. (bottom) A park employee leans over while planting as fog rolls in and covers the volunteers behind her. -im

[mountrainiernps]

It’s likely the first employee you meet at Mount Rainier will be at our entrance stations. This individual may be the only park employee a visitor interacts with during their trip! Other than staffing entrance booths, these employees also patrol campgrounds, as well as assist with parking at locations like Paradise.

Beyond handing out maps and brochures, the fees team is able to experience a visitor's excitement to be here, whether it’s their first or 100th time exploring the park!

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: (top) A sign reads "U.S. Fee Area" with the National Park Service arrowhead. (bottom) A ranger leans out of an entrance booth to hand a card to someone in a car. -im

[mountrainiernps]

As the Cascades Butterfly Project comes to a close for the season, we want to give a shout-out to those employees behind our Facebook posts! They trekked many miles to survey the meadows of Mount Rainier, while also keeping the public up-to-date on their work. We thank the employees, interns, and countless volunteers that kept us informed.

Sad to see the butterflies go? Learn how you can get involved with their surveys next year https://go.usa.gov/xPgDB.

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: (top) A park employee holds up a butterfly in a clear container as she identifies it. (bottom) Three people with nets walk along a dirt path through a meadow with sparse trees. -im

[mountrainiernps]

Job perk: getting to snorkel in an alpine lake.

With worldwide concern for amphibian populations, long-term monitoring projects have been established at Mount Rainier National Park. The aquatics crew returns to specific locations to collect data on the environment and different species. They use both visual and snorkel surveys to determine what species are present.

Amphibians help gauge overall environmental health because they reside in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Moving forward, it is important to continue monitoring these species for changes in their presence or abundance at certain locations.

NPS/I. Metzen Photo. Description: An employee wears a dry suit as they snorkel in an alpine lake with light reflecting off the water. -im

[mountrainiernps]

Picture this: you make the journey to Sunrise and when you finally reach the top, there’s no bathroom. What would your reaction be?

For maintenance workers at Mount Rainier National Park, high visitation means constant work! Without facilities, not only would Sunrise be a lot less attainable for some visitors, but the landscape would be dampened by human trash and waste. These employees work hard to keep up with the number of visitors using these amenities on a daily basis. Their work makes visiting out-of-the-way places convenient and keeps them how you’d imagine them to be: beautiful, natural, and clean.

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: (top) A park employee opens a new box of paper towels. (bottom) A park employee bends down to remove an overgrown branch she cut. -im

[mountrainiernps]

Regarded as “The Voice of MORA” for their presence on the park’s radio, Mount Rainier’s dispatchers work long hours to ensure the safety of all park employees and visitors. Not only do they handle emergency situations, but pretty much any incident where a solution is unclear. From flooding bathrooms to search and rescues, on-the-spot problem solving is a constant in their daily work. We thank this team for their hard work that keeps everyone in the park safe!

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: Two park employees sit in front of computer screens with large monitors above them displaying different scenes around the park. -im

[mountrainiernps]

Working as an archaeologist at Mount Rainier National Park means preserving cultural history! Locating artifacts helps retain the history of the land and preserve its connection to native tribes.

Before construction can occur at a proposed site, the team is tasked with unearthing the past. Over the past month, the team has been working in the Ohanapecosh Campground in light of plans to renovate a sewage system. Throughout their digging, the team will determine the archaeological significance of the site.

Their hard work helps ensure that parts of history are not left behind, even when changes occur within the park.

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: (top left) An intern sifts through the organic part of the soil. (top middle) An archaeologist holds up a GPS with her right hand, while checking it on an iPad. (top right) An archaeologist sifts through soil more precisely by using a tool. (bottom) A smiling archaeologist holds an out of focus flake up to the camera. -im

[mountrainiernps]

Citizen Science is toad-ally cool!

Ongoing amphibian monitoring occurs at Mount Rainier National Park, where Citizen Science volunteers complete surveys alongside park staff. When visiting known breeding grounds, volunteers use Visual Encounter Surveys to collect information regarding the development of important species. The data collected follows amphibians from eggs until they metamorphose into juveniles.

Here, volunteers helped collect data on a species of special concern, the Western Toad. To learn more about Citizen Science amphibian monitoring at Mount Rainier visit https://go.usa.gov/xUMAB.

NPS/I. Metzen Photos. Description: (top) Three people stand on the edge of a pond holding nets, while one points out a frog in the water. (bottom) A toad larva with developed limbs and a tail is held up in a plastic bag filled with water.  -im