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11-19-2006, 11:08 PM
A first look at storm-tossed Rainier
Roads, rivers tangle in damaged park, but there’s hope for federal funds, early reopening
CRAIG HILL; The News Tribune
Published: November 19th, 2006 01:00 AM
To say things are out of place right now behind the locked gates at Mount Rainier National Park would be an understatement.
Kautz Creek splashes around the trees and over Nisqually Road, about a quarter mile from its usual course under Kautz Creek Bridge.
The first step out of Longmire’s Emergency Operation Center drops about 10 feet to the Nisqually River bed.
The Sunshine Point campground has almost entirely washed away.
It’s not so much that Mother Nature carpet-bombed the park when it dumped 17.9 inches of rain in 36 hours Nov. 6-7. Most landmarks look normal.
It was more of a precision attack, wiping out the main access road and utilities – enough to shut down the park for the first time since Mount St. Helens blew in 1980, closing Rainier for four days.
Two weeks into the longest closure since all national parks shut down for World War II, officials still aren’t sure how long the gates will be locked and how much repairs will cost.
And with more rain in the forecast, park officials fear more flooding as soon as today.
Jon Jarvis, regional director for the National Park Service, called the damage a microcosm of what hurricanes Katrina and Andrew did to national parks along the Gulf Coast.
It will be spring before snow melts enough to assess damage to trails. So, while park superintendent Dave Uberuaga hopes Rainier will reopen before Christmas, officials think it could be a year or more before the park is back to normal.
Repairs are under way, but when the tab is tallied the Park Service will have to go to Congress for supplemental funding. The Park Service keeps just $3 million in reserve annually for such damage, and that’s for all its parks.
Friday, Park Service Director Mary Bomar visited Rainier to assess the damage and boost morale. The News Tribune was invited to tag along as the first news media outlet allowed in the park since its closure.
10:05 a.m. – Park Headquarters, Ashford
Park employees were clearly excited to see Bomar on the one-month anniversary of her swearing in. Some looked nervous, others posed for pictures with her, and one even asked for an autograph.
When she started the day with a pep talk to about 50 employees, she easily won over the room.
“I’m not shy about saying I’m a strong advocate for seeking more funding for the park,” Bomar said to loud applause. “I don’t sleep well if I don’t make the right decisions.”
11:50 a.m. – Nisqually Entrance
more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/6240865p-5449107c.html
http://www.thenewstribune.com/images/unisys-images/20061119-images/NWS1119_RAINIER_P1.JPG
Roads, rivers tangle in damaged park, but there’s hope for federal funds, early reopening
CRAIG HILL; The News Tribune
Published: November 19th, 2006 01:00 AM
To say things are out of place right now behind the locked gates at Mount Rainier National Park would be an understatement.
Kautz Creek splashes around the trees and over Nisqually Road, about a quarter mile from its usual course under Kautz Creek Bridge.
The first step out of Longmire’s Emergency Operation Center drops about 10 feet to the Nisqually River bed.
The Sunshine Point campground has almost entirely washed away.
It’s not so much that Mother Nature carpet-bombed the park when it dumped 17.9 inches of rain in 36 hours Nov. 6-7. Most landmarks look normal.
It was more of a precision attack, wiping out the main access road and utilities – enough to shut down the park for the first time since Mount St. Helens blew in 1980, closing Rainier for four days.
Two weeks into the longest closure since all national parks shut down for World War II, officials still aren’t sure how long the gates will be locked and how much repairs will cost.
And with more rain in the forecast, park officials fear more flooding as soon as today.
Jon Jarvis, regional director for the National Park Service, called the damage a microcosm of what hurricanes Katrina and Andrew did to national parks along the Gulf Coast.
It will be spring before snow melts enough to assess damage to trails. So, while park superintendent Dave Uberuaga hopes Rainier will reopen before Christmas, officials think it could be a year or more before the park is back to normal.
Repairs are under way, but when the tab is tallied the Park Service will have to go to Congress for supplemental funding. The Park Service keeps just $3 million in reserve annually for such damage, and that’s for all its parks.
Friday, Park Service Director Mary Bomar visited Rainier to assess the damage and boost morale. The News Tribune was invited to tag along as the first news media outlet allowed in the park since its closure.
10:05 a.m. – Park Headquarters, Ashford
Park employees were clearly excited to see Bomar on the one-month anniversary of her swearing in. Some looked nervous, others posed for pictures with her, and one even asked for an autograph.
When she started the day with a pep talk to about 50 employees, she easily won over the room.
“I’m not shy about saying I’m a strong advocate for seeking more funding for the park,” Bomar said to loud applause. “I don’t sleep well if I don’t make the right decisions.”
11:50 a.m. – Nisqually Entrance
more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/6240865p-5449107c.html
http://www.thenewstribune.com/images/unisys-images/20061119-images/NWS1119_RAINIER_P1.JPG