An honored partnership

Howling winds and devastating floods had barely subsided in November 2006 when phones started to ring at Mount Rainier National Park. Over and over, the question was the same: "How can we help?"

The work to channel a torrent of volunteers and focus thousands of hours of donated labor was honored by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne this week in Washington, D.C., with Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award.The Student Conservation Association-Mount Rainier Partnership represented a coalition of organizations that worked with the National Park Service to recruit, train and lead service organizations and individuals in rebuilding the park and doing other seasonal chores.

Sharing the award with the SCA and park professional are The Mountaineers, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Washington Trails Association and Washington's National Park Fund.

Willing hands and strong backs were only part of their contribution of time and talent. They also brought keen organizational skills. In 2006, Mount Rainier attracted 924 volunteers who invested 43,000 hours of free labor. After the storm, the roster jumped to 1,724 and 83,000 hours of work.

More than half the trail restoration after the flood was accomplished by volunteers.

All the remedial work was being done at the same time annual park maintenance was under way, and often the two big tasks overlapped, along with the volunteer crews.

Who were these good people? Mostly, you and your neighbors — hundreds of individuals and organizations, from the Scouts to employee groups. The park even welcomed out-of-state and international visitors who made their visit a working vacation.

The award salutes a marvel of cooperation between the Student Conservation Association and kindred groups and the Mount Rainier staff. Jay Satz, regional vice president of the Student Conservation Association, and David Uberuaga, superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park, accepted the award from Kempthorne.

After Monday's ceremony, they were part of a workshop the next day to explain to others how they did it. The work and the need for volunteers never end.