Changes at Mt Rainier -- road closed Tues, Weds

This is a real bummer. tues are my play day. lazy goverment tools....

Familiar sounding theme, just like my shrinking candy bar that got smaller but costs the same. The matter is complicated and surely the budgets have been challenged so do the best with what ya got is probably the long and short of it. I agree the lack of earlier disclosure, no public input, and certainly the parks wording in the bulletin seem to reflect indifference and they didn't just figure this out. I don't want to be overly negative as I recognize the hard work many NPS folks put in to give Park visitors a quality experience. Do think there's better ways to administrate / communicate things and that's in the upper tier managers wheelhouse.

FWIW, I doubt that Obama, Biden, or Ken Salazar (USDI Sec) even know about it. 

"THANKS OBAMA" is a joke, not a statement of my political views. Since I'm sure you're generally out skiing or waiting to ski at Longmire : rather than sitting at a cubicle staying up to date on the latest internet memes I'll provide some reference.

Penny Arcade - THANKS OBAMA
another example

I've been waiting for the day I could link to Penny Arcade on TAY, and that day has finally come!
Also FWIW the NEPA process for the NPS is kinda different from all the other agencies.

It is somewhat disappointing to see the park further close access. Eventually it is easy to imagine the park closing for the winter or staying open just for the weekend. As a kid in the 80's I remember many people up at the park and lots of winter activities. I know long before then that was the case as well. There was a huge play area for people to sled, but that stopped to be as big or as common as before. At some point the park began to take longer and longer to plow the roads. In the 2000's that has gotten to the point of absurdity. What has changed in the last 30 years to cause this, I don't know?

I certainly don't understand the financial issues behind the decision to close access to Paradise, but with similar sudden decisions that other National Parks have made recently (even if potentially justified), I wonder about the lack of user input on these decisions as well as whether they will continue that way?

Access has been continually frustrating in Rainier National Park. But while the road closure bothers me some, what really chaffs me is not having access to the upper mountain during monday, tuesday and wednesday nights. Even if that doesn't concern me too much if it is only to march, I still worry 'safety' will mandate that it be done until may, june or even later. Take the Mowich or other entrances to the park as examples. How many of us have hiked up a bare road to access the N. Side of Rainier until july?

There are millions of people and billions of dollars spent on unhealthy americans every year. It frustrates me that 'safety' is mentioned in the post by the super. 15 percent of american's have diabetes for instance. Maybe for their 'safety' we should take them to the mountains and use the saved money from their cheaper medical costs to keep the park open in the winter Hell, we'd even save a few million lives a year. But hey, it'd probably be looked at as losing a few...cause by God the mountains are dangerous! Canned-pop-is-dangerous and has killed more people than any war and certainly any mountain.

"THANKS OBAMA" is a joke, not a statement of my political views.  Since I'm sure you're generally out skiing or waiting to ski at Longmire : rather than sitting at a cubicle staying up to date on the latest internet memes I'll provide some reference.

Penny Arcade - THANKS OBAMA
another example

I've been waiting for the day I could link to Penny Arcade on TAY, and that day has finally come!
Also FWIW the NEPA process for the NPS is kinda different from all the other agencies.

I think the problem is largely due to the fact that Mt Rainier and other parks in WA no longer have people in congress championing for the parks.

Scoop Jackson did quite a bit to secure extra funding for the park -- but since he has left, I don't think anyone from the WA delegation has put in the same kind of effort in supporting the parks.

But if everyone on TAY -- could take the time to send an email to Murray and Cantwell and whomever their congressional rep is -- we might at least forestall the day when the gate at Longmire closes mid November and doesn't open until Memorial Day.

www.house.gov/representatives/find/

www.senate.gov/general/contact_informati...ors_cfm.cfm?State=WA