Dec 19, '14; Mt. Rainier, a new page? Or not?

Randy, there is not enough space in a message block to list even part of the history I've read.  Just finished the Revolution of 1800 that TJ led by stimulating public sentiment through letters, pamphelets, and news journals; it changed the direction from oligarchy/monarrchy to democracy--massive pulbic demonstrations.  Remember that Mt. Rainier was established after a 10-year campaign that included the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce but the real energy came from the outdoor recreations and conservation groups like the Sierra Club, National Geographic Society, etc. continually battling Repub Congr Joe Cannon.  NPS Director Stephen Mather used charisma, determination, and leadership the like of which hasn't been seen since in making parks accessible to the public while preserving the natural values.  The CCC under Roosevelt did wondrous things with primitive tools.  Scoop was great; when I was in charge of outdoor recreation on US Air Force lands, his staff sent me the massive report he had done on the present and  future demands for outdoor recreation; the Republicans prevented publishing and disseminating the report to the public.  In the 60s and 70s we had citizen fueled civil rights, anti-militarism, and environmental movement that were highly successful.  Congressman Dicks, not only was a boeing advocate, and a military advocate, but was a strong environmental advocate who obtained massive funding for the National Forests and National Parks in WA; I went of a couple of field trips with him on watershed rehabiitation in the Olympics (and met with his staff); similarly Congr. DeFazio in OR is great on environmental issues (I've been on field trips with him).

Unfortunately now, we have reached a near pinnacle in militarism and oligarchy.  Patty Murray is the Senator for the soldiers (even if they don't seem to realize it); she even wants a veteran conservation corps to do the kind of work the CCCs did.  Congress can fiind no end to the ways for spending money on the military--even coming up with a $95,000/year raise for retired generals.  The public seems to agree.  So while I will have access to the park for the time I want, you and other younger people and their heirs probably won't (but they will have more sophisticated iPad minis and maybe enjoy them even more).

Some successes: Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Mulitple Use Sustained Yield Act, National Forest Management Act, Wilderness Act ... and others and issues like old-growth conservation (even President Clinton got involved in that!) all fueled by public demand.  Even Geo. W. Bush ran for president promising to address the backlog in park maintenance--he did, he made it worse. LOL

I can see where closing Paradise for a winter SAR would be useful in clear weather when aerial searches could quickly spot tracks of any survivors. It doesn't take much wind or snow to obscure tracks, tho, so it seems to me allowing public access might be a better policy sometimes in stormy weather.

About a decade ago there was a winter SAR for two parties of two overdue from a Muir trip. I encountered them (they had joined during the storm) by chance in a snow cave near Cowlitz Rock after their second night out. Visibility was poor and they had no idea where they were. Because two were on snowshoes and two were on foot, they were moving slowly & having trouble keeping together as darkness fell, so I used their large bundle of wands to mark the descent route to Mazama Ridge, where i met a single volunteer searcher with a radio. There was some frostbite, but all four made it out late that night to a Paradise lot with so many news trucks that it looked like a high-school football game from a distance!

Things might have turned out differently if Paradise had been closed for the SAR.