Mt. Rainier heavy-handed policing

So, can we blame the closure on you?

There's definitely no LE assigned to cover the stretch from Longmire-Paradise at night during this time of year, which is why it's gated closed. To cover the stretch from the entrance to Longmire, which must be kept open to the public 24/7 year-round due to hotel guests staying at Longmire National Park Inn (except rare storm closures), there clearly must be an LE on-call at all times, housed in park staff housing at either Longmire or at park headquarters in Tahoma Woods (a small parcel of NPS-purchased land located on SR 706 about 10 miles west of the Nisqually entrance, past even the town of Ashford, to which the park headquarters and some staff housing were moved from Longmire several decades ago).

In years past, however, they used to allow the road to be open all the way to Paradise with no LEs on duty anywhere in the park. How do I know this? On November 1, 2011, I put my car into the ditch for the first time ever in my life, driving downhill from Paradise, I hit a long stretch of black ice on the steepest part of the entire road at 4300 ft just between the two turnoffs for the Ricksecker Point viewpoint loop road. Despite being at only 20-25 mph in a 35 zone and in 4WD, I skidded into the right side ditch ending up with 3 tires off the road surface in the ditch and 1 in the air above the asphalt (sadly there was no snowbank yet to keep me out of the ditch). It turned out that the road surface was so slick with black ice that Microspikes were almost required to even walk on it safely.

With no cell service at all in that area and sunset approaching, I eventually flagged down the first passing car and got a ride to the Longmire Inn, where I called Park Dispatch and was informed that the nearest LE would have to drive up from park headquarters in Tahoma Woods (16 miles from Longmire). He eventually arrived almost half an hour later, recognized me immediately (we had once skied down from Muir together a couple of years earlier!), and we drove up the 7 miles to my car, but he was unable to pull me out with a tow strap since his park ranger SUV had no traction on the black ice either. He radioed for Eatonville Towing, which eventually came another hour-and-half later, and even the tow truck driver had to drive the front wheels of his tow truck off the road into the opposite side ditch, since he couldn't get enough traction on the slick ice-covered pavement to pull me out otherwise. An over $380 towing bill for the 5-minute winch out plus their 2-3 hours roundtrip driving time, which fortunately cost me nothing since I have AAA Plus which reimbursed it fully.

Anyway, that kind of scenario can no longer happen since the tragic shooting of January 1, 2012. The board of inquiry convened afterwards to investigate the incident recommended/required increased LE staffing, so the park will no longer leave the road open to Paradise without "adequate" LE staffing on-duty. Apparently, at least 2 LEs on-duty now appears to be the current minimum based on my own observations, versus 0 which was clearly OK at times during off-season low-visitation periods in previous years.

The lack of LE staffing is the reason that other roads in the park (White River Road, Sunrise Road, Mowich Lake Road) remain closed to the public for weeks after they are plowed in the spring. They can not be open to the public without "adequate" LE staffing assigned to cover that area or be on call for it. Again, that lack of staffing may be partially the park's own doing and fault based on priorities for where the budget is spent.

By the way, all of this info about LE staffing, etc., is based on various random conversations with park rangers that I know, including LEs. It is not official nor necessarily accurate in any way.

I have never worked for the NPS so I don't know the details of their budgeting procedures.  I have worked for 4 other federal agencies.  One thing I can tell you about the places I worked is that they were very safety conscious.  Safety was a part of superisors' performance reviews, and in many years, those review were reflected in pay.  It got to the point that any vehicle damage or on-the-job injury workmans' comp was paid out of the unit's budget (the feds are self-insured) as a means of reinforcing the need for safety.  One injury could decimate the budget of a unit of 5 or so people.  We had annual requirements for 1st aid and CPR and defensive driving courses every 3 years.  Also because of nefarious political appointees and elected officials we had annual ethics training and annual sexual harassment training.  And some jobs that used be done by solo employees were staffed so that there was always 2 people present for safety (example: night time work in the backcountry).  Finally, minor workplace abuses of the Fair Labor Standards Act for non-supervisory employees related to overtime and major abuses of higher level employees related to massive unpaid work resulted in lawsuits and changes in policy to follow the rules strictly.  So the "safe-keeping" aspects not only became very strict and rigid but also time consuming and expensive.

So, when LEO MA was murdered and when several hikers were lost and died, I am sure the supervisory reviews and the committe Amar mentioned had some very forceful restrictions put in place.  They will not change, not even with a change in leadership.

So, IMHO, there are two ways to improve recreational access and quality of recreational opportunities at MRNP.  First, lots of feedback to elected Representatives and Senators, including phone calls (there are numbers just for this), letters (these get delayed by weeks or month to check for anthrax), visits to local and D.C. offices, and organized events.  Second, an advisory committe to the park, made up of representives of the communities of interest can help the park set priorities, lobby Congress for new funds or changes in allocation of funds, and inform the press and the public about the situation.  Federal employees are prohibited from lobbying. The National Forests have province advisory committees for this purpose.

Anyhow, I don't see any of this happening, so just enjoy the park when you can.

Number one in my mind is that MNRP seems unaware of the new hazard for winter backcountry travellers posed by a 5pm gate closure. In years past they had closed access entirely for two days each week, in lieu of a 5pm curfew, and that had seemed like a reasonable approach to solve a budgetary issue while granting full access for the remaining days. Perhaps a self-appointed citizens advisory committee could manage to agree on that?

Missing from this conversation is any hint of what we're willing to give up in return for greater winter access. IMO, just start ticketing people for staying late--problem solved. But perhaps the positive example of Hurricane ridge cited by Jake is more to the group's liking?

The picture gradually being painted here of the NPS is one of an agency more comfortable managing the Washington Monument--where they don't spend a single dollar on snow plowing. I think this means that additional monetary or sweat equity contributions are needed from local citizens who wish to travel unrestricted on Mount Rainier in the dead of winter.

FWIW, IMHO squeezing agency budgets, treating employees poorly (not adhering to pay legislation), and demeaning gov't overall has led to the desired dysfunction whether it be the USPS (having to pay for retirement etc. 75 years into the future), the USFS (NW Forest Pass, because Murkowski et al. didn't believe recreation was in high demand), or the NPS which now is reliant on its truly impressive volunteer programs to conduct core missions.

I strongly disagree that the 2 day/wk closure was a good thing and I argued here against it.  Two automatic days of closure leads to 4-5 days due to weather and equipment malfunction and loss of recreational opportunity, increased crowding on weekends, and negative economic impacts on gateway communities--indeed argues against having anything but a skeleton workforce during the winter (and saves very little money).  Midweek closure is a major step toward winter closure.

"Missing from this conversation is any hint of what we're willing to give up in return for greater winter access.  IMO, just start ticketing people for staying late--problem solved.  But perhaps the positive example of Hurricane ridge cited by Jake is more to the group's liking?"

What are we willing to give up?  $4 billion in tanks to Egypt that were buried in the desert because they have more tanks than they can use?  There are lots we can give up to contribute more to the public good.

IIRC, even after nonprofits raised money to keep the road open it was closed anyway. 

"The picture gradually being painted here of the NPS is one of an agency more comfortable managing the Washington Monument--where they don't spend a single dollar on snow plowing.  I think this means that additional monetary or sweat equity contributions are needed from local citizens who wish to travel unrestricted on Mount Rainier in the dead of winter. "

Or it is a matter of national priorities, tax policy, and park priorities:  how much is lost by making every holiday weekend a free weekend?  by giving all active duty military and their family members free annual passes?  by giving all 4th graders and their family member free annual passes?  by designating new national monuments (and keep open poorly visited monuments and parks) without providing adequate funding for management of even the most visited parks.

Oh, and entrance fees are going up nearly 50% "to pay for the NPS centennial celebration."

There are a lot more serious problems at MRNP than 9-5 winter hours that are not being funded.  Addressing the problems with the Tahoma Creek-Nisqually River confluence that has real potential for closing the park for a year or more and other related river problems are just one area.  The confluence solution might cost as much as the repaving of the road to Paradise.

... I think this means that additional monetary or sweat equity contributions are needed from local citizens who wish to travel unrestricted on Mount Rainier in the dead of winter.   

Note that winter recreationists have developed the largest non-profit cross-country ski area in WWA (50 miles of trail) and probably beyond in the Mt. Tahoma Trails Association just outside the park on WA DNR, Industrial forest lands, and Nisqually Land Trust lands--none of which have the same mandates to provide recreation that National Parks and National Forests do.  The Park and the National Forest deigned to participate due to liability and lack of funds.   Members pay dues, spend time training and then serve on ski patrol (65 or so patrollers IIRC), do trail maintenance, bought snowmobiles and snow cats for grooming trails, built 3 huts and yurt for overnight stays and day visitation, do the plowing of the roads in conjuntion with the Sno-Park program (Snow park permits are required in the winter and Discovery Passes in the summer), and write grants for money and providing matching funds in terms of donated labor and materials; local businesses and philanthropists also donate money.

I don't think the park will let volunteers plow roads, act as LEOs, or collect money at the gate.  The Washinton Ski Club does the Nordic Patrol.

Focus, focus, focus.

The good news is, we're getting exactly what we deserve right now. If we want something better, we're going to have to decide what that is.