Work Projects Page
Welcome to our Work Projects Page. On this page you will find a brief review of work project details and safety information.
Please use the MRNPA Volunteer Form below if you are interested in participating in a work project or if you would like to be placed on our email list.
Feel free to contact us via the MRNPA Volunteer Form below with any questions or requests for more information
Please use the MRNPA Volunteer Form below if you are interested in participating in a work project or if you would like to be placed on our email list.
Feel free to contact us via the MRNPA Volunteer Form below with any questions or requests for more information
Work Project Details.
The MRNPA holds six or seven work projects each year beginning in April and ending in September or October. There is one work project scheduled each month, always on a Saturday. Upcoming work project dates are listed below. Location and details will be provided to volunteers via email as the information becomes available from the Park. Volunteers attending each work project should bring work gloves, rain gear and warm layers for inclement weather, lunch, and plenty of fluids. Proper footwear is also good idea too as some locations can require hiking in a few miles.
Safety glasses and hard hats are required. We have a few hard hats to loan but may not have enough for everyone so bring your own if you have one. The Park will provide the tools. All volunteers under 18 years of age may only participate with the written approval of a parent or legal guardian (NPS Policy); there will be a section on their Volunteer Service Agreement form (OF301a) where the parent or legal guardian will have to complete and sign. The Park has no set policy for minimum age for volunteering, however, age limits may be set where safety is a concern due to the nature of the project. Check the project description for details. Volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or an adult authorized by the parent who is responsible for their supervision during work activities. Feel free to contact us with any questions using the MRNPA Volunteer Form below. |
2024 Work Project Dates and Details
(All dates and details are subject to change) -Dates and information for the 2024 season are listed below. The dates and information will be tentative. An email will be sent to those on our email list with details a few weeks prior to each work project date. Use the MRNPA Volunteer Form below to sign up for the work project listed.
April 27th – Trail Maintenance May 18th - Trail Maintenance June 15th – Trail Maintenance July 13th – De-Veg (non-native plant removal) Aug 10th – Trail Maintenance (and our annual work party weekend/campout) Sept 7th – Re-Veg (meadow restoration) Updated 1/13/2024. |
Safety Information
There are basic safety equipment rules for all MRNPA trail work volunteers which apply to all trail workers. Anyone using an aggressive tool (like a Pulaski, ax, shovel, etc.) or anyone working near them will be required to wear a hard hat and safety glasses. People working with or near less aggressive tools will not be required (but will be encouraged) to wear a hard hat. Wearing safety glasses will be encouraged at all times. Again, if you own a hard hat, please bring it as there will be a limited number of hard hats available from MRNPA and the Park.
Safety glasses are a different issue! Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of hygiene issues, we do not loan out safety glasses. Please purchase or borrow a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping if you need a new pair. An adequate pair or safety glasses will cost about $15. Also, be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.
A more detailed and site specific safety discussion will be presented by the Park trail crew at the start of each work project. MRNPA work parties within Mount Rainier National Park will also be subject to any Covid-19 rules and restrictions developed by the NPS.
Safety glasses are a different issue! Not all safety glasses are comfortable for everyone and some will not fit over eye glasses. Because of hygiene issues, we do not loan out safety glasses. Please purchase or borrow a pair of personal safety glasses that you will wear. The local hardware store is a good place to start shopping if you need a new pair. An adequate pair or safety glasses will cost about $15. Also, be advised that shatterproof eye glasses do not meet the requirement for safety glasses. Safety glasses all have side protection which eyeglasses do not.
A more detailed and site specific safety discussion will be presented by the Park trail crew at the start of each work project. MRNPA work parties within Mount Rainier National Park will also be subject to any Covid-19 rules and restrictions developed by the NPS.
MRNPA Volunteer Form
Volunteering within Mount Rainier National Park is governed by the National Park Service Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program. Although MRNPA organizes our work parties to make it convenient for you to volunteer at Mount Rainier, you will be supervised by NPS staff and your participation falls under the jurisdiction of Mount Rainier’s VIP Program. NPS will also require you to complete a Volunteer Services Agreement. MRNPA will make sure you have that form to fill out the first time you volunteer for one of our work parties at Mount Rainier. Note that if you are under 18 years old then the parental permission section of the Agreement MUST be completed. Upon completion, all Volunteer Service Agreements will be collected and passed along to the NPS staff. In the Service Agreement, the NPS advises that volunteers are not considered Federal employees for any purpose other than tort claims and injury compensation, will not receive any compensation for their volunteer services, and may have their NPS volunteer Service Agreement canceled at any time. Mount Rainier NP has provided more information on its VIP program and the rights and responsibilities of volunteers on its website. We have a link to the Mount Rainier VIP program Handbook on the Links and More page of this website, or you may access the Mount Rainier Volunteer Handbook directly at https://www.nps.gov/mora/getinvolved/volunteer-handbook.htm.
If you wish to attend an MRNPA work project please fill out the short MRNPA Volunteer Form below and submit it. We will add you to our email list and send out work party information when it is open for sign-up. Please be sure to fill out the box on how you heard about us. We are looking for ways to improve our outreach and your input would be greatly appreciated. Also, please enter any questions and/or comments you may have. Our volunteer coordinator will email you with an acknowledgement. Thank you!
NOTE: Information obtained here is used solely for communicating details and updates regarding our volunteer projects and updates. We do not sell or share any information outside of our organization.
If you wish to attend an MRNPA work project please fill out the short MRNPA Volunteer Form below and submit it. We will add you to our email list and send out work party information when it is open for sign-up. Please be sure to fill out the box on how you heard about us. We are looking for ways to improve our outreach and your input would be greatly appreciated. Also, please enter any questions and/or comments you may have. Our volunteer coordinator will email you with an acknowledgement. Thank you!
NOTE: Information obtained here is used solely for communicating details and updates regarding our volunteer projects and updates. We do not sell or share any information outside of our organization.
While the operative word at our work projects is work, we do find many forms of enjoyment and relaxation during our time on the trail. You will find many pictures and videos of our past work projects on our MRNPA Facebook site at our SmugMug gallery site.
Below are some examples of the adventures we encounter at our events.
Boulders are something we get to see blown up on rare occasions. As you probably saw in this video and the video on our home page there is a heavy rubber mat placed over the boulder soon to be blasted. While that does reduce the excitement of the blast it does provide the workers some protection from flying debris. The boulders are drilled in select spots, filled with water, and then blasted with a shotgun type shell. This reduces the large boulder into pieces much easier to handle. Some larger boulders may require a couple of blasts to reduce it to manageable sizes.
We also get to see stunning views at places along the trail.
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At our work projects we work hard, laugh, relax, enjoy, and leave with a sense of accomplishment. As volunteers we are never expected to work beyond our ability, and safety is always paramount.
We use teamwork when needed.
We are often visited by creatures of many types at Mt. Rainier.
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