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vogtski
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Joined: 03 Dec 2022
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Location: Waitgate WA |
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vogtski
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 Sat Jan 28, 2023 7:44 am |
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| cascadeclimber wrote: | | There is an accountability vacuum in the NPS. You're experiencing that in the lack of communication after the "tick the box" meetings. It goes all the way to the director and is ultimately, I believe, is a result of the Interior Sec position being used as window dressing: Either a 'buddy' appointment or a minority appointment, in both cases often someone with little government experience or apparent interest in or ability to change the status quo.
So you end up with a Ron Jarvis running the entire NPS and being left in his position after he was found to be using it to force parks to sell his book. The interior sec at the time, maybe Sally Jewel, left him in the position but removed responsibility for ethics from him. Jarvis was, by the way, MORA Sup when Dave Uberuaga sold his house in Ashford to RMI for 300% of its value (Uberuaga was in charge of letting contracts, including RMI's, for MORA at the time). Jarvis let King off the hook and the NPS promoted Jarvis to Director, and Uberuaga to Sup. First at MORA, then Grand Canyon where he was when a massive sexual harassment scandal broke. This sh## is endemic to the NPS. |
First off, it was Jon Jarvis, not "Ron". You are definitely correct about the NP$ accountability vacuum, tho.
That house sale was far more than a "financial misstep", as an earlier comment styled it. It wasn't just that Uberuaga should have had no financial dealings with concessioners he managed. The initial version of the proposed changes to climbing concessions had all three with equal shares of the Rainier guiding business. The final version gave RMI half and split the rest between the other two guide services, a change worth millions to RMI. That's enough quid pro quo to earn the term bribery, IMO.
That crime and the six-month VC construction closure of the entire park during the 2007 phony flood closure are perhaps the worst examples of NP$ corruption I have seen. Most NPS employees are honest, dedicated, creative people we are lucky to have working in the parks, but twenty years at Olympic NP showed me that when money (or career advancement) is involved, there are managers who are willing to scam the public.
Sometimes the scams are small. For many years, the winning bids on park sales of surplus equipment, windfall logs cleared from roads, etc. were usually submitted by the ONP Road Foreman's brother. No wonder the locals used the shorthand 'those crooks' instead of the tongue-twisting phrase 'national park managers'.
Sometimes the scams are not so small. An Elwha District Ranger was caught stealing entrance fees. The park's internal controls were so poor they had no idea how much had been taken over the years, but he owned three houses in PA and a reputed six-figure gun collection.
An assistant superintendent was put in charge of planning for the Elwha Dam removals. He got a paper transfer to Denver Service Center, but continued to reside at home, filing high-roller travel expense account claims for two years. He organized a million-dollar invitation-only blowout party to kick off dam removal. When that job was done, he claimed there was no money to 'study' returning the former Lake Aldwell to the Elwha tribe, the rightful owners IMO.
For many years, park maintenance foreman avoided the national OPM list and hired seasonal laborers from a special authorization list that only their families & friends seemed to know to get on. For all I know, that's still how they do it.
Diagonally parked in a parallel universe
 Bruce Albert
Diagonally parked in a parallel universe
Bruce Albert
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vogtski
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Joined: 03 Dec 2022
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Location: Waitgate WA |
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vogtski
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Mon Feb 06, 2023 2:39 am |
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| Bruce Albert wrote: | | In today’s Seattle Times”
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/record-1-1-million-awarded-to-wa-national-parks/
“ Each year, park superintendents and leadership teams select priority projects for their respective parks, which fall into four core areas: advancing science and research, improving visitors’ experiences, expanding volunteerism and stewardship and embracing inclusion.”
“ Mount Rainier National Park received $630,768, which will fund projects like Wonderland Trail improvements and maintenance, development of an online accessible trails guide, aquatic surveys and restoration and the park’s 200 Meadow Rover volunteers, who patrol alpine trails to teach visitors about land stewardship, WNPF said.” |
Thanks for posting this!
It's impressive how productive WNPF fundraising is, even allowing for the incredible shrinking dollar. As I recall, the entire Rainier trail budget was about $300K (out of ~$6M) in the 70's, and there were few volunteer organiztions.
If trail maintenance can be largely replaced by grants and volunteers, why not have a campaign to contract out the winter opening of Paradise? Surely there are enough retired equipment operators, police, guides and avy techs to fill all that vacant Longmire seasonal housing that has to be heated ahyway?
Relieving park management of most of this apparently low-priority chore could free up their strained human resources for all that advancing, improving, developing, surveying, expanding, and embracing!
I know it would "improve" quite a few winter "visitors' experience" to actually use the park they pay for ;o)
Diagonally parked in a parallel universe
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cascadeclimber
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| vogtski wrote: | | If trail maintenance can be largely replaced by grants and volunteers, why not have a campaign to contract out the winter opening of Paradise? Surely there are enough retired equipment operators, police, guides and avy techs to fill all that vacant Longmire seasonal housing that has to be heated ahyway? |
I'm not at all a fan of privatizing this sort of thing to for-profit companies. For over 100 years it cost $5 to enter MORA. I think a day pass has gone from that $5 to $35 in the last 20 years or so. I believe it would be higher if a private company was running access.
Selling food in the parks for a profit is one thing. Selling access to the parks for profit is something entirely different.
If it was up to me, there wouldn't be for-profit guiding (the 40% of guide fees the park keeps would be replaced with permanent funding) and the structures at Muir, aside from ranger shelter, would be removed. Ladders wouldn't be allowed (they fall under 'permanent structure in wilderness'), nor would the giant eating tent the guide services construct (or used to) in the summer. Less is more when it comes to a wilderness experience, and every little thing that gets added inevitably leads to calls for more.
I don't see a unilateral solution here: They way they piss away money and the lack of accountability and widespread malfeasance don't have me cheering for them to get more: They need to clean up their collective sh##. And they need to be better funded. If it's going to happen in a way that is sustained and actually benefits the public, the culture and budget changes need to happen together.
If not now, when?
vogtski
If not now, when?
vogtski
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altasnob
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altasnob
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Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:10 am |
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I am against turning the Paradise plowing duties over to a for profit company. But what about turning it over to a not for profit company?
Or maybe the NPS should start soliciting donations that are specifically earmarked for winter Paradise road plowing? I would gladly donate hundreds of dollars a year if it meant Paradise road was consistently open. I think there are lots of others who would do the same.
vogtski
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Randito
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Location: Bellevue at the moment. |
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Randito
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Wed Feb 08, 2023 9:18 am |
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The plowing itself isn't the only factor in whether the Longmire-> Paradise road is open. Another significant factor is LE ranger staffing for patrolling the road. I'm not sure how a not for profit or any other corporation can provide law enforcement duty.
Roads to places like Mt Baker and Crystal mountain are plowed and patrolled by the state and county. Those organizations have the financial incentive of the collection of sales taxes on the sale of lift tickets /seasons passes and beer / food sales at the ski area. At $120 (Crystal) or $80 (Baker) , $9 per beer and $16 per burger that a considerable amount of revenue that wouldn't be collected if the road isn't reliability open.
A non-profit corporation could do it, but the entrance fees needed to fully fund plowing and patrolling would be considerable without any allocation from congress.
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vogtski
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Location: Waitgate WA |
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vogtski
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Sun Feb 19, 2023 6:35 am |
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What's with the short application period? Not gonna help the winter weekday closure much...
"Housing issues for National Park Service employees have been growing for some time now, in part due to the advent of Airbnb and VRBO being more lucrative for home owners than monthly rent. One park that has encountering housing issues is Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, where officials are seeking housing for seasonal workers.
Through the end of February park staff is inviting rental property and business owners to submit leasing proposals for the months of April through November. Due to limited properties in the area, the park is looking to expand opportunities for seasonal staff to rent apartments, houses, and, or recreational vehicle trailers outside the park.
The park’s housing office will coordinate the leasing agreement and payment process. Rental rates for leased facilities and RV pads should include water, sewer, and electric costs. The park hopes to identify potential leasing partners and have agreements signed no later than April 2023 for the leasing period. The park hopes to continue this program into the future depending on available funding.
Interested parties can review the details of the leasing proposal by visiting the “Request for Proposals” section on the park’s website. Basic requirements include:
Houses and apartments must have a separate bedroom and bathroom apart from the owner, and ideally include at least two bedrooms and one bathroom.
Houses and apartments must have smoke detectors and full-sized kitchens.
Pads for trailers or recreational vehicles must, at minimum, accommodate a 40-foot by 12-foot RV, and have appropriate water, sewer, and electrical hookups.
Houses, apartments, and RV pads must be located within 50 miles of Paradise within Mount Rainier National Park. It must also be available for lease from April through November 2023 (eight months), or April through November 2024, or both.
Individuals interested in this opportunity can find more information on the park website or by contacting the housing office at 360-569-6536, Monday-Friday."
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2023/02/housing-needed-mount-rainier-national-park-indiana-dunes-national-park-seasonal-employees
Diagonally parked in a parallel universe
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Randito
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Location: Bellevue at the moment. |
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Randito
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Sun Feb 19, 2023 11:18 am |
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The son of some friends of mine is a LE ranger for MRNP. He and his wife and their preschool aged kiddos live in Ashford. Ashford is a lousy, lonely place to live with kiddos. They will likely be moving to Eatonville so there are more social opportunities for the kiddos (and the adults) than Ashford. A longer commute for both of them as she also works in the park.
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Bruce Albert
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| vogtski wrote: | | What's with the short application period? Not gonna help the winter weekday closure much... |
Probably not an unreasonable assumption that they're shopping for summer seasonals (Oh duh, April-November, missed that) and any change in the winter season has been kissed goodbye. How late into spring does the gate foolishness run?
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vogtski
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vogtski
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Mon Feb 20, 2023 9:15 am |
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| Bruce Albert wrote: | | Probably not an unreasonable assumption that ... any change in the winter season has been kissed goodbye. How late into spring does the gate foolishness run? |
If they were serious about restoring winter weekday Paradise access, it seems park management would also be shopping for long-term housing leases for the additional staff they claim to need, but can't attract, such as plow drivers. It's disturbing that the weekday closure stressing local short-term rental businesses might force them into lease arrangements with the organization causing their financial problems. 'Nice rentals you got there, be a shame if anything happened to 'em...'
Traditionally, the Longmire gate opens 24-7 when the Paradise Inn opens for business, usually mid to late May. As I recall, it opened a couple weeks before the Inn last year.
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Bruce Albert
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| vogtski wrote: | | If they were serious about restoring winter weekday Paradise access, |
Big, big IF there. Color me cynical, but I think we're all walking along the path of foregone conclusions here where only enough lip service is given to objections to shoulder them aside. "Ooooooh, we're soooo sorry, but it just wouldn't be safe." Betcha every time Superintendent Dudgeon sits down for tea and cookies with his minions talk revolves around planning the optics for future winter closures and the many ways they're a good idea. Ultimately they could wind up with the land custodian's fantasy dream: full staffing, plump budgets, and zero pesky visitors. Believe me I'd love to be wrong about this, but I need to be shown.
And I wanna know how many 'Meadow Rover volunteers' I am going to have to encounter and chat with to gain a few minutes peace and solitude at St. Andrews Lake.
Pardon me for my bad attitude. I was not born this way; a lifetime of encounters with the NPS helped shape me into the crank I have become.
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kiliki
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kiliki
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Mon Feb 20, 2023 1:36 pm |
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VRBO shows 299 properties listed as short term rentals in and very close to Ashford.
Airbnb lists 712. They seem to have a bit wider geographic area. There is undoubtedly overlap with VRBO.
But, it's hard to imagine there are very many property owners interested in renting to the NPS. For one thing, their units almost certainly have bookings for this summer.
| Quote: | | Big, big IF there. Color me cynical, but I think we're all walking along the path of foregone conclusions here where only enough lip service is given to objections to shoulder them aside. "Ooooooh, we're soooo sorry, but it just wouldn't be safe." Betcha every time Superintendent Dudgeon sits down for tea and cookies with his minions talk revolves around planning the optics for future winter closures and the many ways they're a good idea. Ultimately they could wind up with the land custodian's fantasy dream: full staffing, plump budgets, and zero pesky visitors. Believe me I'd love to be wrong about this, but I need to be shown. |
That doesn't seem to me to be a NPS dream. Or maybe it is but as it's generally politically untenable, I don't see it. What has struck me in recent years with how unconcerned most superintendents are about safety and overcrowding and that they aren't doing enough to meter or limit access. I'n not saying the lack of winter access at Rainier isn't an issue or that they couldn't have done better but I think it is an outlier. and it's very different than what I see at NPs these days which honestly seems to me like a free for all. Some of it is political, as when the prior administration insisted parks stay open during government shutdowns. Right now we're seeing things go backwards on reservation systems put in place due to overcrowding during Covid; I thought we were going to see those stick around to remedy the hours long entrance lines and overflowing parking that has become the norm. Nope. Katmai is a great example of what I mean. There has been such an influx of visitors that rangers have said they have lost the ability to control the crowds who are mingling freely with brown bears. There have been many incidents and it's only a matter of time before people get hurt and/or the bears get pushed out. No one seems to care--the overriding sentiment among staff is that everyone deserves to be there, no matter how bad it is for the resources or personal safety. Even at Rainier--I've been disturbed by the way the park has embraced events like trail races/runs put on by concessioners, and the hogging of backcountry campsites by these. There's also no attempt to have staffing keep up with the crowds. It's shocking to me to visit the Giant Forest at Sequoia and not see a single ranger. I never see rangers anywhere anymore and commensurately, people do whatever they want (drones, litter, speed and hit wildlife, etc). The overriding concern always seems to be that they don't want to limit access.
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Bruce Albert
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| Randito wrote: | | Ashford is a lousy, lonely place to live with kiddos. They will likely be moving to Eatonville so there are more social opportunities for the kiddos (and the adults) than Ashford. |
This begs the question of career choices and expectations. For NPS employees thinking Pierce/Lewis counties to be the ends of the earth, a transfer to Wrangell/St Elias would be informative. Few National Parks, excepting perhaps the monuments and cannonball parks back east, will be within short commuting distance of the sort of urbane charm claimed missing from the hinterlands out past Elbe. Cities everywhere on the other hand, with their many activities, events, and creature comforts, are hiring police officers as fast as they can, and yes, we need good police officers.
Meanwhile down in Ashford, perhaps having been derided as a lousy, lonely place to live will help keep rents down for those who are quite happy there.
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peter707
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peter707
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Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:28 pm |
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| kiliki wrote: | | I've been disturbed by the way the park has embraced events like trail races/runs put on by concessioners, and the hogging of backcountry campsites by these |
kiliki, do you think you can elaborate where/when these trail races/runs are held, you know, so the rest of us can sign up for the trailrun avoid them on our hikes with our heavy & sturdy footwear and long pants?
If you are referring to Aspire Adventure Running, https://www.aspireadventurerunning.com/wonderland-circumnavigation-run/, they don't use backcountry camps at all from what I see. They camp at Mowich Lake and White River Campground (parking lots), with one aid station / bail spot at box canyon parking lot.
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Randito
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Randito
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Mon Feb 20, 2023 11:12 pm |
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| Bruce Albert wrote: | | This begs the question of career choices and expectations. |
The issue being discussed is "why is it so hard to fill NPS jobs"
The pool of people willing to give up on other aspects of life , such as raising a family is smaller than people in general.
Yes many, if not most NPS locations are more isolated than Mt Rainier.
But few other NPS locations have the snow removal demands of Paradise and a public that demands reliable road access while paying just $55 per year.
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Bruce Albert
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| Randito wrote: | | The issue being discussed is "why is it so hard to fill NPS jobs" |
The issue being discussed is the midweek closure of the Longmire-Paradise road.
NPS hiring issues, as a contributing factor, are a legitimate subtopic.
By way of the many contributions to the thread we have learned of an affordable housing shortage in the Ashford area, fueled to some extent by a proliferation of short-term rentals. We all have also been informed, with some dissent, that wages offered may not be high enough to attract employees. And a rocky road ahead on both fronts.
So far so good.
The family you describe has apparently jumped both those hoops. They apparently deem NPS wages high enough to live on, and they live in the Ashford vicinity...a reasonably short commute from the park.
Bingo! Hat trick. Fair winds and following seas, right?, Nope.
Now we learn that they're unhappy because the social/cultural aspects of a small town like Ashford are not to their liking, enough so to consider moving further from the park. Fair enough; you like what you like; you don't like what you don't like; and you get to take your pick. That's not a condemnation of either your friends or of the Ashford community...small town or rural life anywhere in the Cascade foothills is clearly not for everyone...but it's also where reality rears its head: it's not a legitimate criticism of the NPS as an employer either...it's simply a fact of life. The places in America where one can work in a place like MRNP and simultaneously live a short, commuter-realistic distance away in a population center large enough to support a broad range of social/cultural activity are going to be few and far between. Hence my comment about career choices...probably, in the long term, gonna be one or the other but not both:working for the park service, or living how and where one wants to live. Like life's many other dilemmas, no amount of wishing will make that go away.
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