Saturday, October 27, 2012

Waterhole Sign-in Log Books Highlights
Part 1: Books 1-3, 1971 to 1982
Selected historical notes and memorable visitor comments compiled by Rod Farlee.
4 April 1971 - Jack Hughes "snow = 4 ft above roof peak. If I did not know where to dig I would not have found hut. Took longer to dig out door than to ski here in wet slow snow."
Hut used on many trips to service Eagle Point weather station.
Many visits by Ranger Eric Burr, Nils & Keith Lingvall, Dr. Bob and Joan Allman & Bob Jr., John and Jim Siemens, John Swedstedt (all involved in building the hut).
"22 Aug 1971 putting hut up on raised platform - FCA's Becker and Rinehart, rangers Hughes, Baldwin, Bangle, Fowles, Knost, Whitney"
"Cabin is a fine place; many thanks to NPS!" H & N Sharpe, 12/30/71
"X-country ski tour class" - 21 Feb 1972
"Jan 14-15. I love this warm retreat in the mountains. Wish we had many more. Thanks. Sharon Willoughby"
"14-15 Jan. Too short of a time to relieve all the speediness of the city. Though a little blue and purple mountain silence as the sun sinks gold behind the mountain of the goddesses and gods (Olympus) does wonders for my soul. Whispers of wind in the forest and, from the end of the road up Obstruction Peak, the while full sound of rushing water, invisible down below. Cold wet feet tingling beside a crackling fire and lentil stew full of fresh cooked carrots & onions & green pepper - a carrot never tasted so sweet. The moonlight from a quarter moon shone bright enough from high in the southwest sky that the trees cast clear dark shadows on the bright snow. But still the stars shone thru, so special to see when city lights have obscured too long the sky at night for me. It is a very special gift to each of us this place of warmth to ease the cold & discomfort of winter nights, it gives to each that essential regeneration of our spirits thru the peach and nurturance of our Mother the Earth. I appreciate the work people have done to make this possible. - Carolyn"
"Summer, the first day I am here, '72, Brian Bakke.
A find feathered wind soars among the citadels of ancient stone, perching now for a moment upon a throne of weathered pine, singing silently.
No thoughts.
No words.
Only wind.
And where is the ego of a mountain? Flowing perhaps with the grief of a flower, severed for its beauty, sniffed, and thrown away.
Mingling perhaps with the hatred of the marmot for the trails, the trash, and the tromping of weekend campers
Pulsing, maybe, with the outrage of a pine murdered for its flesh to burn in a moment so many years of determined growth.
And where like this mighty river of ego and sense of injustices.
I have looked, but it does not flow here. The sound of its current seem to flow only from the voices of man, from the mouths of the friends, from the depths of my own mind.
The mountains are. It is enough."
"My first time touring and I love it!" Bob Allman, Jr., Jan. 6, 1974
Troop 303 Boy Scouts of America, 8 scouts, 1-19-74
"Dug out about 4 feet of snow to come in. This is my idea of ski touring - no tracks, no blizzards." Mills Davidson, 2-17-74
"Thank you all for the splendid accomodations. 4 from Bush School of Seattle 3-30-74"
"Hut is kept clean and in good spirits by people who stay here." 4-6-74
"This cabin much appreciated after a tough hike in wet snow." 4-24-74
"All the comforts of home. Like to stay all winter!" 12-14-74
"Our thanks and appreciation to Jack Hughes and the other folks who take care of this hut." 12-28-74
"The cabin enables one to enjoy the quietness and peacefulness of the mountains - only the music of the wind, accompanied by the dance of the snow elves. May each who stays here share in the enchantment that the Olympics freely offer. - N. Bittner, Jan. 3, 1975"
Sunday, Jan. 26, 1975 rescue operation "Broken leg a mile toward Obstruction Pt. Taken out by helicopter. - Jack Hughes"
Emergency cache in hut: sleeping bag, flares, food, First Aid kit, fire extinguisher, axe.
"ONP is almost better in winter!"
"We've spent three peaceful nights in Waterhole - Could spend another 6 months. - B. Womack, N. Bittner, Feb. 17, 1975
"We really appreciated the comforts this cabin provided. Thank you to everyone who made it so nice. Marie Lorgen, 4-5-75"
"This cabin is a pleasure and deserves all our respect. Randy Brook, Seattle, 1-18-76"
Jan. 31, 76 - 7 from Evergreen Area Council, Winter Camping Seminar
"We thank those who built this hut. To people used to tent-camping in winter, this is the Olympic Hilton! Dave Seago, 3-14-76"
"I hope NPS can see one more ski hut at Obstruction Point some day. Jerry Gilbert, 18 April 76"
"This hut is a stroke of genius." family of 5 from Victoria BC, 15 May 1976
"Our fourth time here, and we can't get over what a perfect spot it is! Many thanks. Janet Allison, 23 Dec. 1976"
"With intentions of climbing McCartney Peak, camp was pitched on the ridge about 1/2 mile south of Obstruction Point. Sunday morning snow blizzard bent poles and ripped tent loose from ridge and therefore retreat to Waterhole was decisive." John Menanno, 2-21-77
"We celebrated our anniversary here with steaks, red wine and cheesecake. Thanks to rangers Jack H. and Jack R. for making this trip possible. - Jerry + Laurette Gilbert, P.T., March 2, 1977"
"The spirit of Steve Holm haunts this place in the personage of the leg splints by the door. J. Wegmann, 5-3-77" [Steve Holm broke femur near Obstruction Point. John Wegmann and Dr. Sam Baker splinted it using ski poles, moved him to Waterhole. Ranger Jack Hughes called in Coast Guard helicopter evacuation from Waterhole.]
"The silence and sense of calm wholeness is the best part of the mountains - And being able to take shelter & get warm makes the beauty easier to appreciate. Ellen Lockhert, April 10, 1977"
"Thanks for this haven in the wilderness. Ian and Mary Brown, May 9 '77"
"How lucky we are - this fine hut, skiing in May, exquisite scenery! Joyce, May 1977"
"What a neat little place... an ideal refuge in a storm or out of one. And a woodstove!! Why not more of these in this state? Outstanding place!!... Hate to leave this 'Paradise in the Olympics'. Thanks to all involved in the hut program. Roger Baird, March 15, 1978"
"I have to say thanks to the Park for this cabin. What can we do for more? M.W., March 17, 1978"
"Driving snow and 20-30 knot winds have been sweeping ridge for 3 days now. How thankful i am for this shelter and the solitude i've enjoyed here! Jason Funky, 25 March 1978"
"For those of us who have spent many cold nights in a tent winter camping, we know what a luxury this place is. Nancy Waligory, Mercer Island, April 24-26, 1978"
"Tis a pleasure to open the hut for a new season. Hut is as clean as the papal soul. J. Wegmann, VIP BOC, 21 Nov 78"
"As others have written, we too are appreciative of the resources here. Val Jaffe, 12-2-78"
"Fantastic scenery, deep snow, this hut was a pleasant surprise. Jim Waters, Michigan, 12-24-78"
"Maura and Roger Oakes, Jerry age 8, Evan age 9, 26 Dec. '78"
"I had run across huts like this in B.C., but here in the U.S.? On gov't property? Tremendous idea. Thanks to all N.W. skiers who have had the common sense to keep this place righteous. Philip Brown, Indiana, 1-5-79"
Janet Kailin, Dave Skinner.
"The hut was truly a blessed haven to find. I hope it will always be as well cared for as it has cared for us. Ed + Robbie Hays, P.T. WA., Jan. 24, 1980"
"Thanks to all who have stayed, enjoyed and taken care -- so we can return 5 years later in this most beautifully quiet season of all - winter. John Thomson, Pysht, Feb. 16, 1980"
Replenish the rescue cache after Mike's accident - 2 March 1980
[Refers to the rescue of Ranger Mike Butler, who broke his ankle beyond Waterhole, was transported to Waterhole on a primitive sled made by lashing his skis together, then brought out on toboggan later that same night. Events related by Dr. Roger Oakes.]
"63 inches of new powder snow & we broke trail thru it! This place is such an oasis. M + D McKee, March 16, 1980"
"We thank the Park Service and all involved for keeping such wonderful opportunities. Paul Nishman, 3-30-80"
"Came in cold and hungry, left refreshed, revitalized & strengthened. It's just really neat to have this nook to retreat to after a push up the hill. Beal, Fraley & Fenton, Bremerton, 4-20-80"
"Heard St. Helens go but did not know what it was until arrived back @Hurricane. 5-17/18-80."
[Mount St. Helens explosion May 18, 1980 8:32 am PDT]
"A very welcome sight this fine hut was! Here's another vote for more oasis in the snow. Mark Whitmore, Marianne Krashy, 1 Jan. 1981"
"Search for downed airplane. Thurs Jan 29, 1981"
"Here for plane crash detail. S. Rolfe, W. Meisner, J. James, Rockwell, Thomas, Brothers, NPS 1-29-81"
[wreckage was located on Grand Ridge]
Jack & Mary Lange, Feb. 21, 1981.
"Yes, as so many others have remarked before, why aren't there more of these cabins? Bill Rotecki, Judith Ames, Feb 21, 1981"
"Wish there were more of these cabins, especially in the Cascades. C. McTeal, Mar. 16-18, 1981"
"This palace in paradise looked a touch more comfortable than a tent on the SNOW! Nirvana has been found. Thank you Park Service, more of these would be nice, this one is an example that they will work. Mark + Mary Lemon, Tacoma, April 25, 1981"
"Incidentally, Mark and Mary, this hut was built and paid for by local skiers not by NPS! Jack [Hughes], 10 May 1981"
"Best over nighter in the Olympics ever. Merry Christmas!! Greg & Jeanne Jacobs, 12-22-81"
"Hope everyone else can enjoy this place as much as we did! Angie Chichester, 12-28-81"
Bob & Bobbie Baldwin, Jan. 25, 1981.
"I think Frost said something to the effect
When to the heart of man
was it ever less than a treason
To go with drift of things
and yield with a will to reason
To bow and accept the end
of a love or of a season?
J. Kailin, April 23, 1982" [Janet Kailin retired from NPS in 2011. This is a most fitting tribute to Waterhole.]

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Ten Year Plan part 2: A double standard.

The ostensive reasons for a Winter Use Plan are: 1) Native artifacts were found during trenching work done in 2010 by NPS as they replaced the waterline for the Lodge; and 2) The elimination of the sunrise tubing area.
This article in the Peninsula Daily News dated September 19, 2002 indicates that ONP was aware of native artifacts as early as 2002.  Therefore, any project at Hurricane Ridge since 2002, which includes the trenching project, rehabilitation of the road, repaving of the meadow trails, and moving the NWAC weather station all should require the same level of NEPA process as any ski area project.
 
The NWAC  project did involve a Environmental Assessment  which concluded "There have been several other archaeological surveys within a 5-mile radius of the project, none of which resulted in the documentation of significant resources.  Additional archaeological testing would be conducted prior to installation of the tower and trenching.  Archaeologists would monitor ground disturbing activities associated with the installation of the utility corridor and tower."

The road project was an EA, but did not analyze cultural resources or loss of the tubing area.
 
No public notice of the trenching and repaving projects are available.  The repaving of the trails added at least 1000 square feet of impermeable surface.  The older trails were paved with a six feet wide corrridor.  After repaving in fall 2011, the paved trail is now seven feet wide.
 
Old Trail six feet wide



New trail is seven feet wide
 
 
 
 
Also in 2002, the ski area made a proposal to ONP to make improvements within the existing ski area boundary.  This proposal was incorporated into the General Management Plan, which was approved in November 2008.
 


Using the native artifacts as a reason to restrict winter operations, when the ground is covered by feet of snow, but not summer activities is a stretch of logic.

The requirement to wait an additional 10 years for a winter use plan, in addition to the 10 years of GMP planning, has the effect of shutting the ski operation down.  No business or organization could afford to wait 20 years to upgrade equipment. 

Skiing has been a part of the Peninsula since before the creation of the park.  As the park was being formed, the intention was that the Park would enhance skiing, not take it away. Representative Walgren Both Rep Walgren and Franlkin Roosevelt would be turning in their graves with the way the Park is currently operated.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20121017/NEWS/121019971/news-alert-8212-hurricane-ridge-road-wont-be-open-weekdays-this



October updates

Check FreeHurricane Ridge on facebook at www.facebook.com/FreeHurricaneRidge

Port Angeles Mayor Cherrie Kidd, City Manger Dan McKeen, and Greg Halberg participated in a conference call with National Park Service Comptroller Bruce Sheaffer in August.



Mr. Sheaffer acknowledged that the two year trial period was due to the intervention of Congressman Norm Dicks, who is a long time friend of the Park Service. He stated that our request would be easier if the Park Service were in a normal budget cycle, but because of both the uncertainty due to the elections and lack of budget resolutions in Congress, and an overall tight budget fulfilling our request would be difficult. We did not mention that the access was reduced during an expanding budget period.

We presented to him portions of the data on this blog, including how Hurricane Ridge compares to visitation in other parks, the NPS's visitor spending model, and a different way of looking at the visitation number than ONP presented. Mr. Sheaffer said the presentation was impressive and that he would examine our data at the regional level.

Since then we have heard nothing, Cherrie was scheduled for a conference call in September, but it was cancelled by Mr. Scheaffer at the last minute.

The first year of the program had a deadline of August 1 to hire and train the additional staff, and still the staff were not ready until after the New Year, so it does not look good for the upcoming winter.

Letters to all the politicians involved are still helpful. Contact info here

The Winter Sports Club, which operates the ski area at Hurricane Ridge, is in need of replacing its antiquated equipment. The idea was broached with the park as early as the 2000's. The response at that time was that the Park was conducting a General Management Plan (GMP), and the ski club should wait until that was complete before submitting any proposals. The GMP was completed in 2009, at which time the club went to the park with various alternatives for lift improvements. In 2011 the answer from the Park was that the Park needs to complete a Winter Use Plan for Hurricane Ridge before they can evaluate any ski area improvements proposal. During our first meeting Todd Suess said that the project could take two to three years to complete.

Cherrie Kidd suggested that the NPS should continue to fund seven day a week access until the Winter Use Plan was complete, assuming that seven day a week access would be one of the items on the winter use agenda. At that time Mr. Suess stated that it was more likely that the Winter Use Plan would not be completed for seven to ten years.

Meanwhile, at ONP, staff destroyed the popular Waterhole Cabin in September 2012, because it was "unsafe." This is a further direct hit to winter recreation in Olympic National Park. The ski club proposed in 2010 a plan to place removable winter only ski huts along the non-wilderness road corridor, which included taking over management of the Waterhole Hut if desired by ONP. There was no mention at that time that the Waterhole Hut was on the soon to be removed list. The proposal was rejected by ONP because it amounted to an expansion of the ski area. Which is a little bit of a silly point, because another group could have done the same plan just as well.

Friday, September 7, 2012



Backcountry Closed:

Short of a miracle intervention by someone higher up in the Park service, Hurricane Ridge will be closed Mondays through Thursdays for 2012-2013.

Perceptions versus Reality:

ONP Claim: Seven day winter access was a failure


Fact: The two years of the experiment resulted in an average increase of 10,578 more winter visitors over the previous two years, an increase of 35%.

ONP Claim: Winter use is an insignificant sub population of users compared to other spending priorities.


Fact: The winter use period accounts for 16% of the annual visits to Hurricane Ridge. Winter visits to Hurricane Ridge is about the same as annual backcountry overnights.

ONP Claim: Seven day winter access is too expensive


Fact: Other winter areas with similar conditions are able to keep roads clear 24/7 for less cost



Mount Baker in 2012

ONP Claim: Costs outweigh the benefits


Fact: Using NPS’s MP3 model http://tinyurl.com/parkstudy visitor spending was more than costs. Hurricane Ridge is one the most efficient NPS winter areas in terms of dollar per visitor, more so when visitor spending is accounted for. In addition, there are benefits beyond visitor spending, such as quality of life, and recirculating local dollars.

ONP Claim: Almost all visitors are local.


Fact: License plates from 27 states were observed in 2012. Also, this is accounted for in the MP3 model.

ONP Claim: Park crews are as efficient as possible


Fact: Independent study finds methods to save tens of thousands of dollars using accepted practices in winter use areas.

ONP Claim: Hurricane Ridge is not viewed as a winter park


Fact: Hurricane Ridge attracts more winter visitors than Crater Lake, Lassen, Sequoia, as well as open segments of Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks.

ONP Claim: Hurricane Ridge requires 5 full time Rangers to staff safely


Fact: Lake Crescent is staffed with three Rangers for 273,330 winter visits with similar risks. http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20121017/NEWS/121019969/slide-closes-us-101-at-lake-crescent

ONP Claim: Extreme weather causes road to close


Fact: Closed days averaged 5.3” of snow in 24 hours, 15 mph average winds for 24 hours, and a peak one hour average of 26 mph.

ONP Claim: Avalanche hazard on the road is high


Fact: Using the Simplified Avalanche Hazard Index which is based on the number and frequency of avalanches per traffic indicates low or very low threat to the road. A full assessment could be done by an expert, but has not been requested by ONP.

ONP Claim: Reinstalling gates at Third Peak and or the Slot is not feasible due to lack of turnaround


Fact: Turnaround at the Switchback trail head is 90’ in diameter; 75’ at the Slot. Existing turnaround at the lodge is 75’.

ONP Claim: Reinstalling gates at Third Peak and or the Slot is not feasible due to lack of parking.



Parking below the switchback trail head
Fact: At least 50 parking spaces are available at Third Peak, more are available on paved pull outs above Third Peak.

ONP Claim: Reinstalling gates at Third Peak and or the Slot is not feasible due to lack restrooms


Fact: Outhouse facilities are required for Washington State Winter Recreation Program SnoParks and installed and maintained at minimal cost.

ONP Claim: Downhill skiing is an activity that requires extensive development with resulting significant environmental impacts.


Fact: The downhill facilities at Hurricane Ridge disturb less than 1,000 square feet of land.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Sunday, October 14, 2012


Jack Hughes was the Hurricane Ridge Ranger from 1965 to his retirement from the NPS in 2005.  He then spent several years as a volunteer Ranger.  He was a Ranger’s Ranger, loved the Ridge, and had a goal to ski 1,000 miles every year, which he did until very recently. 
Rod Farlee spoke with Jack about the history of Waterhole and its removal. Jack calls removal of Waterhole a "clandestine operation".
 
The Chief Ranger approved a winter-use ski hut at Waterhole requested by a local group of active crosscountry skiers: John Phillips, Dr. Seimens (deceased), Dr. Bob Allman, Nels Lingveldt, and John Sextet.
It was designed in 1968 to be easily removable.  2 halves bolted together, each half easily trailerable.
Waterhole was an automobile campground, converted to picnic area because it had limited water (no well).
 
Superintendent found out and "got unglued" then "trouble", but skiers were "politically connected", "sort of a truce was signed".
 
Jack laughs at ONP’s contention that it was "only a playhouse in someone's backyard".  Waterhole was designed to be disassembled into 2 halves which could be trailered out each summer.  It went in for the 1968-9 ski season.  In the summer, it was stored in a backyard and kids may have played in it.
 
Rogers C B Morton was Secretary of the Interior.  His wife visited Alps, saw ski huts, in 1970 Morton wrote to NPS "We need ski huts for kids get out in winter".  Superintendent Roger Allin proudly wrote back "We already have
one!” reversed his position, told skiers "Don't take it out next summer. It's approved" as a permanent year-round structure.
 
NPS raised it to create the woodshed area and put shakes on it to replace original tar paper.  It had 4 or 5 woodstoves over the years, all purchased by donations.  It was so popular had a lottery and waiting list for weekends.
 
There has been at least two serious injury incidents in which waterhole played a role in a successful rescue. Once, a skier broke his leg - femur - so the group jury-rigged skis into a sled and got him into Waterhole.  Next day, came back with a sled to get him out.  In another incident Ranger Mike Butler broke his ankle beyond the Waterhole.  He was transported to the hut on a primitive sled, and he was then brought out on a better sled that same night.

 Superintendent Chandler made sure the proposed Wilderness boundary excluded Waterhole.  This exclusion later also allowed the SNOTEL site to be installed.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Ten Year Plan

Why is a Winter Use Plan necessary to add or replace any winter recreation activity, but access, tubing, and the Waterhole Hut can be removed without it?

The answer du jour from ONP regarding Hurricane Ridge is that a Winter Use Plan is in the pipeline, and (name the issue) will be addressed in the WUP, which will include a public process.  The catch?  There is no funding for the plan, so it will be ten years before it is completed.

First, some history. The HRWSC, which operated the three surface lifts at the ridge, is operating two rope tows that have been in place since 1958, and the Poma since 1968.  All three lifts are well beyond their life expectancy.  The ski club recognizes the need for replacement, and was told in the 1990's that the General Management Plan would provide guidance for the Park Service to determine the future of downhill skiing on the Ridge.  The problem was that the GMP process took 10 years to complete, finally entered into the Congressional Record in late 2008.

The public comments and GMP came out clearly that improvements to the lifts would be allowed.  During those ten years of process, weekday access to the Ridge decreased from open, to as staffing and weather allow, to closed.  The tubing area was eliminated, and now the Waterhole Cabin destroyed.  Meanwhile, in 2006 the Friends of Olympic National Park made a series of suggestions to improve winter recreation.  One of the suggestions was to do a WUP to allow public input to how winter at the Ridge should operate.

Based on the results of the GMP, the ski club put together numerous proposals for lift improvements, starting as soon the the GMP was completed in 2008.  In late 2011, the Park stated that due to two significant events since 2009 (the closure of the snowplay area and discovery of Native artifacts in the meadow) a Winter Use Plan would be required before any lift improvement plan could be evaluated.  At the time, they said this would be a two or three year project.

Mayor Cherrie Kidd, a strong proponent of seven day access, was quick to point out that with that time frame, the seven day access trail should be allowed to continue until the WUP was complete.  That would allow a longer data collection period, and presumably the public comments would favor continued seven day access.

When the Park heard that idea, they quickly lengthened the estimated project completion time to ten years.  By that time, the existing lift system will no longer be functioning.  Meanwhile the Waterhole Hut has been removed, we are back down to weekend only access, and the Park wants to replace the Intermediate area with tubing.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Eric Burr, Author of "Ski Trails and Wildlife" was the Ranger at Hurricane Ridge when the Waterhole Hut was established.  This article was submitted to Washington Trails and may or may not be used.

SKI HUTS AND WILDLANDS MANAGEMENT

      Or, Why Olympic National Park’s Waterhole Ski Hut is Missing

                                                                    By Eric Burr, Mazama WA

    Snow country boreal forests and skiing (especially ski touring) there, on natural

ungroomed snow, are foreign to mainstream experience. Boreal, means cold in winter

and buggy in summer, which suits our migratory birds perfectly, but not most people.

Unfortunately boreal forests are our largest forest ecosystem, and the resulting

ignorance is hastening their demise.

   The recent removal of the Hurricane Ridge ski touring hut, out at Waterhole,

four miles east of the lodge, is symptomatic of this situation.  The snowed in

Obstruction Point road is one of only three ski touring options usually having enough

snow, up on Hurricane Ridge.  As such, it inevitably attracts use, and will continue to

be the site for both safety issues and sanitary impact, in that small sheltered location.

Waterhole has been a storm refuge campsite long before the park was established.

   As a retired national park ranger/naturalist, with more backcountry time than most,

because I chose to be a professional seasonal, I’m uniquely aware of these problems. 

Most environmentalists and national park managers, have little intimate experience with

either winter storms, casualty evacuation, or cleaning up frozen toilet paper flowers. National

park managers however, are unavoidably aware of the tremendous attraction national parks

have for visitors of all types, and the unique crowding that results. Inadequate park budgets

select for managers good at dealing with the high priority front country summertime tourist

season situations, not skiing.

   Ski touring therefore is a tiny exotic blip on their radar screens. Mainstream skiing with its

lifts and groomed trails, not allowed in most American national parks, is itself usually a very

small part of their experience. “Let them use tents.” is the popular dismissive response I often

hear from both less experienced environmentalists and park rangers or managers. Europeans

and Canadians know better, because they’ve decades more experience with the kind of

heavy winter use which is only beginning in America. They’re not necessarily smarter;

they’ve just had their noses rubbed in it longer.

    My hope is, that widespread disappointment over the removal of the ski hut at Waterhole

will generate enough interest in snow country restoration that readers will pick up more books

exploring this problem. Chic Scott’s book from Canada: Powder Pioneers-Ski Stories from

the Canadian Rockies and Columbia Mountains, is one of many in the 2008 bibliography at

the back of my Ski Trails and Wildlife book. My chapters on avalanches, huts, rangers, and

Hurricane Ridge, include details about Waterhole.  Tropher Donahue’s book: Bugaboo

Dreams- A Story of Skiers, Helicopters, and Mountains, came out too late in 2008 to make

my bibliography, and Chic Scott also has at least one new book. Ski Trails and Wildlife is

now out on Kindle.

   David Brower, author John McFee’s “Archdruid,” and himself the author of, The Manual

of Ski Mountaineering, is the best example of the disproportionate influence ski tourers have.

They are few and far between, but because they know the boreal first hand, they have been,

the movers and shapers of snow country politics. For instance, Mineral King’s proposed ski

resort, started Earthjustice, the pro-bono legal firm that takes on the highest profile cases.

Their legendary trip to the Supreme Court was skiing’s unintended gift to conservation, and it

changed the entire environmental legal landscape. Should Trees Have Standing, the book by

Christopher Stone tells the legal part of that story, but there’s more - including avalanches

and a host of colorful characters like Walt Disney and David Brower.

   The powerfully influential signatures on the sign in sheet at Waterhole saved the hut for

almost forty years. It was a tiny, but powerful, way to encourage intimacy with the boreal. It

allowed overnight stays, up on the Ridge, possible no other way. The northern boreal forest

encircles the arctic, and its montane extensions bring it far enough south to be accessible to

parks and commercial skiing in southern Canada and the northern United States. Snow sports

are how most people experience the boreal forest. The more ways we can help them

experience, and understand, this snowy world surrounding their ski resorts and national parks,

the better chance we have to conserve and restore the largest forest on earth.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

A NPS Rant-Why all the turnover?

Here is a somewhat tangential rant against the way the the NPS is managed at the national level:
This post states that the decision to remove the Waterhole Hut was made the ONP management team in 2008.  The problem is (and this is my rant) that there has been 100% turnover in the leadership of the park since then.  Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Chief Ranger, Chief of Maintenance, Park Planner, and Hurricane Ridge District Ranger have all changed hands since then, sometimes more than once.

I believe this is not unusual in the way our Park system is managed, and that it has a negative impact on all aspects of the Park.

  1. The Management Team barely has a chance to get to know the Park employees, which can not be good for moral. This study shows that the NPS ranks close to the bottom of all federal agencies in terms of job satisfaction.
  2. The Management Team barely has a chance to get to know the nuances of the Park itself.  What makes Olympic special compared to parks in the Pacific and Florida when our two most recent Superintendents have come from?
  3. The Management Team barely has a chance to get to know the nuances of the communities surrounding the Park.  A tuned in leadership team would know the importance of winter access to Hurricane Ridge and work to embrace the passionate support of it's supporters.  And those needs pale in comparison to the relationships with the Tribes surrounding ONP.  Those relationships take time to build and time to maintain.
  4. The need to constantly move every five years or so to advance in the NPS self selects people that are willing to sacrifice family and community for career advancement.  Are those the people we want in leadership? In the above referenced study the NPS scored 38.3 out of 185 in the "family friendly culture and benefits" category.  That is incredible for a service whose existence is to bring families together.
  5. Unlike other high turnover professions, such as coaching, the new leader does not get to bring in their own team.  Therefore, the duration of the tenure of all these individuals is spent working out the roles and strengths of each member of the team.
  6. National Parks are not widget factories, where a solution that worked in X park can be applied in Y.  In fact, I have heard that several times in talking with ONP officials about other parks that keep their winter roads open.  Yet, that seems to be the point of moving leadership around- to standardize management decisions and processes.
  7. It causes decisions to be made based on their effects on career advancement rather than what is best for the Park and Community.
  8. Good Park employees that opt out of career advancement for community or family values are marginalized in decision making.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

October updates

Check FreeHurricane Ridge on facebook at www.facebook.com/FreeHurricaneRidge

Port Angeles Mayor Cherrie Kidd, City Manger Dan McKeen, and Greg Halberg participated in a conference call with National Park Service Comptroller Bruce Sheaffer in August. 



Mr. Sheaffer acknowledged that the two year trial period was due to the intervention of Congressman Norm Dicks, who is a long time friend of the Park Service.  He stated that our request would be easier if the Park Service were in a normal budget cycle, but because of both the uncertainty due to the elections and lack of budget resolutions in Congress, and an overall tight budget fulfilling our request would be difficult. We did not mention that the access was reduced during an expanding budget period.

We presented to him portions of the data on this blog, including how Hurricane Ridge compares to visitation in other parks, the NPS's visitor spending model, and a different way of looking at the visitation number than ONP presented.  Mr. Sheaffer said the presentation was impressive and that he would examine our data at the regional level.

Since then we have heard nothing, Cherrie was scheduled for a conference call in September, but it was cancelled by Mr. Scheaffer at the last minute.

The first year of the program had a deadline of August 1 to hire and train the additional staff, and still the staff were not ready until after the New Year, so it does not look good for the upcoming winter.

Letters to all the politicians involved are still helpful. Contact info here

The Winter Sports Club, which operates the ski area at Hurricane Ridge, is in need of replacing its antiquated equipment.  The idea was broached with the park as early as the 2000's.  The response at that time was that the Park was conducting a General Management Plan (GMP), and the ski club should wait until that was complete before submitting any proposals.  The GMP was completed in 2009, at which time the club went to the park with various alternatives for lift improvements.  In 2011 the answer from the Park was that the Park needs to complete a Winter Use Plan for Hurricane Ridge before they can evaluate any ski area improvements proposal.  During our first meeting Todd Suess said that the project could take two to three years to complete.

Cherrie Kidd suggested that the NPS should continue to fund seven day a week access until the Winter Use Plan was complete, assuming that seven day a week access would be one of the items on the winter use agenda.  At that time Mr. Suess stated that it was more likely that the Winter Use Plan would not be completed for seven to ten years.

Meanwhile, at ONP, staff destroyed the popular Waterhole Cabin in September 2012, because it was "unsafe." This is a further direct hit to winter recreation in Olympic National Park.  The ski club proposed in 2010 a  plan to place removable winter only ski huts along the non-wilderness road corridor, which included taking over management of the Waterhole Hut if desired by ONP.  There was no mention at that time that the Waterhole Hut was on the soon to be removed list.  The proposal was rejected by ONP because it amounted to an expansion of the ski area.  Which is a little bit of a silly point, because another group could have done the same plan just as well.