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| Volume 7, No 2 | Olympic Park Associates -- Founded in 1948 | Summer, 1999 |
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The Continuing Saga of the Cushman Hydroelectric Project and Tacoma Background During the roaring '20s, Tacoma built the two Cushman dams on the North Fork of the Skokomish River, inundating nearly 4,000 acres of prime elk habitat and diverting the entire flow of the North Fork into penstocks (pipes) running to Powerhouse #2 on the shore of Hood Canal. Holding a "minor part" license allowing flooding of 8.8 acres of federal land (a type of license later declared illegal), Tacoma dewatered the North Fork channel. Administrative Log Jam That license expired in 1974, and the project operated on annual interim licenses while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pro-ceeded to fashion a new license. Only since 1987 has the Department of Ecology required token minimum flows of 30 cubic feet per second (CFS) down the North Fork. The process has been mired in environmental and economic disagreements among several parties: Tacoma, the Skokomish Tribe, federal and state resource agencies, FERC, and others. Attempts at settlement discussions in 1997 and 1998 led nowhere. At long last, on July 31, 1998, FERC issued a license for the Cushman hydroelectric project but the disagreements are far from resolved. The license followed the path set out in the final EIS; like Solomon's bluff, it cut a rough division between concerns about environmental damage and economics. The license includes some worthwhile mitigation measures and a cost too high for the liking of Tacoma Public Utilities, the owner of the dams. This process took 24 years and remains at an impasse. A most serious issue is the effect of such limited flow in the North Fork. The Skokomish Indian Tribe, for whom this river has economic and cultural importance, along with the Dept. of Interior, Washington State Departments of Ecology and Fish and Wildlife, and many others all call for the release of greater instream flows. Tacoma presents an adamantine attitude, striving mightily to avoid or delay any obligation to meet the problems of environmental damage, thus allowing continued use of the North Fork almost as if it were a private storage battery. Several of Tacoma's extravagant arguments blame any conceivable remote cause rather than the dams for damage observed: e.g. that the decline in salmon productivity is due to ocean harvest. Tacoma has also faced down agencies and diverted them from their interests and jurisdiction. (See article in April. 1997 Voice.) By contrast, Seattle City Light genuinely considered environmental factors, and included all concerned parties in discussions since the inception of its Skagit River FERC license application. That settlement, with universal agreement and support, was proof against myopic FERC meddling, and within two years, most mitigation measures are complete. the landslide. N. Fork Skokomish River below Cushman Damn on 9/99, while Tacoma was spilling FERC Reconsideration Tacoma resisted accepting the July, 1998, license and obtained a stay of the license except for provisions requiring a plan for instream flow and release of a minimum of 260 cfs. Several of the issues raised may impact other license proceedings. Tacoma also challenges FERC's authority to issue a license that does not guarantee a current operating profit, and has threatened to 'take its marbles and go home' by ceasing hydropower operations if it is unsatisfied. This notion introduced another red herring; attempts by Tacoma and national hydropower associations to argue over FERC's decommissioning policy, using this license as a forum. Meanwhile, the Skokomish Indian Tribe has filed a claim for damages of $5.7 billion. These questions are now to be decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals. FERC issued its order on rehearing on March 31, 1999, making only minor changes in the license. Landslide A few days earlier, rain-sodden slopes above Powerhouse #2 gave way. The landslide forced shutdown of the power plant. This ended the flow through the penstocks. For the next three weeks, 350 to 387 cfs were released down the North Fork channel. The clear-running stream belied Tacoma's contention that the 260 cfs flows required in the license would cause environmental damage by scouring the channel, fill the river with sediment, overflow the banks, and tear away streamside plants. (See photos, above.) Spawned salmon and steelhead in newly watered redds may have been doomed by the subsequent reduction of flow, leaving them in drying pools. Another Stay In asking for the license to be stayed again, Tacoma has offered to release cfs. FERC granted the stay of all provisions of the license, including stream flow requirements, pending judicial appeals, which will take years. FERC issued the stay shortly before the effective date of Endangered Species Act listing of two Skokomish River salmon species, possibly ducking the need formal consultation with NMFS. Unless FERC changes the stay or imposes interim conditions, prospects for the release of adequate instream flows soon, or movement towards securing land parcels identified for wildlife impact mitigation, are much murkier than the North Fork was at 387 cfs. OPA continues to join with American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, Federation of Fly Fishers, Friends of the Earth, and The Mountaineers to advocate for better instream flow and mitigation. Appellate counsel Dan Squires of Wilmer Cutler & Pickering has been engaged to represent the conservation groups in the Court of Appeals. |
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Volunteers Play Key Role at ONP Olympic National Park (ONP) began its Voluntteers in the Parks (VIP) program in 1971 with six volunteers (five interpretive and one management) donating 1,482 hours. Last year ONP had 722 volunteers who donated 65,942 hours. Volunteers don't just save the park time and money: their special gifts of caring for resources and attention to visitors help preserve our valued inheritance. who can volunteer? Almost anyone. A VIP is anyone who performs work for which he or she receives no pay. It doesn't matter if the person is receiving compensation from a source outside the park (work credit, academic credit. etc.) as long as the National Park Service is not paying the person. examples of volunteer opportunities at Olympic National Park: Resource Management volunteers assist park rangers in tasks ranging from backcountry revegetation to collecting and recording resource data. Backcountry Rangers assist park rangers with a variety of tasks such as providing visitor information, patrolling trails and roads, operating backcountry stations, performing minor trail and resource maintenance, and serch and rescue. Natural Science Studies volunteers assist biologists and technicians with wildlife studies, plant ecology research, and monitoring programs. Maintenance volunteers assist park personnel with upkeep of roads, trails, buildings, utilities, and campgrounds. Campground Hosts assist park rangers with operations and light maintenance of campgrounds in a designated location in the park. In most areas, the host must have a trailer or RV. Interpretation involves volunteers in visitor center operations, environmental education, naturalist programs, and in audiovisual, computer, and library tasks. how to apply: Write or call the VIP Coordinator at Olympic National Park and request a VIP application. Or use the electronic application form on the National Park Service web page http://www.nps.gov/volunteer. Complete and return the application. The Coordinator will contact you directly if the park can use your services.
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Elwha Dams: Gorton Cracks on Dam Removal Following months of strong resolve on the part of the Clinton administration and intensive pressure from conservationists at home, Senator Slade Gorton has had a change of heart regarding dam removal on the Elwha River. In June he announced he would no longer tie funding for Elwha dam removal to protection for salmon-blocking dams on the Snake River. Prior to the announcement, Gorton used his position as chair of Interior appropriations to block congressionally approved funding for removing the lower Elwha dam. As of now, some $39 million has been appropriated by Congress to purchase the dams from Fort James Corporation, the dams' owners. Orville Campbell, a spokesman for Fort James, expects the deal to close by the end of the year. Removal of both dams will take several years. This is an important step toward the ultimate restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem, promised in legislation that passed Congress in 1992. OPA thanks everyone who contacted Senator Gorton on this issue: your letters helped make the difference! Olympic Coast Clean-Up Planned for April 2000: Volunteers Sought Olympic Park Associates is one of several partner organizations and agencies that are energizing a major clean-up of Olympic National Park coast beaches. The clean-up will occur in April 2000. Volunteers will remove marine debris from the 64-mile Pacific Ocean coast, from Shi Shi Beach to South Kalaloch Beach. The clean-up is being orchestrated through a partnership with, and the general direction of, Olympic National Park, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. and the Quileute Tribe. The project is being coordinated with other 30th anniversary of Earth Day events. Jan Klippert, a volunteer and the inspiration be hind the clean-up project, presented a summary of the clean-up plan to OPA at the May 26 board meeting. Jan said that he had hiked much of the coast in 1997 and was amazed at the vast amount of marine debris he encountered: nets, floats, tires, and many other non-native materials rejected by the ocean. "These objects are too large and the volume too great to be removed from the beach without a concerted volunteer effort," he said. The beach will be divided into zones. Teams of volunteers, including naturalists, will each be assigned to a section of beach. In addition to collecting debris, each team will gather basic data about the beach and keep a detailed record of what they have found. The data will then be used by scientists from the National Marine Sanctuary and other naturalists and scientists. Some sections of the coast are easily accessible, such as South Kalaloch Beach to Ruby Beach. The less accessible sections from Oil City to Shi Shi Beach will require volunteers with backcountry and no-trace camping skills. The 30th anniversary of Earth Day offers an opportunity to respond to this significant challenge. Volunteer organizations that are support ing the undertaking include Olympic Park Associates, Northwest Wilderness and Park Conference, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, Friends of the Trail, Washington Trails Association, Mountaineers, Adopt-a- Beach, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, and the Olympic Peninsula Audubon chapter. The clean-up effort is coordinated with Earth Day 2000 Network.
To volunteer to be a part of this event please contact: Olympic Coast Protected from Oil Drilling In early June President Clinton announced a ban on offshore oil drilling in twelve protected coastal areas, including the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. He also announced the extension of a ten-year moratorium on future drilling in U.S. waters; the existing moratorium was set to expire in 2002. The ban reinforces a state prohibition on drilling off the Washington coast and makes permanent a federal ban for protected waters. But such "permanence" may be short lived. Because Clinton used an executive order to enact the bans, they can be rescinded by a future president or by Congress in the case of a national oil "emergency". The major threat to marine resources in Olympic coastal areas still comes from the risk of spilled oil from tankers. The best protection for Olympic beaches, along with double hulls for tankers (less than 10 percent of tankers are currently equipped with them), is a rescue tug permanently stationed at Neah Bay. Congressman Norm Dicks secured funding for a trial tug to be stationed there over the past winter. He should be commended for that, but reminded that a permanently stationed tug is the best long-term protection for a priceless coastline. Four major spills have impacted Olympic beaches in the past three decades, including:
Study Shows Wolves Will Thrive in Olympics- It's official. A study released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in March determined that reintroduction of gray wolves to the Olympic Peninsula is biologically feasible. OPA and other conservation organizations see it as an important first step in the long process of restoring the Olympics' keystone predator. Unfortunately, Senator Slade Gorton didn't bother to wait for the $125,000 scientific assessment to be completed. Responding to a series of kangaroo "town hall meetings" held in logging towns around the Peninsula (see Electronic Wolf Lynchings Come to Peninsula in February Voice), he promised to block all further funding for wolf reintroduction. The feasibility study concluded that the lands most suitable for wolf habitat on the Peninsula were in the 923,000-acre Olympic National Park and adjoining roadless lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The study concluded, using questionable data, that roads and developed areas would discourage wolves from using areas outside the park. The study also found that there are sufficient prey species (black-tailed deer and elk) to support a population of about 56 wolves (6 to 7 packs) in the park. Interactions with humans and pets would be minimal, and livestock depredations are predicted to be insignificant. In addition, Defenders of Wild life pledged to compensate Peninsula landowners who lose livestock to wolves. The study noted that more information is needed regarding the health of deer and elk populations outside Olympic National Park where elk populations are in decline over the past decade - largely due to overhunting and human-caused changed in habitat. Additional prey-based studies by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey are currently underway. They will be released later this year.
Specifically, the feasibility study found: The primary habitat area for reintroduced wolves is 98 percent in public ownership and is currently managed as wilderness. Deer populations in the primary habitat area are estimated at about 2,500 animals with higher densities in the dryer east-Olympic valleys. Elk populations in Olympic are estimated at about 4,400 animals, primarily concentrated in northern and western valleys. Although elk populations remain stable in the park, populations outside the park are declining. With full wolf recovery (56 wolves), park deer populations are expected to decline 13 to 16 percent, park elk populations 16 to 17 percent. Restrictions on land uses (temporary closures around active den sites) would be minimal and limited to the park and national forest. Impacts on cougars and other predators are un known at this time. Human safety is not expected to be a problem. Returning the wolf to its former range, one of America's premier wilderness areas and natural preserves, is simply too good an idea to let die. OPA, Defenders of Wildlife, Peninsula Environmental Center, and other organizations remain committed to educating the public on the advantages of wolf reintroduction, and to lobbying agencies and politicians to support this popular cause. But as we learned from the Elwha, correcting historical wrongs on the Peninsula are long-term efforts. As with dam removal, wolf restoration may take some years -- and an election or two -- to accomplish. What You Can Do: Senator Gorton and your representative in Congress need to hear from you on this issue. As reported in the last issue of the Voice, polls conducted by Evans/McDonough Company of Seattle show that
Even on the Peninsula,
Let your representatives know that this is a popular issue that holds great promise for the Peninsula, ecologically and economically.
Land and Water Conservation Fund Originally authorized by Congress in the 1960s, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was established from revenues accruing from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leases, on a permanent basis, to ensure long-term funding for the LCWF and an urban counterpart, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR). Unfortunately, since the early 1980s, the $900 million annual OCS proceeds for LWCF have seldom been used for either the federal or state programs. At the federal level, approximately one-half, or $450 million, was to be used for protecting natural areas, such as national parks, national forests, wil derness, and fish and wildlife refuges through the purchase of private inholdings from willing sellers, The other half was intended for a state matching grants program with funds appropriated to states for planning, developing, and acquiring land and water areas for state and local open space and natural resource protection, and recreation enhancement, Prior to the 1980s, funds from the LWCF had assisted Olympic National Park (ONP) in a gradual purchase of private inholdings from owners willing to sell. A small amount recently became available for ONP. However, since the early 1980s, most of the authorized $900 million from OCS oil and gas drilling has gone into the federal treasury and was appropriated for programs other than the intended parks, conservation and recreation programs. Minimal amounts have been allocated for the federal LWCF program -- not quite zero, but almost. Virtually no funds were allocated for the state and urban programs. Within the past year a new group, Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation (AHR), was formed especially to work on behalf of full and permanent funds for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. AHR recognizes the LWCFs original purpose as a long-term investment in non-renewable resources, specifically offshore oil and gas revenues, to protect America's natural resources and enhance recreation opportunities. AHR opposes any legislation that would offer incentives for additional offshore oil or gas leasing, as does Olympic Park Associates and other conservation/environmental organizations. Congress is now considering several "funding initiatives". One is the Lands Legacy initiative by the Clinton administration, which would allocate $440 million to federal LWCF acquisition and $150 million for a moderate state program but without any funding provision for recreation for states. The balance of the proposed initial $1 billion would go toward various other protection categories, including forests, habitat conservation, farmland protection, and coastal protection. Several bills now in Congress would reactivate LWCF from offshore oil and gas leasing income. Polly Dyer of Olympic Park Associates attended a National Summit of Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation in Annapolis, MD, and Washington, DC, in early June. She intends to closely follow these attempts to reinvigorate the Land and Water Conservation Fund, especially as it may help in protecting Olympic National Park and environs and its sister national parks in the North Cascades and Mount Rainier. You can help by urging your congressional representatives and senators to take the lead in making the Land and Water Conservation Fund permanent and dedicated. The LWCF is every bit as important in the budget as anything else. Don't accept the excuse that they can't do anything about budget cuts. They can, if enough of us insist on it.
For details, and to follow the bills in Congress, contact:
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Salmon Under Seige The National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) scientific studies determined it was necessary to list the natural, wild chinook salmon and the hatchery chinook salmon of the Elwha River as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Research also revealed that the native sockeye salmon of Lake Ozette are in trouble, resulting in their being listed as "threatened". Threatened - Elwha's Chinook Salmon Although limited numbers of hatchery chinook were introduced into the Elwha in the 1960s, "all hatchery-reared chinook planted in the Elwha River have been of Elwha origin... [I]t is believed that the Elwha stock has maintained its unique genetic identity." [1] NMFS fisheries biologist Derek Poon noted that the Elwha hatchery chinook stock are essential to the recovery of the wild Elwha chinook salmon, leading to both being designated as "threatened". The habitat of the natural spawning Elwha chinook "is limited to the lower 4.9 miles of the river due to the presence of two impassible dams." [1] [This refers to the Lower Elwha dam, dating to 1914 and the 210-foot high Glines Canyon dam dating to 1926 located inside Olympic National Park. Ed.] "What spawning habitat is available has been degraded by the los of natural recruitment of gravel into the lower river due to the presence of the dams." The Elwha chinook "is exceptionally vulnerable to high pre-spawning mortality as the result of Dermocystidium outbreaks during drought conditions...apparently tied to excessively high water temperatures (70°+ F.)...Warm water is the result of thermal stratification of the reservoirs followed by spills from the warmer upper water layers. During drought years, pre-spawning mortality has been as high as 70 percent of the returning adults." [1] Threatened - Lake Ozette's Sockeye Salmon The Ozette Lake sockeye salmon population "is genetically distinct from all other sockeye salmon stocks in the Northwest." [2] The Biological Review Team concluded that the Ozette Lake sockeye salmon Evolutionary Significant Unit is not presently in danger of extinction, but if present condtions continue it is likely to become so in the forseeable future. "Current escapements averaging below 1,000 adults per year imply a moderate degree of risk from small-population genetic and demographic variability, with little room for further declines before abundance would be critically low. Other concenrs include siltation of beach spawning habitat, very low abundance compared to harvest in the 1950s, and potential genetic effects of present hatchery production and past interbreeding with genetically dissimilar kokanee." [2] "The two principal shoreline spawning beaches for sockeye salmon in Ozette Lake are Olsens' Beach (or Olsen's Landing) (north of Siwash Creek on the lake's eastern shore) and the beach area north of Allen's Bay on the lake's western shore...[S]ome spawning has also been seen recently on the south shore of Baby Island at the southern end of Lake Ozette...Outside of that portion in Olympic National Park [a skinny strip on the east and south shore - Ed.], virtually the entire watershed of Ozette Lake has been logged. A combination of past overfishing and spawning habitat degradation, due to stream and tributary outwash fan siltation, associated with timber harvest and road building, have been cited as major causes of this stock's decline." [2]
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Salmon Ruled by Timber Companies by Polly Dyer They did it again!!! Having held sway for more than 100 years, while logging off most of the original old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, the timber companies persuaded the Washington State Legislature and Governor Gary Locke to give them another guaranteed 50 years to do as they wish. The infamous SHB 209, enacted and signed, gives these forest-cutting companies full sway to call the shots affecting salmon habitats that depend on well-managed and publicaly supervised state-owned and private forest lands. The legislature and the governor ignored credible scientific information and avice when passing and signing this legislation. The "threatened" salmon lost again. Equally surprising - and shocking - was learning that the federal agencies responsible for protecting fish from further harm endorsed this raid. Who are they? The Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, this latter body being the one we thought was especially responsible for assuring recovery of the "threatened" and "endangered" species of salmon in the West! Continued logging in riparian areas along rivers and streams, now without oversight by independent and credible scientists, will be at the timber companies' pleasure. Leaving a little brush cover along these waterways has been a recent step toward a low level of environmental sensitivity, but it's a far cry from what is best for salmon. As a group of independent scientists noted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (May 16, 1999) "...SHB 2091 is a risky experiment with the future of our salmon... Worse, it could lock in a strategy that is not scientifically sound, preventing efforts to use new knowledge as it becomes available." | |
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Recent Incidents Three bear burglary incidents over Memorial Day weekend, all involving bears foraging in camp sites and food caches, have prompted Olympic National Park to close a 6.8-mile section of the Elwha River Trail, between Lillian River and Elkhorn, to overnight camping. The trail is still open for dayhiking, and the Lillian and Elkhorn backcountry campsites are open. Bears in search of food ripped open a backpack that had been left on the ground, broke into food caches, climbed a tree and broke off the branch from which food was hanging, and approached within four feet of an occupied tent. Careless camping tempts bears to forage at campsites and picnic areas. When the bears lose their fear of humans, circumstances become unsafe for hikers, campers, and bears, alike. We urge park visitors to follow bear-conscious rules, avoid conflicts between bears and humans, and minimize the necessity of campsite closures. Bear Safety Rules Hikers and campers should heed the following Park Service guidelines:
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Thanks to quick action on the part of The Nature Conservancy and the dedication of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a critical piece of mature forest and tidelands was added to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. The parcel adjoins the refuge to the east, directly across from the observation deck where visitors get their first view of the five-and-a-half-mile-long spit. The forested uplands are a prime roosting site for bald eagles and osprey and support numerous nesting songbirds and small mammals. Tidelands include a portion of the small lagoon and tidal flats at the base of the spit. The Nature Conservancy purchased the five-acre parcel, which commands a sweeping view of the spit and Strait, for $280,000 and sold it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in late May. Some 120,000 people a year visit the 630-acre refuge, which provides a haven for 250 species of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds as well as marine and land mammals. In 1997, the refuge tightened restrictions on recreational use to protect wildlife. The lee side of the spit, which protects Dungeness Harbor, was closed to public access, and inappropriate recreational uses such jogging and horseback riding are curtailed. The newly acquired tidelands are adjacent to a half-mile long area on the lee side that is closed during the fall and winter, when birds take refuge from storms, but open in summer for hiking, birdwatching, and clamming. It's a critical piece of the area's ecology. Both The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deserve our special thanks. | |
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Two New Books Celebrate the Mount Rainier Centennial
Review We at Olympic Park Associates take great pride that our vice-president, Tim McNulty, is the poet, conservationist, and nature writer for Olympic National Park and the Olympic Peninsula. In this case we have loaned him out to another of the golden triangle of national parks in the state of Washington: Mount Rainier. This is McNulty's tenth book on natural history, in addition to six volumes of poetry. Pat O'Hara is considered one of the distinguished landscape photographers in America. This book represents his fifteenth large-format photography book. The O'Hara/McNulty partnership is almost as if the two friends are competing to see which one can plant the most imagery on our minds. O'Hara does it with his photographic brilliance. His centerfold of Mount Rainier's alpenglow literally stuns us. How is it possible for McNulty to match such breathtaking color imagery celebrating every aspect of Mount Rainier? McNulty's poetic verbal images are equal to the task. McNulty's essays explore facets of the park from human history, its Indian legends, its role as wilderness, its discovery by Europeans, to the campaign to preserve it as a national park, and the need to preserve its fragile ecosystem. In addition, he provides us with priceless ecological insights. Especially in section three, The Weave of Mountain Life, and its natural history story, McNulty dazzles us with his brilliant imagery. From McNulty's Introduction:
The mountain warps our senses of time and scale. It rises isolated and imntense over the older weathered hills of the Cascades. Its beauty dazzles us. Its nearness beckons. It draws us up to its rugged slopes like the moths to a snowlit lamp. From The Weave of Mountain Life:
Passing through the Nisqually entrance station and eiite ring Rainier's old-growth forests after driving through miles of cutover second growth is like a drink of mountain snowmelt after a long dry climb. Massive Douglas-firs rise like pillars into a pale and distant sky, their furled lichen-flecked hark glowing reddish brown in the shadows. Western redcedars lean on flaring bases and droop lacy green boughs like scarves. Vine maples and sword ferns gather pools of green muted light, and mossy logs lie like beached ships amid carpets of vanilla leaf huckleberry, and oak fern. As I round the curves trees step close to the road edge like sentries along the way to the palace. Daniel J. Evans, Governor of Washington, 1965 to 1977, sums up the book admirably in his Foreword:
Read this extraordinary account of Mount Rainier and the people who have revered, assaulted, coveted, enjoyed, and protected its beauty. Each picture tells of the richness and variety of nature's bounty. The text reminds us of our own responsibility to protect that bounty. If the book leads you to the mountain, you will return awed by its majesty, in vigorated by its changing seasons, and dedicated to preserving its integrity. Enjoy!
Review Like Ulysses, Ruth Kirk "sails beyond the stars of all the Western Skies", taking her readers along, in her twenty or more works about natural history. In Sunrise to Paradise we sail, guided by Ruth, to one of those stars of our west: Mount Rainier. Within this book the reader is treated to many hours of informative and fascinating reading. The writer has combined extensive research into the mountain's human and natural history, both before and after its establishment as a national park, with a deep personal knowledge of nature's processes. Readers will find text and photographs closely coordinated. One example from many is the Kautz Creek Flood, for which pictures depicting the event are located on the facing page. This juxtaposition enhances the written information. From time to time the author's personal narratives are inserted, separate from the main text. These inserts, like the photographs, add emphasis to the written words. Text organization also enhances ones appreciation and understanding of what the mountain was and is now, and what needs to be done to ensure that its values are available for the future. Inserted neatly into the writing about fragile alpine meadows is a section that recognizes the work of the many park volunteers who labor to restore damaged alpine areas. Of the several hundred photographs and drawings, the most impressive to me was the frontispiece: a colorful Sunrise sunnse with a faint wisp of lenticular cloud over the mountain scene. The lack of adequate maps makes the text comprehension more difficult. Readers will enjoy this book as Ruth Kirk leads them to the Rainier star of our Western Sky.
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