B-MT.RAINIRE+NATIONAL+PARK



**PARK PROFILE: **

Location: [|Ashford], Washington Geology: Northwest United States (West Central Washington State) Established: March 2, 1899 Age: About 500,000 years Mountain Height: 14,410 ft. above sea level Park Size: 235,625 acres Average Precipitaion: 75-126 inches Visitors per year: 1.5-2 million visitors Best Time to visit: Summertime due to road conditions Most Popular sites: The Mountain itself (paradise, longmire and sunrise) You probably didn't know: That Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano

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At Mount Rainier National park there are approximately 54 species of mammals, 126 species of birds, and 17 species of amphibians and reptiles. Some animals in the park live in large popluation or can easily be seen, others are harder to find within the park.
 * WILDLIFE: **

Some popularly spotted small mammals include:  [|Chimpmunk] [|chickaree] [|ground squirrel] [|Marmot]media type="custom" key="5401849" align="right" and [|Pika]

Some larger, more exclusive animals at the park include:



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 * VEGITATION:**

There are approximately 900 plant species in the park, including over 100 exotic species.However, the most common vegitation found at Mount Rainier national park can be broken into two broad categories; flowers and trees. With such high pricipiation rates vegitation here is lush year round.

Flowers : [|Coltsfoot] [|Cow Parsnip] [|Jacobs Ladder] [|Butterwort] [|Violet, pioneer]

Trees:

[|Alaska Yellow-Cedar] [|Engleman Spruce] [|Vine Maple] [|Sitka Spruce] [|Bigleaf Maple]


 * For full list of all plants and animals found at Mount Rainier National Park you can visit the Mount Rainier National Park** [|**Information Page**]**.**

HISTORY: ** Mount Rainier National Park has a long history. Established March 2nd 1899 it is the fifth oldest national park in the United States. Mount Rainier was first viewed (or first reportedly viewed) by Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer, while he was mapping Puget Sound in 1792. He named Mount Rainier after a friend of his, [|Peter Rainier]. The Native Americans had called the mountain [|Takhoma] and created legends about the colossal mountain. In 1857 an army lieutenant by the name [|August Valentine Kautz] attempted to climb Mount Rainier. Hiring a guild and taking some companions with him they attempted to climb to the summit. After several days the guide began to suffer from snow blindness and the companions also gave in. Kautz, however, kept going and got to about 14,000 feet but did not quite make it to the summit. It did prove though that the Indian legend did have merit. Mount Rainier was climbable. Thirteen years later [|Hazard Stevens], [|Philemon Von Trump] and Edmond T. Coleman with the help of [|James Longmire], a settler from [|Indiana], attempted to finish was August Valentine Kautz was unable to. On August 17, 1870 the men reached the [|summit] in the first successful recorded climb leaving at the top a brass nameplate and canteen. In 1883, Longmire tried his own will on the mountain attempting to climb it and camped up along several soda and iron springs and felt enlightened. He made advertisements that reached far and wide about the value or spring and mineral water baths as a cure to any ailment. People came far and wide visiting the first Mount Rainier hotel. Then along came [|John Muir], a conservationist, who visted Rainier in 1888 and climbed the mountain by horse and took photographer Arthur C. Warner with him. With Muirs writings and Warner’s photos the American people began to know the wonders of Mount Rainier. Then more people came to try their own hands at the climb. In 1890 [|Fay Fuller] became the first woman to successfully climb Mount Rainier. The intrigue behind the beautiful mountain continued to grown as more people visited. In 1899 [|President McKinley]President McKinley signed the act that officially made Mount Rainier the nation’s fifth national park. To this day people still come to visit Mount Rainier to marvel at the beauty that has captivated so many for so long.
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** ENVIORNMENTAL ISSUES:media type="custom" key="5400785" align="right" width="80" height="80" ** Mount Rainier is located in Ashford, Washington which is in the Northwest United States and West Central [|Washington State]. Mount Rainier’s ecosystem is a complex one. Diverse vegetation makes up majority of the park’s land. 58% of the land is forested, 23% is parkland and the rest is Alpine with permanent ice and snow where vegetation cannot grow. In combination with this there is a huge wildlife population that lives in all the vegetation. The water supply is very abundant. The part includes 382 lakes, 470 rivers and streams, and over 3,000 acres of other wetland times. Also containing 26 named glaciers the Mount Rainier is a ecosystem unlike any other. Mount Rainier weather is strongly influenced by three factors: the [|Pacific Ocean], Latitude and elevation of the mountain. Generally speaking the weather is cool and rainy. Summer highs are in the 60s and 70s. Although July and August are the sunniest months of the year at Mount Rainier there is still a chance of rainfall daily. Rain is very likely in fall, winter and spring seasons. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the Mount Rainier weather is very changeable. [|Air quality] is very serious business at Mount Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier is classified as what is called a class I area. This means that the air quality of the park is of the utmost importance in the United States and the park take all the measures necessary to try and insure the quality of air. However, it is not to say that the park is isolated from the by-products of industrialization. Air quality monitoring systems have detected man made air pollutions coming downwind from the north and southwest. The[|Water Quality] of Mount Rainier is just as important as its air quality. The park glaciers provide water supplies and hydroelectric power to several communities and the park is actually the largest single mountain system in the continental United States. Mount Rainier is home to significant thermal features. Hot springs and mineral springs and even a thermal lake inside the firn caves (at the summit) all are part of what makes Mount Rainier unique. Since 1899 Mount Rainier national park has worked hard at keeping and protecting the natural health and beauty of the area. To this day the [|staff] works together to insure the continuous growth of Mount Rainier goes undisturbed. What you can do to help is really just to follow the guidelines that Mount Rainier has created for the safety of the plants and animals and those of you visiting.

**Mount Rainier National Park Weather Stats**


**(Chart Courtesy of Mount Rainier National Park** [|**Weather Information Page**]**)**

** RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: ** ​Mount Rainier is open year round and there is something at the park for everyone! Mount Rainier National Park provides opportunity for several stimulating outdoor activities for those who visit. Some more popular recreational activities include:media type="custom" key="5400773" align="right" width="80" height="80" -Bicycling -Fishing -Boating -Climbing -Camping -And Hiking
 * Planing a visit? Further information can be found on the web at** [|Mount Rainier's Offical Website].






 * <span style="color: #1172d0; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 165%;">CHECK OUT MOUNT RAINIER ON DVD! **

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Page Created by: Kathryn Warwick Last Updated: February 20, 2010 // Mount Rainier National Park 55210 238th Ave. East Ashford, WA 98304//

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 * Works Cited: **

__ **Videos Used:** __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">"Mount Rainier National Park DVD." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6qdxj91iv8>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">"Mt. Rainier Documentary - Trailer Footage." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1xo8YMmBoU&feature=related>.

"Red Foxes Playing in Mount Rainier National Park - DVD." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5EsrinYTEs>.

"THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICAS BEST IDEA-- Mt Rainier ." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zA4BlQxSDQ>.

"Mount Rainier: The Mountain." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyTfxq1Sew0&feature=related>.

"Mount Rainier: Climbing the Mountain." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nCaB4KlaD8>.

"Mount Rainier: The Love of Rainier." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx4CktXx0Bc&feature=channel>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 10pt;">"Mount Rainier: Things To Do On Mount Rainier." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpn-XSgtoJw&feature=channel>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">"Mount Rainier: The Preservation of Rainier." //Youtube//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpa3kM5NpPc&feature=channel>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Images Used :**__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">"Rainier Map." //Reisenett//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.reisenett.no/map_collection/National_parks/Mount_Rainier_access.jpg>.

//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Flikr //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2793717723_a77b93c59e_o.jpg>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">“Phrigginorge” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a35/phrigginogre/Rainier.jpg>.

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“Cowparsnip” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

“Jacob’s Ladder” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

“Alaska Cedar” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

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“Chipmunk” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

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“Ground Squirrel” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

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“Marmot” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

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“Fireweed” //Bing Search Medium//. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <[]>.

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__**Webpages/Information Used:**__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Uhler, John William. "Weather and Information." //Mount Rainier National park//. Hillclimb Media, Web. 20 Feb 2010. <http://www.mount.rainier.national-park.com/weather.htm>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Northwest, Go. "Ashford, Washington ." //Go Northwest//. January 20, 2010. Go Northwest, Web. 20 Feb 2010. [].

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"The People." //Magnificent Views & Vistas: Mountaineers Climbs 1912-1916//. Tacoma Public Library, Web. 20 Feb 2010. [].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt;">"25. William McKinley." //The White House//. The White House, Web. 20 Feb 2010. [].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Perlman, Howard. "Water Quality." //USGS//. May 13, 2009. U.S. Department of the Interior, Web. 20 Feb 2010. [].

Card, Skip. "Hazard Stevens climbed Rainier first. Or did he?." //The News Tribune//. February 16, 2009. The News Tribune, Web. 20 Feb 2010. [].