PARADISE, Wash. — Mount Rainier has seen a sharp increase in visitation over the past decade. With many new visitors coming to the park, volunteers are working to make sure they aren't damaging the park's ecosystem.
The views at the park are awe-inspiring. But the Mount Rainier Meadow Rovers are looking for something else - people not staying on trail.
"First priority is, hopefully, to get them back on the trail and then explain why it's so important and just the fragility of the meadows," said Margaret Horger, a Meadow Rover volunteer. "The vast majority of people are very receptive to that message."
The Meadow Rover volunteer program started in the 1990's after the park noticed problems with scars forming in the park where vegetation was no longer growing due to people going off trail and trampling meadows.
With an approximately 40% increase in visitation over the past decade, volunteers say education is important. The park saw about 1.6 million visitors last year.
"It really only takes about fifteen people walking through a path to have a scar that may take years, you know, many years to repair," said Horger.
These volunteers don't only educate people about meadows, but they also help make the park accessible to everyone, no matter their background by providing directions, insight on conditions, and answering any questions visitors may have. But their main role is to educate people on the fragile ecosystem and why it is important to protect it.
This summer there are approximately 300 Meadow Rovers - a record number, according to Kevin Bacher, head of the park's volunteer programs. He said education is key to protecting the park and its meadows.
"They're much more like gardens and they're much more sensitive to being trampled," he said of the park's meadows. "And people just don't realize that unless they're told."
That's why the Meadow Rovers continue to keep an eye on visitors, so visitors can keep an eye on the beauty of the park.
"Hopefully this will be preserved for the future," said Horger.
This summer also marks the park's timed entry pilot program. Timed entry reservations are required to enter the Paradise Corridor and Sunrise Corridor through Sept. 2 for specific hours. Learn more here.