Day: June 5, 2011

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National Parks Volunteers: Mount Rainier

The unsung heroes of the National Parks system are the many volunteers. Last year volunteers served over 70,000 hours at Mount Rainier National Park (WA) which would have been the equivalent of Mount Rainier hiring an additional 170 seasonal workers. In fact, for every National Park staff member working, there are 7 volunteers also putting in hours to improve our National Parks. This is a short video that shows the impact that volunteers have in the National Park system:

how to volunteer to help National Parks

If you have extra time, there are a lot of parks within the National parks system that could use your help. You can find out all the information you need to volunteer at the National Park Service Volunteer page. You can also follow the National Park Volunteers network on twitter and facebook. Also be sure to take a minute to thank the volunteers you meet at the National Parks for all the work that they do.

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Point Reyes Lighthouse Water Collection System

Across from the Point Reyes Lighthouse visitors center and gray whale skull at Point Reyes National Seashore is a concrete dome that appears to be some type of military bunker:

Point Reyes water collection system

In reality, it has nothing to do with the military and everything to do with being able to survive. The dome is actually part of a water collection system since fresh water was a continuing problem for those that lived out on Point Reyes. As explained on an information placard by the concrete dome:

Although surrounded by seawater, the Point never had adequate wells or springs to supply fresh water. The lightkeepers were forced to devise this elaborate system for catching and storing rainwater. They piped the cistern water to the residences and down to the fog signal for making steam.

The dome in front of you covers the cylindrical concrete cistern. The catchment area around the cistern extends far up the hillside and captures runoff from natural rock formations.

Water collection system diagram Point Reyes National Seashore

The information sign can easily be missed because those arriving tend to focus on the visitors center and the sign is around a slight bend on the way out.