Mount Rainier National Park Chosen for ‘Best Idea’ Grant

Centralia — Mount Rainier has been selected to receive a 2013 America’s Best Idea grant from the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, according to a release from the park.

It is one of 34 parks to receive the honor.

Inspired by the Ken Burns documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” the America’s Best Idea program funds park activities designed to connect diverse, underserved and under-engaged populations throughout the United States.

“One of the great things about our national parks is that every American can relate to these treasured places if given the chance to experience them,” Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service, said. “It’s our mission to engage visitors from all backgrounds in the diverse stories that we tell in our national parks.”

“The America’s Best Idea program gives people – particularly youth – incredible opportunities to connect to our national parks,” Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation said.

At Mount Rainier, the America’s Best Idea grant supports a long standing and growing partnership between the National Park Service and the Student Conservation Association (SCA).

“SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation stewards, by connecting them to our parks and forests through the action of conservation service,” Jay A. Satz, SCA’s regional vice president said.

Funding from the National Park Foundation supports the crew leaders for three eight-person trail maintenance teams, each made up of Community Program members from Seattle and Base-to-Base Camp youth from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The first crew is in the field now, and the second and third will be in the park later this month and next. Additional funding for the program comes from the National Park Service’s Youth Partnerships Program and Washington’s National Park Fund.