LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — Federal stimulus money will pay for most of the upgrades planned at Mount St. Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
The manager of the 172 square-mile Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Tom Mulder, told The Daily News of Longview nearly every site will see a facelift. Trails and roads will be repaired, and buildings and exhibits will be modernized.
The Johnston Ridge Observatory will finally get the 160-seat amphitheater originally planned in 1984. Visitors will take in lectures with a stunning view of the volcano in the background.
All told, more than $15.5 million in work is planned throughout the 2,000 square-mile national forest. About $13 million comes from federal stimulus funds.
