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Olympic National Park
Park Newsletter for August 31, 2007
rocky meadow with patches of bright red vegetation
Janet Kailin
Though three more weeks remain of summer, fall colors have arrived at Obstruction Point in the Olympic high country.
 
uniformed man in office
Nancy Hendricks
Olympic welcomes Reed Robinson, new maintenance chief.

Park Welcomes New Maintenance Chief

Reed Robinson, the park's new Chief of Maintenance, began work at Olympic this week. Most recently the maintenance chief at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah, Reed has also worked at Grand Teton National Park, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Fort Laramie National Historic Site and the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center in Maryland.

The son of a U.S. State Department employee, Reed was raised overseas until he was 18. He is the dad of a daughter, 15, and son, 11, and enjoys weightlifting, travel, hiking and motorcycling riding. He is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. 

Welcome, Reed and family!

 
people seated at picnic tables
Superintendent Bill Laitner, left, talks with park volunteers at a recent picnic held in the park maintenance yard.

Volunteers Honored at Recognition Lunch

On August 22, Olympic's staff and volunteers gathered to celebrate and recognize the contributions of the park's 700 volunteers. Over 100 people enjoyed a picnic lunch, prepared and hosted by park staff.

Volunteers who contributed over 200 hours this year were entered into a drawing and were eligible for special awards.

More about volunteering in the park.

 
Rangers Make Drug Bust

Traffic enforcement by Olympic National Park rangers led to an arrest and the seizure of over a half pound of marijuana, a half pound of methamphetamine and a quarter pound of cocaine. 

Read more.

Did you know?

... that since last November, park crews removed 203,000 board feet of downed wood from park roads and campgrounds?

While impacts from fall and winter storms are not uncommon, the effects of the heavy rain and windstorms of 2006 were particularly pronounced and will be noticeable for years to come.

 

marmot  

Did You Know?
Although related to other marmots and groundhogs of North America, the Olympic marmot is unique. An endemic species, it is found only in the Olympic Mountains. Visitors to the high country of Olympic National Park may be lucky enough to encounter a marmot sunning itself near its burrow.

Last Updated: August 31, 2007 at 16:53 EST