Under a plan approved Feb. 7, Grand Canyon will halt the in-park sale of water packaged in individual disposable containers within 30 days. Free water stations are available throughout the park to allow visitors to fill reusable water bottles.
The Grand Canyon plan calls for the elimination of the sale of water packaged in individual disposable containers of less than one gallon, including plastic bottles and various types of boxes, said a park news release. The waste associated with disposable bottles comprises an estimated 20 percent of the park’s overall waste stream and 30 percent of the park’s recyclables, said a park news release.
Randy King, Mount Rainier superintendent, said there have been no actions taken to ban plastic bottles at the park.
“There is now a proscribed National Park Service process for analyzing such a decision, but we haven’t delved into it,” King said. “We have been installing water bottle refill stations at Paradise and other locations to encourage use of nondisposable water containers.”
North Cascades and Olympic national parks also are not considering a ban, said a spokesperson at each park.
DEALING WITH DAMAGE
The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge continues to deal with damage caused by the January ice storm.
A portion of the Twin Barns Loop Trail remains closed, awaiting repair and the removal of broken branches hanging over the trail, said refuge manager Jean Takekawa.
“There’s all these hanging branches that are broken but haven’t come down. Some of them are really high. We’re still working on how to get them down,” she said.
It is still possible for visitors to do the one-mile loop, Takekawa said. Refuge staff created a path to weave people around the stretch that remains closed.
Access to the popular Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail remains open, Takekawa said.
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
The National Parks Conservation Association is hosting a program with bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Dietrich on Wednesday.
The program is titled “The Manhattan Project: Tool of Victory or Pandora’s Box? Exploring the opportunities for a new national park.”
The Department of the Interior recently sent a letter to Congress, recommending the creation of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park in sites across the country, including in Hanford; Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and Los Alamos, N.M.
While working at The Seattle Times, Dietrich wrote a special section “Fifty Years from Trinity,” about the dawn of the nuclear age. Dietrich will talk about the history and significance of the Manhattan Project and how a national park designation would allow the opportunity to discuss and interpret an important, yet controversial, piece of history.
The event will be 6:30-8 p.m., Town Hall Seattle, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle. You are asked to enter on Seneca Street.
While the program is free, a $5 donation is requested to support the National Parks Conservation Association.
If you plan to attend, contact Mariely Lemagne at mlemagne@npca.org or 206-903-1444, Ext. 206.
Jeffrey P. Mayor: 253-597-8640 jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure
