Hey tweets, below is the response I received from the Mt. Rainier rangers,
to whom I posted a note in support of their on-trail policies. - Connie,
Seattle
csidles at isomedia.com
----------
From: MORAInfo at nps.gov
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 10:52:32 -0700
To: Connie Sidles <csidles at isomedia.com>
Subject: Re: birders behavior

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Mt. Rainier National Park. We appreciate your
concern for the well-being of the park's natural resources. It is one of our
most challenging goals to keep people on the trails at Paradise and we
appreciate every single person who complies with this regulation. Every
person who stays on the trails at Paradise is doing a great favor to the
future of the Paradise meadows. It is not just one set of footsteps that
ruins the plant life (and thus the food source for many birds) it is the
thousands of footstep combined from all the people who refuse to stay on the
trail. So, thank you for understanding this regulation and for being
concerned about the actions of people you are associated with. By the way,
there was a good ptarmigan sighting near Panorama Point reported to the
Jackson Visitor Center desk two days ago. The visitor spotted seven of the
white-tailed birds in their fall mottled color. Enjoy your national park!

Ranger Kimberly
-----Connie Sidles <csidles at isomedia.com> wrote: -----

To: <MORAinfo at nps.gov>
From: Connie Sidles <csidles at isomedia.com>
Date: 09/18/2003 07:44AM
Subject: birders behavior

Dear Mt. Rainier staff person, I know I'm probably sending this to the wrong
person, so I apologize in advance and ask that you forward my email to the
appropriate person.

I am a birder from Seattle and subscribe to a bulletin-board for birders
called Tweeters. Recently a fellow tweets posted a message about his attempt
to see the ptarmigans that have been reported near Paradise for the past few
weeks. He said that he talked to some park rangers who expressed disgust
that several birders had stepped off the trail in order to get better looks
at the ptarmigans. The rangers told him that a few of the birders refused to
get back on the trail when asked to do so by the rangers.

I want you to know that I, along with many of my fellow birders, condemn the
actions of these selfish birders who put their own paltry viewing needs
above the needs of the delicate alpine environment. I have posted my opinion
on Tweeters this morning, along with a request that all birders make bigger
efforts to police ourselves when it comes to our behavior in the wild.

I also want you to know that I fully support all rangers' efforts to protect
the wildlife and the habitat of Mt. Rainier. Keep up the good work. - Connie
Sidles