+---------------------------+--------------------+---+-------------------+
| National Park Service     | Mount Rainier      |   | 55210 238^th^     |
|                           | National Park      |   | Avenue E.         |
| U.S. Department of the    |                    |   |                   |
| Interior                  | Superintendent's   |   | Ashford, WA       |
|                           | Office             |   | 98304-9751        |
|                           |                    |   |                   |
|                           |                    |   | 360-569-2211      |
|                           |                    |   | phone             |
|                           |                    |   |                   |
|                           |                    |   | 360-569-2169 fax  |
+---------------------------+--------------------+---+-------------------+

![](media/image1.png){width="0.5597222222222222in"
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**Mount Rainier National Park** News Release

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  Use a "short-hand" version of the site name here (e.g. Palo Alto
  Battlefield not Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Site).

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**June 23, 2008**

**For Immediate Release**

**Roger Andrascik, 360-569-2211 x3380**

### Meetings Scheduled on Carbon River Road Future

Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Dave Uberuaga has announced
the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Carbon River
Road. Uberuaga advises that two public scoping meetings will be held on
June 30 and July 1 to discuss future plans for the Carbon River Road in
Mount Rainier National Park.

The first meeting on June 30 will be held at the Enumclaw Public
Library, 1700 First Street, Enumclaw. The second meeting on July 1, will
be held at The Mountaineers Clubhouse in Tacoma, 2302 N. 30^th^ Street,
Tacoma. Both meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Mount Rainier park staff will be on hand to discuss a range of proposed
alternatives for the road, which has been closed to vehicular traffic
since November 2006 when historic flooding and high winds caused
widespread damage throughout Mount Rainier National Park. Due to the
extensive damage to the Carbon River Road, the road has been closed to
all vehicular traffic since that time. Current access is by foot and
bicycle only.

Flooding in November 2006 washed out two different sections of the
Carbon River Road and caused a portion of the Carbon River to join Ipsut
Creek, creating an island at Ipsut Creek Campground. Gullies amounting
to approximately 0.95 mile, or 17 percent of the road's length (5.5
miles) were formed in two different locations, at Falls Creek and beyond
Chenuis Falls Picnic Area. Another approximately 600 feet (0.11 mile)
(in three different areas) was damaged by removal of part or all of one
lane. In addition, other portions of the road, amounting to
approximately another mile were damaged such that grading would be
needed and culverts would need to be added and/or replaced if the road
was stabilized or fixed. The Federal Highway Administration Damage
Survey Report also notes the need for additional bank stabilization
measures in numerous areas.

Although the General Management Plan (GMP) (NPS 2002) for Mount Rainier
National Park calls for the eventual closure of the Carbon River Road,
as a programmatic document, the GMP did not establish guidelines for the
closure. As a result, additional environmental analysis to implement the
GMP decision is needed. Therefore, the park is currently pursuing the
development of an environmental assessment to analyze several
alternatives for the Carbon River Road, including closure of all or part
of the road and to have additional public participation in the
decision-making process.

The Carbon River Road is an historic road listed on the National
Register of Historic Places as part of the Mount Rainier National
Historic Landmark District (NHLD). It is also adjacent to designated
wilderness. The Carbon River area is also home to several threatened
species, including northern spotted owls, marbled murrelets and bull
trout.

Because of its construction, partially within the floodplain of the
Carbon River, the road has repeatedly flooded since its construction in
the mid-1920s. Numerous stabilization measures alongside the edge of the
road have failed to provide adequate protection during floods of
increasing magnitude over the last few decades.

As stated in the GMP, the "historic Carbon River Road corridor would be
maintained in a manner consistent with the NHLD designation" and "the
road would be dedicated to non-motorized uses (hiking and biking)."

Those wishing to provide comments should submit them in writing to:

Superintendent, Mount Rainier National Park

USGS Volcanic Hazards Monitoring EA

55210 238^th^ Avenue East

Ashford, Washington 98304-9751

NPS