Friends of CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK Volume 5 No. 2 * Summer 2000

THE SUMMER PROJECT WEEKEND IS AUGUST 18, 19, 20 Project: Relocate the Crater Peak Trail from an unsafe trail head on the Rim Drive to Videa Falls Picnic Area. Work tasks: similar to other years: brush removal, brush and limb trimming, trail path work, painting, hole digging, water bar construction, rock culvert installation. Times: Saturday, August 19 - 9:00 a.m. - at the garages at the Park Headquarters to get our work assignments. Don't worry about being late. Somebody will stay to help direct anyone arriving late. Sunday, August 20 - 9:00 a.m. - the project for Sunday will depend on what was accomplished on Saturday. We will probably continue work on the Crater Peak Trail. Details will be discussed on Saturday. Probably finish around noon. Camping: Friday and Saturday nights at the Mazama Campground. The campground offers running water and flush toilets. There are RV/trailer sites but no hookups. Meals: Bring breakfast and sack lunches and snacks. Friday the Friends will have an evening picnic at Mazama Campground. Saturday - picnic Dinner - 7:00 p.m. Saturday, August 19 at Mazama Campground. To help reserve enough campsites and plan for the meals, please contact any member of the board or call Greg Reddell at 541 882-6257 (greddell@cvc.net) or Greg Hartell at 541 882-1134 (ironwood@rvi.net). Janet Wilson has found fresh salmon from Coos Bay for Saturday's dinner! We will try to camp together so it will be easier to participate in the evening activities. Many Friends get to Crater Lake on Friday and do some things to enjoy the park. Friday evening we will have a supper. The coffee pot will be on at Mazama Campground. Remember to stop by and sign up for work assignments and see the agenda that will be posted. Any Early Birds arriving Saturday are welcome to stop at Mazama Campground for coffee & rolls. Remember to bring coat for cool mornings, water, sun screen, gloves, and bug spray. Work will conclude at 4:00 p.m. The Friends might do a pleasant hike Sunday Afternoon to something we are interested in.		EXPLORING THE BOTTOM OF CRATER LAKE The bottom of Crater Lake, will get a thorough going over later this month, when scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of New Hampshire in cooperation with the National Park Service, will map the lakes' bottom, using latest multibeam sidescan sonar technology. The lake, which is 1,932 feet deep at its deepest part, lies inside the crater of an ancient volcano, Mount Mazama, that last erupted about 7,700 years ago. Previous eruptions over a half-million-year period had built the mountain to a height of nearly 12,000 feet. The collapse of Mount Mazama marked the beginning of the formation of an azure blue lake, and subsequent snow and rain fell into the 3,000 deep hole, filling the caldera, over a period of 100 to 300 years. Today evaporation and seepage offset precipitation entering the lake, so the lake level varies only about three feet each year. Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the western shore of the steep-sided lake, was formed while the caldera was filling with water. Several other volcanic cones were formed on the floor of the caldera before the lake formed. The present elevation of the highest part of the mountain is about 8,100 feet, with the level of the lake being a little more than 6,100 feet above sea level. The Lake and surrounding area became a national park in 1902, and prior to and since that time has been the subject of numerous scientific investigations. Clarence Dutton headed a 1886 USGS mapping projects that surveyed the area and measured the depth of the lake in several spots, using lead-weight sounding methods. The multibeam sidescan sonar mapping that is scheduled to begin July 24, will collect data from more than 70 million soundings and will mark the first time that the entire bottom of the lake has been mapped, using modern technology. This year's Crater Lake project is similar to the mapping of the bottom of Lake Tahoe, which the USGS conducted in August 1998. The digital maps of Lake Tahoe revealed a lake floor littered with debris of ancient landslide and confirmed the presence of an active earthquake fault. Other underwater multibeam mapping projects have given scientists dramatic views of the floor of San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, the Pacific Continental Shelf, and part of the U.S. Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico. By mapping the floor of Crater Lake, the National Park Service, the USGS, and other scientists hope to learn more about geologic processes that occurred in the caldera after the climactic eruption, including volcanism, landslides, erosion, sedimentation, and hydrothermal processes. An accurate description of the shape and structure of the basin will also allow scientists to refine ecological relationships in the lake related to variation in water volume, chemistry and nutrients for plants and animals. In addition images form the acoustic survey may map the distribution of submerged plants and hot water vents and pools on the lake floor. Scientists will be processing data from the ship each day on Wizard Island and downloading select images to the Internet. To see what part of the floor of Crater Lake looks like simply go to http:tahoe.usgs.gov/craterlake/ beginning the week of July 24. The National Park Services, which is charged with preserving national park areas for future generations, and the USGS which is the Nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian mapping agency, are frequently partners in scientific discovery on national park lands. The USGS works in cooperation with more than2,000 organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial, scientific information to resource mangers, planners, and other customers. This information is gathered in every state by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, contribute to the sound conservation, economic and physical development of the Nation's natural resources, and enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy, and mineral resources. This press release and in-depth information about USGS programs may be found at the USGS home page: http://www/usgs.gov and on the NPS web page at http://www.nps.gov.crla/home.htm
WHAT IS A GMP ANYWAY? George Buckingham Crater Lake National Park's management staff has been working under the guidance of a long-range plan, called a "General Management Plan" (or GMP) that is over 23 years old. A lot has happened in the past 23 years! Consequently, a new plan is long overdue. More current plans include the Winter Use Plan and the Visitor Services Plan. The problem with these, and other existing plans, is that they address narrow topics and/or geographic areas. A GMP seeks to look at the entire park in the context of the entire region and even the nation. A GMP team has been assembled and initial meetings with the park staff has already occurred. Public scoping is planned for early next spring. The plan is to hold these meetings in Medford, Klamath Falls, Roseburg and Portland. This will be the first opportunity for members of the "Friends," and others, to provide input. Remember, the "Friends" as an organization does not take positions. It does provide information regarding current opportunities for public input. We will keep you posted as to when, where and how to inject your ideas, questions and observations into this process.		WATCHMAN FIRE LOOKOUT AND TRAILSIDE MUSEUM Kent Taylor, Chief of Interpretation, Crater Lake National Park Work continues on the rehabilitation of the Watchman Fire Lookout and Trailside Museum. Personnel from the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Training Center near Frederick Maryland arrived on July 20th to begin this summer's work. Roddy Rohrer is the project manager. Jerome Goo leads the team. Crater Lake National Park, the Historic Preservation Training Center, Denver Service Center, and the Columbia-Cascade Support Office in Seattle, Washington are working cooperatively to complete the project. This year's early melting of snow allows the team to begin work about two weeks earlier than last year. The agenda is to redo the roof and interior of the observation room, and finish installing the catwalk and rail around the tower. If there is time before October 1st, they will clean and repoint the rockwork, and finish the interior of the museum room. The project is funded through the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program. 80% of the entrance fees collected annually at the park are available to fund projects like this. Several new projects have been approved for work over the next few years. New orientation kiosks will be installed near the park's west and south entrances. Building signs based on the appearances of the historic signs of the 1930s will be installed in the park's historic districts. New pit toilets will be erected at the Whitebark Pine Picnic Area, Phantom Ship Overlook, and the Watchman Overlook. The exterior appearance of the pit toilets will be compatible with the classic large-stone construction style of park headquarters. Bear-proof food lockers will be installed at each campsite in the park's campgrounds. A new bulkhead and dock will be constructed at Cleetwood Cove, and a new dock at Governor's Bay.
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK - THEN, 1946-1950 Friend Wayne Howe Actually, our association with Crater Lake goes back too 1942. My future wife, Jean worked at the Lodge for a few weeks the summer of 1942 until World War II created shortages of tires, gasoline, etc. and pretty well put a stop to vacation travel I was working for the U.S.F.S. as a Guard at Fish Lake in the Umpqua National Forest just over a couple of hills from Crater Lake. I hike up to Hershberger Lookout, in the Rogue Forest, where their phone line would connect me to Crater Lake Lodge and I could talk to Jean. That's about 12-14 miles round trip for 10 minutes of talk on a line where all of the Rogue Forest could hear the conversation if they wished. That's LOVE - but it worked out pretty well since we celebrated 57 years of marriage last May. I was released from active military duty in May 1946 and was offered a Seasonal Ranger job at Crater Lake only about 130 miles from Roseburg, our hometown. I had a couple of other offers from the N.P.S. But Crater Lake offered housing for the family, which included by now a 10-month-old son. So, on June 16, 1946 I signed up at the Medford office and headed for Crater Lake. Since Crater Lake had been virtually closed down during World War II the routine activities were slow in getting started. 1945-46 was a heavy snow year, the west entrance wasn't plowed out yet, and I had to go around to the south entrance to access Crater Lake. Carlisle Crouch was the Chief Ranger, the only permanent ranger on the staff. E.P. Leavitt was the Superintendent. There were several long-time seasonals returning after World War !! Service. They and Carlisle quickly indoctrinated several of us who had never seen an entrance station or patrol led a road or chased bears out of campgrounds, Ect., Etc. We operated entrance stations at the south, west, north, and east entrances. The East Entrance checking Station was at Lost Creek and there was a fairly large cabin near by. The living quarters for the seasonal ranger working at the other entrances were large tents on tent frames and stored during the winter. The only station operating during the winter or generally mid-September to June 1 was a large (for checking stations) log structure in the road at Annie Spring. The road was completely different then and the Annie Spring Campground was on the west side of the road behind a log cabin. The cabin was a combination Ranger Station, First Aid Station, and Permanent Ranger residence. There were two other residences at Annie Spring. The former Superintendent's residence, a large two story house, was used for seasonal ranger quarters, and a smaller two-bedroom house overlooking Annie Creek was to be our quarters. Two weeks after entering on duty I brought my wife and son to crater Lake and Carlisle decided we would be stationed at the North Entrance to be in charge of the station. The mosquito population at the North Entrance was famous for numbers and ferocity and Mrs. Crouch told her husband that it was punishment to send a family with a baby into their midst. He rather quickly decided she was right and after a few delays due to frozen pipes we finally had a home at Annie Spring. The quarters were a remnant of the Civilian Conservation Corps summer camp of prewar days and was quite comfortable all year. In the winter the snow built up around it and added insulation. My job during the first summer was a variety of road patrol, campground checking, and checking the automobile parties at the East of Lost Creek Station. The east highway then connected with Highway 97 and was not a particularly busy spot. I had plenty of time between entering vehicles to study regulations and other rather dry information. I drove over and back each day and I don't recall that we used the residence at Lost Creek at all. The entrance Fee was $1.00 and we collected a lot of silver dollars. Most of the checking station rangers tried to get rid of all the silver in change. The busier stations held to remit funds every day which was also part of my duties. The funds were taken to the fiscal office in the Administration Building. One of the rangers on the south Entrance had a fiery argument with the fiscal people and to show his disgust refused to make change with silver at all if possible. Needles to say his remittance tended to be a bit heavy although completely legal. I don't recall the outcome but I'm quite sure eventually fiscal won. I've noticed in writing this that I've interchanged a term or two and like all agencies the NPS changed terminology for certain things during the years. We started out calling the entrance station a checking station, a perfectly logical name, which probably in the 1950's became obsolete. For many years the folks who visited the parks were called tourists, but again probably in the 1950's they disappeared and became forevermore "Park Visitors." Another ex-GI seasonal ranger and I expressed our desire to become permanent rangers at Crater Lake. In September of 1946, an appointment called TAPER was established to take care of a large group of seasonals desiring to become permanents throughout the Service. TAPER translated was Temporary Appointment Pending Establishment of a Register. The Civil Service Commission did not move at breakneck speed to set up an exam for future permanent park rangers and it wasn't until late 1949 or early 1950 that we were finally tested for. The job that we had been doing for years. The temporary appointment gave us all the privileges of a permanent appointment and it was only necessary to pass the test to gain our appointments. That was a huge relief. An unusual accident occurred several years after I started to work at Crater Lake. The north and rim roads had been closed by an early snowfall. We received word at Headquarters that the unoccupied North Entrance Station had been hit by a car. That station was left in the middle of the road, since that road was not plowed in the winter. The South and West Entrance stations were moved to the side of the road every fall to accommodate snow plows. Because the rim road was closed by snow, it was necessary to go to Union Creek, then north on Highway 230 to get to the North Entrance road. I found the Entrance Station split open and the heavy safe down the road about thirty feet toward the north. Obviously some vehicle had hit the station at a rapid speed. Northing was missing as far as I could tell. There was no vehicle there. As is usual with early snowfalls the Rim Road melted out in several days, so we were able to take heavy equipment to the scene, move the kindling off the road and take the safe to Headquarters. We were never able to ascertain how the vehicle and drive got beyond closed roads but we did hear from the driver that he proposed to sue the government for leaving a house in the middle of the road. That is the last we hear of him. To be continued Look forward to more of Wayne Howe's article will be in the next newsletter.