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2008
January 3 2008 Superintendent Chuck Lundy retires on January 3rd after 33 years with the National Park Service. During those 33 years, he served in eight different parks and in a variety of roles.
Many positive things occurred during Chuck’s final assignment as superintendent of Crater Lake National Park from 1998 to 2008. The catalyst for much of it was the planning for and celebration of the park’s centennial in 2002. The centennial provided the springboard to launch the Crater Lake National Park Trust, the park’s distinguished philanthropic group dedicated to fundraising for special park needs. The centennial also helped make possible the creation of the Crater Lake license plate, which has sold nearly 200,000 copies and led to the creation of an endowment fund to support future operations at the park’s new Science and Learning Center.
The centennial also stimulated interest in the creation of the Crater Lake Science and Learning Center itself, resulting in a substantial grant from the Jeld-Wen Foundation. The center opened in the summer of 2006 at a special dedication ceremony attended by numerous special guests and dignitaries, headed by Congressman Greg Walden. A favorite project of Chuck’s, it is his hope that the Science and Learning Center will be transformative in the future of the park and its relations with scientific and educational communities.
Other positive accomplishments include the creation of the “Classroom at Crater Lake” project, with funding from the Crater Lake Trust, so that eventually every child in Oregon will have the opportunity to visit Crater Lake. The trust and other interested groups also played a role in supporting the choice of Crater Lake to grace the Oregon quarter.
Significant improvements to facilities and infrastructure that support and enhance the visitor experience were also made during Chuck’s time at the park. These include the relocation of the Rim Village parking area away from the lake, along with architectural improvements to the Rim Café and Gift shop, which opened in July 2007, the beautiful pedestrian plaza in the location of the former rim parking lot, and the new Annie Creek Restaurant to better serve visitors at Mazama Village.
Also during Chuck’s tenure at Crater Lake, the park succeeded (with much help) in getting a very accurate bathymetric map of the lake, completed in 2001, yielding tremendous insights into the eruption of Mt. Mazama and the formation of the lake. The park completed a new General Master Plan in 2005, replacing a nearly 30-year-old predecessor, and also made significant progress in restoring the natural role of fire into the ecosystem after nearly 20 years of stagnation. In the summer of 2006 the park managed a lightning-caused fire for several months, resulting in the largest acreage fire in park history. Many successes and great projects!
January 6 2008 Stephanie Toothman, Chief of Cultural Resource Programs for the NPS – Pacific West Region is appointed as Crater Lake’s first woman acting superintendent.
January 10 2008 Crater Lake Park still closed after avalanche. More snow is expected through this morning, which could delay efforts to reopen Mail Tribune
The park remained closed Wednesday, after a wall of snow 300 feet wide slid down a 50-foot slope onto the highway just west of Munson Valley Road, Crews have cleared some of the snow, but the open lanes aren’t wide enough to accommodate snow-removal equipment and other traffic. Winds of 15 to 30 mph were expected to cause blowing and drifting snow that would reduce visibility to less than a quarter of a mile at times.
As of Wednesday morning, the park had 98 inches of snow on the ground, 134 percent of normal for the date.
January 30 2008 Rim Road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places In broad terms, being on the National Register means it is worthy of preservation.
February 4 2008 Hwy 62 closed within the Park and out to the west of the Park. Rim Village Café closed because of road closures.
February 6 2008 A three-member crew from ABC’s Good Morning America plans to trek to the Crater Lake Rim on snowshoes and cross-country skis today in hopes of taping winter scenes for an upcoming broadcast. The road to the Rim has been closed since late last week because of heavy snow and equipment breakdowns. Accumulative snowfall so far at Crater Lake is 81 inches above average for the season. Since October 1, the Park received 377 inches of snow, which closed Highway 62 to the park.
Ten people made the trek, including members of the CLNP Ski Patrol. “The camera guy was exhausted” from carrying so much stuff in fresh snow. “He was beat.” The taping was done for GMA’s “Beyond the Roads” segment aired on weekends.
February 24 2008 Snowplow and car hit head-on along the South Road. Driver – a broken wrist and skull concussion.
February 28 2008 Crater Lake contaminated, new study suggests Posted by The Oregonian
Crater Lake, Mount Rainier and Olympic national parks are among wilderness areas in the Western U.S. in which scientists have found evidence of airborne contamination, including mercury, agricultural pesticides and banned substances such as DDT.
A sweeping, six-year federal study by the Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon State University was released Tuesday. The study found evidence of 70 contaminants in 20 national parks and monuments.
The findings revealed that some of the earth’s most pristine wilderness is still within reach of the toxic byproducts of the industrial age.
March 6 2008 Warning issued to be on the look out for elk walking along the South Road on Hwy 62. In the mid 80s, eleven cow elks were trapped and radio-collared. Findings indicate that the Park’s herd spends springtime near Ft. Klamath, summers in the Park, fall/winter southwest of the park. But these were cows. And it was bulls that have been seen wandering down Hwy 62 trapped between high snow banks.
May 4 2008 Craig Ackerman – CRLA’s 26th Superintendent – EODs
Crater Lake’s new boss fulfills a lifelong dream. Craig Ackerman, Crater Lake National Park’s new superintendent, recalls reading about the heavy snow at the park in his Weekly Reader as a second-grader in his native West Virginia. A picture of a ranger skiing past a second-floor window impressed him. Mail Tribune/Paul Fattig “I remember saying, ‘I really want to go there some day.’
“I can still see the image of the ranger skiing past that window,” he added. “In fact, it looked like one of those stone houses we have here.”
Ackerman, 52, is the new superintendent at the park where the snow is currently up to the second-story windows at the headquarters. He replaces former Superintendent Chuck Lundy, who retired late last year.
Yet Ackerman is no stranger to Oregon: For the past 17 years, he has been the Oregon Caves National Monument superintendent.
“It’s the pinnacle of a person’s career in the National Park Service to get to serve in one of these old-line traditional national parks like Crater Lake,” he said. “And this park is one of the oldest parks we have in the system.”
Before working at the Oregon Caves, he served as a national park ranger at the 450-mile long Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee as well as the Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee. He joined the agency in 1985.
Before that, he served as superintendent for state parks in West Virginia. He has a bachelor of science degree in wildland recreation administration from West Virginia University.
He and his wife, Cynthia, who live in Grants Pass, have two children, both grown. His wife works in medical administration.
While they plan to keep their Grants Pass home, Ackerman expects to be spending time at the superintendent’s cottage at the park headquarters.
Ackerman will be in charge of about 50 permanent staff members along with another 60 to 70 seasonal employees.
Ackerman acknowledges that times have changed since he was a youngster in West Virginia dreaming of visiting national parks.
“Throughout our society, people are becoming more attached to electronic media and instant gratification,” he said. “Kids going out and camping is on a decline. Backpacking is on a decline.”
Instead, young people are spending more time in front of a computer or television screen, he said.
As a youngster, he recalls looking forward to summer weekends in which his family enjoyed picnicking, camping and hiking in the woods.
Those were the years when national parks were also destination points for many vacationing families, he said.
“Once a year you would pile the kids in the station wagon and drive around for two or three weeks visiting different national parks,” he said. “You would stop at the Wigwam Palace and the world’s largest ball of twine on the way.
“We want to work with kids while they are in the school system to get them out to parks,” said Ackerman.
At Crater Lake, the agency hopes to attract young people by expanding the Junior Ranger program and drawing them to the new science and learning center at the park.
“We want to bring young people back into the fold,” he said, adding, “If we ever lose the appreciation of the American public for these places, then we lose the support for protecting and preserving these wonderful places.
May 5 2008 Crater Lake National Park and three other federal parks and monuments in Oregon will receive $1 million in federal stimulus money for upgrades.
The money is part of $750 million in stimulus money that will go to repair and restore national parks nationwide. The awards were announced Wednesday by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Crater Lake Lodge, first opened in 1915, will receive $367,000 to install a fire protection system and a central energy management system to balance heating and reduce energy consumption.
May 5 2008 A snow removal operation at Crater Lake National Park nearly ended in tragedy for an excavator Friday. The contractor drove over the edge while pushing the snow away from the deck area of the lodge. The contractor and small removal machine went over the side about 200 feet over the edge. The operator was able to climb back to the top of the rim uninjured. The operator was apparently closer to an overhang of snow than he realized when the snow beneath the contractor gave away. The snow removal operation has been suspended pending a review of the incident. No injury or damage to the equipment was reported.
May 11 2008 Craig Ackerman EODs as the Park’s 26th Superintendent
June 11 2008 Anschutz to buy Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz acquires Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Crater Lake’s concessionaire .
In a memo to employees, Todd noted that Anschutz was impressed with Xanterra’s “environmental stewardship” and customer service. Todd’s memo said no changes were planned to the structure or culture of the company after Anschutz takes over.
Xanterra employs 8,200 people and has emerged as a key player in the hospitality industry. The company is known for operating concessions and lodgings in national parks.
Xanterra operates 34 hotels and lodges with more than 5,000 guest rooms, 54 retail stores, 66 restaurants, three marinas, five golf courses and 1,800 campsites in national and state parks.
Anschutz is well-known for his investments in such varied fields as telecommunications, professional soccer and the motion picture industry. One of his companies released the current movie, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” as well as the first movie in the “Narnia” series three years ago.
June 12 2008 Superintendent Selected for Oregon Caves National Monument
A 22-year veteran of the National Park Service is the new superintendent of Oregon Caves National Monument. Vicki Snitzler succeeds Craig Ackerman, who moved to Crater Lake National Park as its superintendent. She has served for eleven years as the park planner for the Kennecott National Historic Landmark and has a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Wisconsin. She is expected to move to Oregon in early summer.
July 16 2008 King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan, along with his son, Crown Prince Hussein visits Crater Lake. The King and his son and the royal entourage are spending two weeks touring the Western United States on motorcycle. For security reasons the schedule was kept secret. The king also went rafting on the Upper Deschutes River near Bend. The king is riding a 1998 Softtail Harley- Davidson. King Abdullah and his 10- member party were flanked by Jordanian and U.S. Secret Service agents. The spent the night at the Rogue Regency Inn after renting 60 rooms.
The royal head of state who “is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad” ordered a mushroom Swiss burger with onion rings at a local restaurant on Wednesday. King Abdullah Hussein of Jordan slipped into Oregon under the radar. Surrounded by about 30 U.S. and Jordanian Secret Service agents, King Hussein and his private party of 10 spent several days traveling Central Oregon “They were very nice and very easy to deal with.” “It was pretty private,” “Not many people knew about it, except what leaked out in the community.”
Due to tight security, there were several motorcycle riders dressed like Hussein with helmets and masks on. He and his son are on a private vacation, visiting various spots in Washington and Oregon.
The King and his son were touring the Seven Wonders of the World and that is why they visited Crater Lake.
July 21 2008 Fire forces closure of Crater Lake park campground store By Associated Press Crater Lake National Park plans to reopen its Mazama Village Store before the end of the week after a laundry fire caused a temporary closure. Fire crews were able to contain the damage from the Monday morning fire to the laundry room and some electronic equipment. A temporary kiosk for cabin and campground check-ins is available near the store. All other operations at the park are running as normal. Started at 2:00 a.m. in the ice-making machine. Company workers kept it under control until the Fire truck arrived. They would have lost the store if workers had not been present.
July 31 2008 Running the Rim and Beyond – Crater Lake Marathon is a grueling test of endurance amid spectacular beauty. Daniel Newberry – MTThe Crater Lake Marathon is known as one of the country’s toughest, and on Aug. 9, more than 100 runners hope they can be just a bit tougher.
“If you want to get a fast time, go somewhere else,” said Bob Freirich, longtime Klamath Falls resident and race director with his wife, Beverly.
Yet in spite of the difficulties, runners from 28 states, the District of Columbia and Canada will gather at Crater Lake National Park to compete in the 33rd annual marathon, and about 260 more will run the shorter 13-mile and 6.7-mile races. All three runs, along with a 6.7-mile walk, start at 7:30 a.m.
The course begins at The Watchman at an elevation of 7,100 feet and follows the Rim Road for 19 miles before a descent to the finish at Lost Creek campground. The thinner air at these higher elevations makes it impossible for the body to perform as well as it can at sea level. The result: a slower race time for the same effort.
August 4 2008 By Bill kettler Mail Tribune A WILD RIDE DOWN THE ROGUE RIVER
UNION CREEK — A 16-year-old North Carolina teen, Vance Falls, survived a wild ride through the violent waters of the Rogue River Gorge Sunday.
“It’s a miracle,” said Rick Lowe, a paramedic and fire captain for Jackson County Fire District No. 4, who was dispatched to the Gorge to find the boy. “You could do that 1,000 times and probably die 995 times.”
Grahn said he and his nephew are spending the summer together and were on their way back to Oakland after visiting Crater Lake. Grahn began to feel tired, and he decided to stop for a catnap at the scenic overlook at the Gorge, where the full flow of the river tumbles through a narrow chasm that’s studded with boulders and riddled with lava tubes below the surface.
Grahn said he gave Vance a camera and told him to take some pictures while he rested. When Vance did not return, Grahn began walking up the trail and soon heard people say they’d seen a boy go in the water. Grahn saw the red camera bag he’d given his nephew beside the river, but Vance wasn’t there.
“There were a lot of people who saw him go in,” Grahn said, “and nobody saw him come out.”
Prospect Fire Chief Bob Batte said during the 13 years he has been in Prospect no one has survived a trip through the 500-foot stretch of turbulent water, where the river level drops 45 feet in a series of rock-studded falls.
A chain link fence prevents visitors from getting too close to the precipice, but Vance walked upstream past the fence to get some pictures, his uncle said.
Vance was apparently standing in the water taking pictures when he lost his balance, said Jackson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Turk.
Lowe, the Shady Cove paramedic, said the boy was not a strong swimmer, and remembered little of his brief trip. Apparently the current sent him toward a rock ledge where the water was calm enough for him to haul himself out.
“He may have gone to sleep for a while,” Lowe said.
Batte said as rescuers were beginning their search, they heard that someone walking in the unfenced area below the Gorge saw what they though was a body on a ledge, “and the body started moving.”
Rescuers were guided to the spot, and found the boy conscious and alert, with only a few cuts and bruises. He was evaluated by paramedics and transported to RVMC.
Batte, who was the first emergency responder at the scene, asked the boy if he was a Christian.
“He said, ‘Yes, but why do you ask?’ ” Batte recalled. Batte, who is a pastor, said he told the boy “You’ve been given a second chance.
August 6 2008 Violent summer storm damages the boat docks at Cleetwood Cove. Boats shut down for a week.
August 9 2008 Thirty-third running of the Crater Lake Rim Runs and Marathon
MEN’S MARATHON Sean Meissner, 2:55:47;
WOMEN’S MARATHON Jenn Shelton, 3:15:01; shattered the previous record of 3:18.10 set in 1991
MEN’S 13-MILE Alex Peterson, 1:22:42 17 years old from K. Falls
WOMEN’S 13-MILE Elyse Braner, 1:30:57
MEN’S 6.7-MILE Chris Reed, 35:26
WOMEN’S 6.7 MILE Jennifer Dobson, 42:12
MEN’S 6.7-MILE WALK Parker Housman, 54:40
WOMEN’S 6.7-MILE WALK Jan. Wood, 1:15:25
“I’ve never run this well in my life, and I just felt a lot of faith and prayer and that helped. I just couldn’t have done this on my own.” Lore Hancock, 1997 Women’s 6.7 Champion
“This is a very unique run, and being so close to nature – I think that’s why you see the people here that you do.” Toby Skinner, 1985 Marathon Champion.
“Anytime you run a marathon it’s an experience. Running a marathon at Crater Lake is an awesome experience.” Paul Reese, Veteran Marathoner.
“The scenery is beautiful and really helps (blot out the pain).” Katherine Nelson, 1999 Marathon Champion.
“It was an exhilarating race. This is about the greatest day of my life and tomorrow will be even better.” Andrew Bielecki, 1992 Marathon Champion.
“It’s something you can feel like you’ve really done something, just by finishing it or getting to the top of the hill.” Karen Rayle, 1997 Women’s Marathon Champion.
“I remember all the marathons I’ve run in, and I’ll never forget this one.” Paul Langston after his 51st marathon in 47 weeks.
“I think it’s a beautiful, kind of unique race. It’s truly a beautiful course.” Joyce Richter, 2001 6.7 mile Champion
“It’s a good race, a well-organized race and I came here because my family likes it.” Cheryl Tronson, 1993 6.7 mile Champion.
“It was a nice run for the first ten miles. On the first climb it sinks in real quick that this will be a tough race. I would have just been happy to win my age group.” Ted Pawlik, 1996 13.0 mile Champion.
Rim Course Records:
(Men)
6.7 Walk – (2006) Ralph Eccles, Klamath Falls, (1:01:23)
6.7 Run – (1983) Tom Ansberry, Tucson, AZ (32.38)
13.0 Run – (1988) Ric Sayre, Ashland, OR (1:09.20)
26.2 Run – (1997) Bekele Tesfaye, Gardena, CA (2:38.34)
(Women) 6.7 Walk – (2003) Cathy Cooper, Klamath Falls, OR (1:02.21)
6.7 Run – (1987) Sandy Rowan, Klamath Falls, OR (39.39)
13.0 Run – (1995) Rosa Guiterrez, San Jose, CA (1:24.14)
26.2 Run – (1991) Hillary Simmons, Roseburg, OR (3:18.10)
August 23 2008 Several dozen volunteers show up for Crater Lake’s first “Lichen BioBlitz”. For several hourteams tramped the forested slopes of Mt. Mazama collecting interesting samples of Lichens. Several new Lichen species new to Crater Lake were found, and even a few new to science were also discovered.
August 30 2008 Remains of long missing body at Crater Lake
By LEE JUILLERAT H&N Regional Editor— Skeletal remains of a body found in a remote area of Crater Lake National Park last summer are being studied to determine if they might be a person missing in the park since 1991. Chief Park ranger Dave Brennan said information about the discovery, made by a firefighter last September in the remote Bybee Creek area of the park, was withheld pending further investigations.
Winter snows prevented rangers from reaching the area until this summer, when park rangers were began a joint investigation with FBI agents and an FBI recovery team. “From the condition of the remains it was evident they had been there some number of years,” Brennan said. Along with limited remains, a small number of personal effects were found last year and again this summer. Not enough were found, however, to make an identification. Remains include teeth with dental work, which Brennan said “gives us the possibility of making an identification by dental records.”
Brennan said law enforcement officials have contacted the family of Glenn Allen Mackie of Brea, Calif., whose vehicle was found at the Rim Village parking lot in October 1991. His driver’s license, keys, passport, cash and toiletries were in the car, but no trace of Mackie was ever found. “We’re certainly looking at that possibility,” Brennan said. “The challenge in 1991 was we did not know where he went to. Brennan described Bybee Creek as very remote, heavily wooded and “not the kind of spot where people would tend to go.” The cause of death remains unknown and Brennan said there is no indication of criminal action.
In a related matter, Brennan said search efforts earlier
this summer for Sammie Boehlke, an 8-year-old who has been missing in the Cleetwood Cove area since last summer, have “come up absolutely empty.” Searchers spent five days probing the region where Boehlke was last seen.
Summer 2008 Plans are prepared to: Remove or improve the North Junction
Lake viewing parking area. Very unpark like design. The few remaining whitebark pines are being tramped. Too much dust.
Redesign the Cleetwood Parking area. Not up to Park Service standards
Replace the 1961 lake bulkhead that has been rusting away.
Renew and redesign the Sun Notch trails and Lake viewpoint. Dusty. Vegetation being trampled. Social trails developing.
September 18 2008 Wildfire enters Crater Lake park
A wildfire that started in August has made its way into Crater Lake National Park.
The fire has crossed the southern boundary of the park, the U.S. Forest Service said Thursday, but so far hasn’t affected park visitors.
The fire was named Middle Fork. It had nearly doubled in size in a day and was burning on nearly 14,000 acres Thursday.
Fire spokeswoman Ada Takacs said crews plan a second base camp at the park’s south entrance.
The northern third of the Sky Lakes Wilderness from Oregon 140 to Crater Lake remains closed to hikers.
September 23 2008 The Middlefork Fire closes Crater Lake trails. Starting on August 16 east of Prospect, the fire has grown to 19,000 acres. As it burns inside the National Park plans are made for a possible evacuation of Mazama Campground.
The Rattle fire, along Hwy 140, closed the hwy and has burned 17,000 acres.
The Middlefork fire eventually burned 21,175 acres before being snuffed out by fall rains.
September 24 2008 Air quality took a dive at Crater Lake Wednesday as smoke from local wildfires drifted into the mountains. Air is rated at: Unhealthy.
December 10 2008 New national park gun rule applies to Crater Lake
It allows people with valid Oregon concealed handgun licenses to carry inside the park
Paul Fattig Mail Tribune A Bush administration rule that takes effect next month overturns a 25-year-old federal rule that severely restricted guns in national parks.
That doesn’t mean, however, that everyone will be able to take a loaded firearm into Crater Lake National Park. Only those with a license to carry a concealed handgun in Oregon will be allowed to take a loaded handgun into the park, officials said of the new rule adopted by the U.S. Department of Interior, which oversees national parks.
“We will follow the same standards as in Oregon state parks,” said Craig Ackerman, park superintendent. “If it’s permitted in state parks, it will be permitted at Crater Lake. We will have the same restrictions and guidelines.”
There will be no change in the prohibition against loaded rifles in the park, he said, noting that hunting is not allowed within park boundaries.
“The new regulation applies only to handguns, not long guns,” Ackerman said. “To carry a loaded handgun, you must have a valid Oregon concealed weapons permit. You can’t carry one if you have a concealed weapons permit from Texas or some other state.”
Under the old regulation, adopted in the early 1980s during the Reagan administration, all firearms brought into a national park had to be unloaded and placed somewhere that was not easily accessible, such as in a car trunk.
Winter 2008/2009 Approximately 72 people complete a winter around the Rim trek. 60 on skies, and 12 on snowshoes.
Fiscal year 2008 Budget: $5,160,000
Visitation 2008 415,685 visitors. Lowest since 1961 when 415,568 visited the Park. 1961 set a new park visitation record.
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