popular northwest parks ravaged

Two of the Pacific Northwest's most popular parks were affected by recent storms.

Stanley Park, located in Vancouver, BC, had more than 3,000 of its trees destroyed during the Dec. 15, 2006 windstorm.

Pictured above is one of the park's Western Red Cedars.

The cost of rehabbing the urban park is estimated to be $2 million CAD.

To read more about the efforts to raise money for the park's recovery, read the Jan. 3, 2007 article in The Vancouver Sun.

In Washington State, Mount Rainier National Park is officially closed due to a November 2006 storm. There is limited access on weekends.

The current damage estimate is $36 million, as reported in a Jan. 10, 2007 article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Washington Trails Association and the Student Conservation Association are organizing trail rebuilding in the park. Washington's National Park Fund is accepting donations.

Mount Rainier climbing ranger Mike Gauthier will be making two slide show presentations to the public and answering questions about damage to the park:

Friday, Jan. 19, 7:30 PM at the Tacoma Mountaineers (2302 N. 30th St., Tacoma)

Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 PM at The Mountaineers (300 Third Ave. W., Seattle)