Happy birthday Mount Rainier National Park

On Sept.13, the Covington City Council was the first in Washington to acknowledge the national parks

On September 13th, the Covington City Council was the first in Washington State to acknowledge the national parks with a proclamation recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational, and economic benefits they provide and asking Congress to provide dedicated funding to fix our parks.

In celebration of Mount Rainier National Park’s 118th birthday on March 2nd, I would like to point out the significance of this incredible park to communities like ours; while once again calling on Congress and the new Administration to fully fund Mount Rainier and our other national parks.

In 2015, the 1.2 million Mount Rainier visitors spent $45.7 million in local communities like Covington, including $11.6 million on hotels and $10.2 million at restaurants. Visitor spending supported a total of 596 jobs and $58.3 million in economic output in local economies.

This is why it is so important for Congress and the Trump administration to fix the $12 billion nationally and $285 million at Mount Rainier in infrastructure repair and maintenance; this includes repairs to aging historical structures, trails, roads, bridges, tunnels, sewers, drainage and other vital infrastructure that provide safe access and enjoyment to the millions visiting our parks.

Happy Birthday Mount Rainier National Park, wishing you and a predictable stream of resources to ensure our natural places and our history is preserved and documented for future generations.

Sincerely,

Sean Smith

Mayor Pro Tem

Covington, WA