Paradise Meadow Restoration, Mount Rainier

The Paradise meadows have been subject to heavy recreational use since the early 1900s. In 1986, the National Park Service initiated a long-term restoration project aimed at rehabilitating and revegetating 913 impacted areas within the meadows. Restoration of individual impacts involves 6 steps: scarification, stabilization, filling, revegetation, site protection, and monitoring. To date, approximately 10% of the targeted sites have been restored, and an education program has been launched in an attempt to raise public awareness about the fragility of the ecosystem and to encourage more responsible, conscientious use of park resources.