Community Corner
Reminder: Mount Rainier National Park Reopens Today Following New Year's Day Shooting
All services other than snow play will be available this weekend as the park reopens, having been shut down since the Jan. 1 fatal shooting of park ranger Margaret Anderson.
Mount Rainier National Park reopens today, Jan. 7, following the tragic fatal shooting of Park Ranger Margaret Anderson on New Year's Day. (Click to read Patch's coverage.)
According to a park press release, all services with the exception of snow play will be available this weekend. The Tacoma News Tribune Friday specified that this is the Paradise snow play area that will remain closed until further notice but the Nisqually entrance gate will be open at 8 a.m.
Prior to the shooting on Jan. 1 in which Benjamin Barnes, 24, fired on Anderson about a mile below Paradise after he'd driven through a park checkpoint, Paradise had only been open two days this winter due to a lack of snow, the TNT reports.
Find out what's happening in Enumclawwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
An extensive manhunt ensued that involved 250 personnel from a variety of agencies including Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Washington State Patrol and Enumclaw Police Department. Read this account from The Courier-Herald of EPD's role in the search.
on Jan. 2 in the vicinity of Narada Falls. King County Sheriff's investigators at the New Year's party in Skyway that Barnes attended the prior evening before Anderson was killed.
Find out what's happening in Enumclawwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A memorial service for Anderson will take place at 1 p.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at Pacific Lutheran University.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to KeyBank, P.O. Box 159, Eatonville, WA 98328. Checks should be made out to the Margaret Anderson Donation Account.
Park officials request that all correspondence including requests for information, resource offers, and condolences be sent to MountRainierInfo@gmail.com.
And if you missed it, take a look at a touching column in The Seattle Times Friday about what makings Mount Rainier National Park -- and Paradise in particular -- a special place and why much gratitude should be directed at Anderson, who gave her life to protect it.
Editor's Note: Access to the park from State Route 410 through Enumclaw is closed during the winter.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
