Will the Mt. Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument someday be Mt. Saint Helens National Park? Advocates are pushing for such status.
Flickr/Sophia Parafina
PORTLAND -- Advocates for designating the Northwest's most active volcano as a national park are leaning on members of Congress for help.
On Wednesday, they publicized the letter they sent to Southwest Washington's U.S. representative, Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler.
Herrera Beutler's district includes what's currently the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The letter, sent by locally elected officials, business and community leaders, calls for the congresswoman to use her clout on their behalf by calling for a special resource study.
View Mount St. Helens in a larger map
That would "investigate the national significance of the volcano and the recreation, environmental, and social benefits that would come from adding Mount St. Helens to the park system," according to the letter. It was sent Wednesday.
Sean Smith, policy director of the National Parks Conservation Association, said many of those whose name appear in the letter were part of a delegation that flew to Washington, D.C. to meet on Dec. 1 with staff members for Herrera Beutler and U.S. representatives of neighboring districts, Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Doc Hastings, R-Wash.
"During the meetings all three offices were open to the idea of a study and mentioned the need for local support. Thus the letter," Smith said in an email.
Smith's organization and several area leaders have been pushing for four years to have the volcano and surrounding area designated a national park.
In addition to ensuring stronger protections for Mount St. Helens as "a natural and cultural international gem," Smith's group and fellow park advocates said, the surrounding communities would benefit economically from elevating the volcano to a national park site.
“Adding Mount St. Helens to the National Park System would help improve regional prestige, increase visitation, enhance recreation and conservation opportunities,” said Mark Plotkin, Former Director, Cowlitz County Tourism Bureau.
