possibly as national parkCASTLE ROCK, Wash. — Thirty years after the eruption of Mount St. Helens leveled a forest and rained volcanic ash for miles around, the devastated mountain remains an important center for volcano research and science.
But some critics of the way Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is managed argue that it could be much more, perhaps even a national park on par with some of the grandest — Yosemite, Rainier, Grand Canyon.
“It’s got unique and iconic resources and landscape that make it equal to (those parks),” said Sean Smith, northwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Smith, who got to know the volcano’s many moods as a ranger in the 1990s, said making St. Helens a national park would raise its profile, draw more visitors and provide a steady, dedicated stream of money.
Since its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980, the picturesque mountain with its telltale crater has captivated scientists and visitors. Within minutes of a 5.1 earthquake that morning, the volcano’s north flank collapsed, triggering the largest landslide ever recorded. The blast killed 57 people, flattened 230 square miles of forests and blew 1,300 feet off the peak.
In 1982, Congress set aside 110,000 acres for the monument and put it in the hands of the U.S. Forest Service to be managed as part of the larger Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington.
Mark Plotkin, tourism director for Cowlitz County, said that in the past several years, the monument has battled limited resources, reduced services, the closure of the Coldwater Ridge Visitors Center and the state takeover of another.
“Right now, we’re doing the minimum necessary to keep the doors open,” said Plotkin, who favors national park status.
A congressional committee last month recommended significant improvements including better road connections, overnight lodging and recreational access for a wide variety of visitors.
Hikers in the monument can come across green moss carpeting the once-lunar landscape, songbirds chirping in a grove of red alders, ducks swimming in a spring-fed pond and a small herd of elk.
“It’s quite incredible, the amount of life out here,” monument scientist Peter Frenzen said. “It’s a terrific opportunity for people to understand the forces of the Earth.”
