Did you know that the National Park Service charges a fee for scattering of ashes ???  They do.
 
Imagine waiting in the queue at Mt. Rainier's information desk and when you got your turn to (presumably) ask for a map or directions to the snack bar, you looked the volunteer straight in the eye, told her you wanted to scatter the remains of your mother (pointing to the shoebox under your arm) and asked her to please sell you a permit.
 
Actually, if you make that mistake .... you'd probably be to return to the park some other time.
 
To scatter ashes at Mt. Rainier, you will need to apply for a special use permit at least 4 days in advance. You will need to provide your name, address and Social Security Number plus a cashiers check or money order for $25.  (see below)
 
To learn more and or to download the "Scatting Ashes" permit application, go to http://www.nps.gov/archive/mora/general/ashes.htm
 
Scott

-- begin quoted --  

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/permits.htm
 
Mount Rainier National Park - Permits (U.S. National Park Service)

Visitor Permits

Mount Rainier Climbing Pass
$30.00 - Annual
Covers Climbing Cost Recovery Fees for those climbing Mount Rainier for one year from the date of purchase.

Wilderness Camping Permit
Wilderness camping permits are free on a first-come, first-served basis. Advanced reservations are strongly advised. A $20 fee is charged for reservations.

Special Use Permits

Filming/Photography
$60.00
A permit is required for filming, video taping, sound recording, or still photography.

Military Operations
$TBD
A permit is required to conduct military operations in the park. In general, military activities are discouraged in parks.

Miscellaneous Special Uses
Permits are required for first amendment activities, large group camps, rendezvous & rallies, sporting, and training events.

Scattering of Ashes
$25.00
A Special Use Permit is required to scatter cremated ashes.

Wedding Ceremony
$60.00
A Special Use Permit is required for all weddings, regardless of group size.
  

Comments (6) >>

Arthur said:

This puts a whole new spin on that old favorite "Blowing in the Wind". This fee would totally freak out Bob Dylan

September 16, 2006

Betsy said:

Got it. Pay a fee to scatter ashes of your loved one. Except if you're a timber company, in which case, taxpayers cover the tab when the loggers scatter ashes of ancient loved ones, right?

September 16, 2006

Susan said:

Nobody I know would EVER buy a permit or tell a ranger that she intended to scatter ashes in a national park. My friends and I have scattered the ashes of a several dearly departeds in Olympic, Rainier and other national parks. Many of us want at least some of our ashes scattered in national parks. How are the rangercops going to enforce this ridiculous, revenue-enhancing greed-head law?

September 16, 2006

Jim said:

I'm beginning to think the only way to deal with the Park S. and the Forest S. BLM et al. is to get out our wooden shoes. Their relentless attempts to commodify the Commons, and turn it from a sanctuary into a Walmart makes me think there is no other answer. It seems the bureaucrats can think of nothing unless it offends the Organic Act's invocation to conserve the resources for the enjoyments of future generations. Why not just amend the damn thing to read "future paying generations" and quit the pretense?

September 16, 2006

Scott said:

> ..... or just do it on the sly. And that applies to all the rest too. Susan - Yes, one can do it on the sly. And then the NPS will add still more stupid fees and regulations. The name of their game is to advance the ratchet without running into resistance. With every click, they win another victory. "I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest." -Martin Luther King, Jr., from his Autobiography Non-cooperation doesn't mean just doing it on the sly. Non-cooperation means actively fighting the bastards .... and defeating them. Scott

September 16, 2006

Ann said:

Obviously, no one should ask for a permit. It's bad enough they charge you a fee to get in. We scattered my mother's ashes at a Lane County Park that had no fee at the time. Now, we'd have to pay to get in or else sneak in after 7 p.m., which I understand is when they close up the fee booth. I've just quit going there. You can still scatter your parent's ashes on the waves at the beach, but don't get caught. I hear it's illegal.

September 16, 2006

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