Mount St. Helens sites to get an upgrade at the fed's expense

By Associated Press Published: Jan 11, 2010 at 2:32 PM PST Last Updated: Jan 12, 2010 at 10:43 AM PST
Mount St. Helens sites to get an upgrade at the fed's expense
Aerial view, Mount St. Helens' crater, with lava dome and the Crater Glacier. USGS Photograph taken on March 12, 2009, by Steve Schilling.

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) - Federal stimulus money will pay for most of the upgrades planned at Mount St. Helens and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

The manager of the 172 square-mile Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Tom Mulder, told The Daily News of Longview nearly every site will see a facelift. Trails and roads will be repaired, and buildings and exhibits will be modernized.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory will finally get the 160-seat amphitheater originally planned in 1984. Visitors will take in lectures with a stunning view of the volcano in the background.

All told, more than $15.5 million in work is planned throughout the 2,000 square-mile national forest. About $13 million comes from federal stimulus funds.
     
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