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PARKS Crater Lake has a Chinese sister Oregon's only national park inks Sister Park agreement with China's Mount Wuyi World Heritage and Cultural Site By Lee Juillerat for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Lee Juillerat for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 11, 2016 @ 2:50 pm Updated Mar 11, 2016 at 3:06 PM By Lee Juillerat for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 11, 2016 @ 2:50 pm Updated Mar 11, 2016 at 3:06 PM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> A Sister Park agreement that will connect Crater Lake National Park and China’s Mount Wuyi World Heritage and Cultural Site was signed by Crater Lake Superintendent Craig Ackerman and Chinese officials during ceremonies in China in late February. The agreement, which had been discussed for months, is expected to help channel increasing numbers of Chinese tourists to Oregon and Crater Lake, and likewise stimulate travel to China by Americans. “They were genuinely excited. Very positive. It was more than I expected,” Ackerman said of the signing ceremony, which was the highlight of a whirlwind, weeklong trip to China. He said one of agreement's main objectives is to encourage international tourism, noting, “China is expected to significantly increase visitation to the United States, and they have a high interest in national parks. That could mean a lot of visits to Southern Oregon and to Crater Lake.” Ackerman, Carolyn Hill, the Crater Lake Trust's executive director, and other members of a five-person U.S. delegation also heard suggestions on simple ways Chinese visiting the park can feel more welcome. He was told adding “Welcome” signs in Mandarin at the park entrance will help acknowledge Chinese visitors. "Without that they feel like ghosts.” The need for translating some park publications and brochures, especially information about ranger-led activities and hikes, into Mandarin was also emphasized. “We’re going to do that, not just in Mandarin but in several languages,” Ackerman said, noting several park publications are already published in Spanish, Japanese, German and French. Along with the formal signing ceremonies, the group toured some of the major attractions at Wuyi, which is located in China’s Fujian Province, met with companies in Beijing that plan to organize tours to Oregon and Crater Lake, and discussed plans for a delegation of Chinese officials who will visit the park and Southern Oregon in April. Ackerman said he was unable to convince the Chinese to delay sending the delegation until this summer, not in April. Because of the park's heavy snow — the park's seasonal average is nearly 530 inches — Rim Drive is usually closed by snow until late June or July, and most of the usual activities, such as hikes, research, lake boat tours and interpretative programs are not offered until June. Possible activities for next month's visit could include snowshoeing at the park, snowmobiling at Diamond Lake, riding the Crater Lake Zipline at Rocky Point, visiting Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges and Lava Beds National Monument in the Klamath Basin, and Oregon Caves National Monument and Redwoods National Park. “We deferred a lot of action until they come here and see what we have,” Ackerman said of sharing information, noting potential discussion points include the National Park Service's organizational structure, procedures for storing and protecting cultural artifacts, impacts of climate change, water quality concerns and ongoing resource research and monitoring. Exchanges between Oregon and China's Fujian Province began in 1984 with “Sister State” agreements. Delegations from the province visited Crater Lake in 2010, 2011 and 2015. Creating a Sister Park agreement between Crater Lake and Mount Wuyi was discussed during the 2011 visit, when Ackerman hosted a private park tour. Reach freelance writer Lee Juillerat at [email protected] or 541-880-4139. By Lee Juillerat for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Lee Juillerat for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 11, 2016 @ 2:50 pm Updated Mar 11, 2016 at 3:06 PM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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