A LETTER TO OUR FRIENDS Dear Friends of Glacier, We share with you with great anticipation, our 2017 Field Guide to Park Project Priorities that provide for Glacier’s margin of excellence. This guide provides an overview of Glacier National Park’s most critical current needs, from using the latest technology to connect the Park with classrooms around the world, to a significant focus on studying the impacts of a changing climate on our specific ecosystem. The Glacier Conservancy is the only philanthropic organization dedicated exclusively to Glacier. While limited Federal funding provides for the day to day operations, the Conservancy provides resources that support exceptional projects that would not otherwise be possible without your help. We hope you find your personal connection to the Park through these programs and projects. Please join us to protect and assure the future of Glacier for increasing numbers of visitors, longtime friends with Glacier stories to share and those discovering Glacier for the very first time. We are grateful for your support.
Board of Directors Glacier National Park Conservancy
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The projects and programs listed in this guide provide an overview of the park’s most critical needs in three key areas: Education, Preservation and Research. Should you wish to support projects in a specific category, they will be noted throughout this guide with the following identifiers:
preservation
education
RESEARCH
From historic cabins and trails to archaeological discovery, the Glacier Conservancy furthers heritage projects and programs that celebrate the Glacier experience.
Kids who care become adults who act. The Glacier Conservancy invests in K-12 and adult education to grow the next generation of Glacier stewards.
Celebrated for its wildlife, mountains, valleys and alpine landscape, the Glacier Conservancy supports research and science that leads the park and the world.
We are the official fundraising partner of Glacier National Park. With your support, we provide funding for vital projects and programs that preserve and protect the park.
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Preserving the backcountry experience E
ncompassing more than a million acres in northwest Montana, Glacier National Park preserves some of the most beautiful alpine meadows, lakes, pristine forests, rugged peaks and glacially carved valleys in the world. Amidst this backdrop, Glacier provides more than 700 miles of maintained backcountry trail enabling visitors an avenue to the interior, a glimpse of paradise, and an opportunity for adventure and solitude. As visitation to the park continues to increase, the park’s main artery, the Going to the Sun Road, is heavily impacted during the height of the summer season when the entire
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length of the road is open to vehicle travel. Visitors seeking a more solitary experience and a closer look at the park’s jaw dropping landscape venture deeper into the backcountry, over the trails and into one of 62 different campgrounds. Preserving this visitor experience, while also preserving the pristine wilderness is a paradox the staff at Glacier face each day. Â
(Above) The North Fork, “Impossible Sunset” by Tim Rains (Left) Running Eagle Falls
Funding The Falls: $32,650
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ne of the most popular draws for visitors to Glacier National Park is the accessibility of waterfalls. Visitors to the park consider these features the highlight of their visit. Currently four popular waterfall sites are in urgent need of repair.
Aster Falls:
Appistoki Falls:
Hidden Falls:
Not far from the Scenic Point trailhead in Two Medicine Valley, Appistoki Falls could potentially provide hikers of all ages and abilities access to scenic views. The lack of an established trail and a suitable viewpoint has caused numerous social trails and damage to the surrounding vegetation. Formalizing the existing social trail and constructing a viewing platform will improve visitor safety and overall experience.
Another popular site in the Two Medicine Valley, Aster Falls is in need of a simple natural log viewing platform, overall site improvements and social trail rehabilitation.
A hidden gem along the extremely popular Grinnell Lake hike in Many Glacier Valley, the existing overlook is in need of replacement. In addition, the spur trail leading to it requires significant upgrade.
Running Eagle Falls:
Located in the Two Medicine area, it’s one of the most culturally significant sites to the Blackfeet Tribe in Glacier Park. It has easy access from the parking lot, and it’s amazing “trick” make this an extremely popular site among park visitors. This portion of the project would involve the Blackfeet Academy (a Blackfeet youth program) working alongside Glacier’s professional trail crew to replace the existing viewing platform, and to improve the existing trail to meet higher standards. Funding will allow updates on aging structures, improve trail approaches, and would have a meaningful impact toward visitor safety and enjoyment.
Preserving the Backcountry Experience
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Preserving the Park’s Backcountry Character $25,000
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lacier National Park has an increase in visitation year after year, and the main attraction is driving along the Going-to-Sun Road. But how many visitors are recreating in the more remote parts of the park? This project will continue to expand on a study (partially funded by the Conservancy in 2016) to establish baseline visitor-use numbers in park areas outside the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, including: the North Fork, Many Glacier, Goat Haunt, Middle Fork, Two Medicine and Belly River.
This information will help park managers understand how potential management actions within the Going-to-theSun Road corridor affect areas outside the corridor as actions that divert traffic from one area of the park will likely push it into another. This was evident during the fire season in 2015 when the road was closed for a week. It also will help to better understand road, trail and river use outside the corridor.
Backcountry campers at Cracker Lake hang their food out of reach of bears. This project would fund new, lightweight food bags available for checkout from the Park’s Backcountry Office.
SAFE BACKCOUNTRY FOOD STORAGE $10,000
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new lightweight bear resistant food storage bag has been approved for use in Grizzly Bear habitat. This project will purchase Ursacks that will be available for check-out from the backcountry permit office prior to backcountry hiking.
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Preston Park Trail Upgrade $21,800
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reston Park, a fragile high alpine meadow stretch along the Siyeh Pass trail is a favorite among Glacier’s backcountry enthusiasts. The trail in this area has eroded to the point where certain sections behave like a drain, creating further erosion and forcing hikers off trail. This causes extensive damage to the sensitive ecosystem in the area. This project entails packing in 80-100 log checks by mule strings, spread out over one mile of trail. Crews from the Glacier Youth Corps will place log checks, backfill to regain tread height, and improve drainage to return the trail to park standards while also preventing further damage to the fragile high alpine environment.
Preserving the Backcountry Experience
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STudying Climate impact
glacier’s fragile ec 8
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limate change, especially the rapid change we are currently experiencing, is a serious issue for Glacier National Park and the larger Crown of the Continent ecosystem. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park sits at the center of approximately 18 million acres known as the Crown of the Continent. As scientists work to understand how the Crown of the Continent’s ecosystems will be impacted, managers of Glacier National Park and other land managers within the Crown struggle to understand what kinds of decisions can and should be made in the face of these changes to protect transboundary resources.
old growth cedar-hemlock forests, which evolved in a much colder climate, may simply have to be understood as remnants of another time. Management strategies for disturbances such as fire and invasive plants will need to adapt to the context of climate change pressures. Research projects are currently underway in the park on impacts of climate change on mountain goats, vegetation and landscape disturbance, glacier retreats and meltwater stoneflies. Crown-wide discussions and collaborative work is underway to identify adaptation measures for all land managers in the Crown on terrestrial and aquatic invasives species, fire, five needle pines, native fish and connectivity for large and midsize wildlife species including grizzly bears, wolverines and Canada lynx.
It is unlikely that any management actions would be sufficient to preserve Glacier National Park in its current state. Some level of change is inevitable and may even Funding for these projects is critical be desirable. Unfortunately, there to establishing solutions for furture is no simple solution. In some generations. cases, managers may be forced to choose when and where to invest limited time and energy for resource protection and resto- Photo - Thunderclouds billow over Glacier’s peaks. ration. For example, areas such as NPS / Tim Rains
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Conserving Glacier’s Native Fish
(Above) This project will allow the park to continue removing lake trout from Quartz Lake to benefit native fish like the Westslope Cutthroat Trout.
(left to right): Mrs. Dennis Sullivan, Mrs. Ernest Christianson, and Mrs. Shephard (all North Fork homesteaders) taken at Howe Lake, ca. 1905-1910.
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Studying Climate Impacts
Preserving Glacier’s Iconic Bull Trout $59,000
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hen looking at historical photos of Montana, you often will see the “catch of the day” strung along a clothesline with massive bull trout that once existed in abundance in our region. However, the bull trout have since become endangered after the introduction of non-native lake trout into our waterways. Glacier National Park is home to more than one third of the natural lakes that support bull trout across their range. Since 2009, a key group of scientists in Glacier have worked to reduce lake trout populations while increasing bull trout in Quartz Lake, a breeding ground for these iconic fish. And their methods are working!
Bull trout spawning counts have been above average in the past two years (with a record-high count in 2014), further signifying the project’s success. Quartz Lake continues to support an outstanding west slope cutthroat and bull trout fishery benefitting both visitors and the general public. The project has been very successful to date; however, a funding shortfall for the 2017 field season threatens to slow down the progress. A gap in project operations would allow adult lake trout to successfully reproduce, adding thousands of young lake trout to outcompete native fish species. Furthermore, if lake trout successfully reproduce, it would set the project back by approximately four to five years until the young lake
trout are large enough to be captured using current gill-netting techniques. ESA listed bull trout and other native fish species as fundamental to the park’s identity, and the park is mandated to preserve these core natural resources.
Fisheries Technician Jon McCubbins pulls a Bull Trout from Quartz Lake
Studying Climate Impacts
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Glacier’s Mountain Goats A Barometer of Climate Change $41,400
Mountain Goats are often sighted at Logan Pass.
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lacier National Park’s most iconic species, the Mountain Goat, is the subject of ongoing research. The National Park Service has recently approved a plan for a park-wide study, beginning in 2018, to better understand how the goats and their habitat will respond to current climate change by studying their ecological drivers, such as snowpack and vegetation. The results of this study will help park managers take action to protect the species. However, there are critical research and outreach opportunities that will not be funded through the NPS project. Additional funding is necessary to hire three seasonal staff who will actively assist in data collection, animal captures, habitat monitoring, creation of informational handouts and media, and conduct distance learning lessons to more than 800 students around the world each year.
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Studying Climate Impacts
Additionally, this project will support the refurbishing of GPS collars already on hand, as well as the acquisition of eight additional GPS collars and their associated operation and maintenance charges. GPS collars will improve the accuracy of the information collected and allow for around-the-clock collection of location points for each goat fitted with one of these collars. Funds also will provide additional capture and handling supplies, telemetry flights, enhanced laboratory analysis of biological samples, as well as additional safety gear for field crews and travel funds for disseminating the results of this project at professional conferences. This project will allow park managers to better achieve the goals of the study and respond with actions designed to protect mountain goats and their habitat in a changing climate. Â
This project will develop much more detailed maps of disturbances in the landscape.
Mapping Climate Change-Caused Landscape Disturbance $27,000
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hanges in landscape are natural, uncontrolled occurrences that sometimes leave unwelcome results. Landscape disturbances prominent in the Northern Rockies include fire, forest insects and pathogens like the pine beetle, avalanches, floods and landslides.
Remote sensing technology (Landsat satellite imagery) will be applied to identify large and subtle disturbances across the Peace Park landscape, changes which may have consequences for aquatic species like stoneflies and bull trout, and terrestrial species like pika.
This project aims to develop a Geographic Information Systems’ (GIS) spatial database to map and quantify landscape disturbances connected to climate change effects across the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park for the period from 1999 through 2016, a period of climate extremes and related ecological stress across the Crown of the Continent ecosystem.
This project enlists the capable field services of two local high school science programs in Whitefish and Columbia Falls to provide eyes “on the ground� data to researchers at the University of Idaho, who will interpret and classify satellite image data. Once completed, the updated vegetation map for Waterton-Glacier and GIS data describing detectable landscape disturbances attributed to climate change for the period of 1999 to the present--will greatly benefit existing resource management programs, as well as future research and educational outreach.
Studying Climate Impacts
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Preserving America’s Water Tower The Endangered Stoneflies of Glacier $25,444
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he loss of glaciers in Glacier National Park is iconic of the global impacts of climate warming in mountain ecosystems. Little is known about how climate change may threaten the unique assemblage of invertebrate species like the stoneflies, restricted to short sections of cold water below glaciers and permanent snowfields in Glacier National Park. Two of these species have already been petitioned for protection under the Endangered Species Act due to climate change-induced glacier loss, and others are likely just as imperiled. Alpine aquatic invertebrate communities are some of the best early indicators of the effects of climate change, and understanding how they and their habitats are likely to respond to this rapid change is critical for conservation management and adaptation planning for freshwater systems. In 2016, the Conservancy provided funding to collect invertebrate community and genetics samples as well as alpine stream habitat data to investigate the impacts of glacier and snow loss on the biodiversity, distribution, and genetic diversity of poorly known, cold water dependent alpine aquatic invertebrates in Glacier.
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Studying Climate Impacts
Funding for this project will continue the research in 2017 and will not only serve as a worldwide model for understanding the impacts of climate warming on mountaintop species and ecosystems, it also will inform policy and management decisions as well as design long-term monitoring programs. In addition, the work will provide additional opportunities for visitors, through public brownbag presentations, social media outreach, interactive online maps, as well as providing park staff with the tools to convey the holistic view of climate induced changes to Glacier’s aquatic species through handson training and compelling photos and video. This will increase awareness for visitors, advocates, and supporters alike, regarding the global impacts of climate change realized and experienced at a local scale. Â
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Black Swifts:
The Poster Bird for Climate Change $15,697
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lack swifts are a bird species considered at highest risk of endangerment. They only nest near or behind waterfalls that persist throughout the year. Persistent waterfalls are those fed by melting snowfields and glaciers rather than just spring rains. If all of Glacier National Park’s glaciers melt because of climate change, will the black swifts still use these dried waterfall sites for nesting? Black swifts are insectivores. Pesticide use, mismatches of insect hatches and a bird’s arrival on nesting grounds caused by climate change also are considered risks. Many of Glacier’s waterfalls support nesting black swifts, but without additional resources, few waterfalls are inspected each year because most require significant backcountry travel.
Currently, the park boasts nearly half (six) of all known nest sites in Montana. By locating additional nest sites, biologists can begin to monitor the colonies to ensure they are stable and do not require further protection. This project would invest paid staff hours to train volunteers to complete the monitoring program work and experience the park in a close-up, intimate view near waterfalls. This volunteer work will provide an opportunity to those looking for more than just a backcountry adventure, while providing critical scientific data that will allow park leaders to make more informed management decisions.
Glacier National Park is one of the few places in the world where it is easy for visitors to see black swifts, as they nest on Haystack Creek just beneath the Going-To-The-Sun Road.
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Golden Eagle and Raptor Migration Counts:
Creating a Hawk Watch International Site on Mt. Brown $5,962
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lacier National Park boasts one of the most important golden eagle migration routes in North America. Nearly 2,000 golden eagles were recorded migrating past Mount Brown annually from 1994 through 1996. Recent trend data from outside the park, however, indicate significant declines in their numbers. This drop is attributed to environmental contaminants, habitat loss, prey declines and climate change. These birds and other raptors are top predators, and migration counts are a cost-effective and efficient approach to detect changes in their numbers to aid in their conservation. In 2011, a Citizen Science Raptor Migration Project was initiated to investigate several sites throughout the park to establish a Hawk Watch International site.
Experienced volunteers also counted eagles from Lake McDonald Lodge to calibrate data from pilot sites where birds have been periodically counted since 1994. Through this research, the park determined that Mount Brown would work best as the Hawk Watch site due to its location along the migration corridor and its accessibility. Observing raptors from a Hawk Watch site is a life-changing event for many people, as they look a falcon in the eyes as it passes overhead, see the sun lighting up the saffron-golden feathers on an eagle’s wings or watch raptors riding thermals rising off Glacier’s peaks. From the observation point, volunteers get a close-up view, enabling reliable identification of all species of migrating raptors.
This funding will ensure success of the program by supporting an experienced biologist who will train volunteers in raptor identification and Hawk Watch International protocol. Once a volunteer becomes proficient in raptor identification and the protocol, they will take turns as the primary observer at the Mount Brown site, training and educating new volunteers and/or visitors on the role of raptors in our ecosystems and some of the challenges they face in today’s world.
Studying Climate Impacts
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Protecting Glacier’s History T
wenty years ago, Glacier’s iconic buildings were listed among the nation’s most endangered historic structures and today many are still in need of significant repair if they are to survive twenty years or more into the future.
Glacier National Park’s historic structures are a portal to the past. Since the park has been in existence since before the inception of the National Park Service, it uniquely has structures from nearly every construction period from the NPS.
The park’s lodges and chalets, once in peril of being permanently shuttered, have now been lovingly restored but there is a network of over 700 buildings scattered across the park’s million acres, many of which are used every day--cabins, ranger stations and even the log cabin that served as the original park headquarters in West Glacier.
The need to maintain these structures goes beyond historic preservation. They each connect us to people and stories from the past that begin to fade as the buildings disappear from the landscape.
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The historic Wheelier Cabin on Lake McDonald is undergoing preservation work that will allow it to be used for workshops and classes in the future.
Glacier Park Preservation Field School $35,000
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he Glacier Park Preservation Field School is a budding partnership project between the Glacier National Park Conservancy, Montana Preservation Alliance, Glacier National Park, the University of Montana and the Glacier Institute. The goals are to develop and lead preservation and restoration trainings at the Wheeler Camp in the summer of 2017. Wheeler Camp is a historically significant collection of 1940s log buildings that formerly were the summer retreat for Senator Burton K. Wheeler and his family. This training and preservation effort will have dual benefits: hands-on preservation training for a growing circle of students and tradespeople, and active stabilization and restoration of the log buildings at the Wheeler Camp for future adaptive reuse for educational programs.
Funds for this project will allow the park to conduct four training weeks in historic preservation treatments on log buildings at the Wheeler Camp. The first two weeks will be structured for a general audience of students from University of Montana, University of Pennsylvania and possibly others. The second two weeks will take the training to a deeper level with more highly skilled repairs executed by a training cohort of those more experienced in traditional trades such as masonry and log working. Each workshop will accommodate up to 24 people and have a clear set curriculum and training goals. The second two weeks are envisioned to also tie in with trainers and preservationists under NPS direction elsewhere, including the Vanishing Treasures Western Preservation Training Center at Grand Teton National Park, and the hands-on concessions division training program currently led by MPA with Yellowstone National Park, Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Delaware North and Yellowstone Park Service Stations.
Preserving the Historic Wheeler Cabin on Lake McDonald $120,000
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isiting the Wheeler property is like going back in time. In 1916, Montana Senator Burton Wheeler and his wife Lulu purchased a cabin on the eastern shore of Lake McDonald, where they spent summers with their family until 2014 when the property was returned to Glacier National Park.
This year, the park will begin rehabilitation of the site for adaptive reuse in partnership with the University of Montana and the Glacier Institute as well as provide transformational experiences for students and tribal members; provide a venue for both visiting international delegations aspiring to engage in transboundary conservation; and for hosting workshops on the environmental peace building framework.
In 2017, this project will continue the rehabilitation and stabilization of the historic property to address potable water and electrical system deficiencies on the property. The historic structures will require significant rehabilitation to meet the needs for both NPS and non-profit partner use.
Protecting Glacier’s History
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HONORING NORTHWEST MONTANA’S INDIGENOUS CULTURES
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ecent archaeological surveys have found evidence of human use dating back over 10,000 years. These people were probably the ancestors of tribes that live in northwest Montana today. By the time the first European explorers came to the area now known as Glacier National Park, several different tribes inhabited the area. The Blackfeet Indians controlled the vast prairies east of the mountains. The Salish and Kootenai Indians lived and hunted in the western valleys. They also traveled east of the mountains to hunt buffalo.
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A highly nomadic people, the Blackfeet were deeply connected to the hunting of bison on the plains and based much of their livelihood on the resources of the mountains and eastern foothills. From west of the divide, the group most frequently associated with Glacier National Park is the Tobacco Plains Band, once located near Eureka, Montana. These people hunted and quarried workable stone. Linguistically and culturally, these people, the Kootenai (spelled various ways including Kootenai, Kootenay and Kutenai), are a people unto themselves,
with origins difficult to trace. Skilled hunters, trappers, and fishermen, the Tobacco Plains Band historically traversed the mountains on annual bison hunts into the Waterton area, utilizing crucial mountain passes. Other tribes that occasionally used the area that has become Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park include the Salish, the Stoneys (Assiniboine affiliate), the Gros Ventre (Arapaho affiliate) and the Cree.
NATIVE AMERICA SPEAKS $36,000
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ow in its 33rd year at Glacier National Park, this project provides support for the Native America Speaks program. This award-winning program enables native people to tell their own stories and provides an opportunity for tribal leaders to speak for their cultures as an integral part of creating and sustaining productive and supportive relationships with the park’s neighboring tribes.
Highlighting Kootenai Historic Use at Avalanche Creek $3,000
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lacier’s human story does not begin with the creation of the park. Just as the geologic events that created the landscape have been going on for eons, human history in this area has a much longer history than visitors often know. This project will provide a link to the area’s tribal heritage and will help visitors place Glacier National Park into a broader context of Montana’s cultural history. For several years the park has been in consultation with the Kootenai Cultural Committee to provide interpretation highlighting tribal use of the Avalanche Creek area. The committee and members of the Kootenai tribe singled out the
winter crossing of the Continental Divide above Avalanche Lake by Chief Paul David as the most important story to share with the public in this area of the park. As a result, the park will install four or five small wayside exhibits along the boardwalk on the west side of Avalanche Creek. These waysides will tell the Paul David story using Kootenai oral history and through original artwork. The hardware has already been acquired and the basic text has been crafted from the oral history. This project will allow Ray Radigan, the same artist who created the other panels on the Trail of the Cedars to paint the artwork for the new panels in the same watercolor style.
Honoring Northwest Montana’s Indigenous Cultures
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Reintroducing Bison to Glacier National Park $100,000
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he yearly cycle of the Blackfeet began in early spring as individual bands left their winter camps to begin an intensive season of hunting and root collecting. Women and children went to the mountains to dig for roots, while small bands of hunters moved east, seeking bison. Food gathering continued through the summer until the annual Sun Dance celebration, when the various bands would convene for several weeks on the plains. At the conclusion of the Sun Dance ceremony, the various bands would disperse again; some returned to bison grounds, while others headed to the mountains to hunt elk, deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats, to cut lodge poles and gather berries. As fall arrived, the bison moved west and north to their wintering grounds, and some Blackfeet bands would reassemble into larger groups for communal hunts. The annual cycle of hunt and harvest would end with the establishment of winter camps in heavily wooded river valleys near the mountains, sheltered from the severe northerly winds that swept the open plains. These bison that were such an important part of survival for the Blackfeet were hunted to near extinction in the late
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1800’s as European settlers advanced accross the West. Now, in collaboration with the Blackfeet Tribe, Parks Canada, private landowners in US/Canada, and NPS units throughout the country, Glacier National Park seeks to restore this genetically unique wild bison herd to the Chief Mountain area of the park. As the world’s first international peace park, Waterton-Glacier works across borders and jurisdictions and is a model for the NPS in trans-boundary conservation efforts. Collaborating in two countries and with tribal governments on both Canadian and US sides, this project demonstrates a new model for landscape-scale conservation. For over a decade the Blackfeet Confederacy have been working to have a bison herd that could utilize portions of the park. This project will help meet that goal and also to culturally reconnect bison to Blackfeet Confederacy lands on both sides of the border. Restoration of an umbrella species such as bison across the Crown of the Continent ecosystem will help restore the ecological integrity
Honoring Northwest Montana’s Indigenous Cultures
of the park’s grassland areas. Bison are one of only two original species missing from Glacier’s largely intact ecosystem - the other being a now extinct Caribou. This restoration will also reduce the impact of trespass cattle, which has been an ongoing disturbance in the park for many decades. In the first year of this project a partnership model will be developed with key stakeholders, goals set for the project and consultation taken with the appropriate agencies and stakeholders. A legal framework will be developed that demonstrates a successful public/tribal conservation project. Further, a documentary video of the process will be created to follow the building of a model of public/tribal conservation that has yet to exist in the United States.
Tribal Outreach & Engagement: Sustaining Cultural Heritage $113,429
ing Fund d e need lly a annu
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he enduring connection of the Blackfeet, Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille tribes is one of the park’s more significant and important stories. It is hard to imagine fully experiencing Glacier in the absence of these tribal stories, yet the park has few cultural history interpretive or educational programs developed. This project will support the second year of the American Indian cultural history interpretive and education program that will be professionally, culturally accurate, and authentic in conjunction with the local tribes. Programs will meet National Park Service interpretive and State of Montana education standards. The park’s goal is to engage tribal youth and families to help create park programming and provide delivery of those programs during the school year, as
well as during the summer to more than 13,000 visitors and students. Additionally, the project will provide support for the related Blackfeet Youth Engagement VISTA volunteer who is working to engage more youth in conservation careers and training of Blackfeet students, with the assistance of the VISTA volunteer, Blackfeet Community College and National Association of Interpretation instructors. Curricula will help to train and prepare youth that are interested in working for or learning about Glacier National Park, as well as those interested in performing in the Native America Speaks program series. Public educational programs will be offered at the 1913 Ranger Station near St. Mary.
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GLACIER
THE HEART OF THE CROWN OF THE CONTINENT
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t the narrow waist of the Rocky Mountains, where Alberta, British Columbia and Montana meet, sprawls one of the wildest, most diverse and intact ecosystems in the temperate zones of the world. Glacier National Park sits in the middle of 18 million acres of pristine wilderness and protects the headwaters of three continental river systems. The term “Crown of the Continent” was coined by George Bird Grinnell in the 1890’s and is largely defined by the habitat needs of diverse vegetation and wide-ranging wildlife that thrive here,
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like the grizzly bear, wolverine, wolf and bull trout. Because the plants and animals are distributed over such a large area and are not unique to Glacier, managing and studying these communities does not happen just in the park. It requires park managers to work with other agencies in Canada and the United States to identify and protect corridors that connect important wildlife habitats to allow species to migrate. Management strategies for disturbances such as fire and invasive plants will need to adapt to the context of climate change
pressures. Research and internal education efforts can help park staff become aware of the issues and can encourage discussions that may provide new ideas and approaches. Engaging the support of our neighbors and partners throughout the Crown of the Continent will be critical as the park seeks solutions to these complex issues.
A mountain goat takes in the view at the Hidden Lake Overlook. Photo by Ian Shive
Assessing Wildlife Connectivity Within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem $10,000
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he U.S. Highway 2 corridor seems like a small intrusion to the ecosystems of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness yet it poses a major separation of two of the largest wilderness areas in the country.
The highway is slowly becoming a barrier to north-south wildlifte movement in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. Engineering for highway reconstruction will likely begin within the next five years, so it’s imperative that planning begin now to ensure connectivity across this fracture. Research on wildlife species of highest concern, prioritization of appropriate action by multiple stakeholders, and implementation of potential approaches like land conservation and retirement of leases can all require multiple years.
This project will fund a series of workshops to forge a research framework that can answer connectivity questions in a coordinated, collaborative and efficient manner. We expect this to benefit multiple agencies and organizations by beginning work toward a cohesive plan that addresses an inter-jurisdictional challenge.
US Highway 2 cuts right through two of the largest wilderness areas in the country: Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
GLACIER: The Crown of the Continent
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Studying Huckleberries: Wildlife Food Sources & Climate Change $111,253
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uckleberries are a keystone species supporting many animals; a charismatic plant species appealing to visitors, a traditional and contemporary human food, and a primary black bear and grizzly bear food. Understanding when, where, how and how many berries develop will allow comparison of alternative management strategies for huckleberries under predicted future weather and climate patterns that include earlier onset of spring, warmer temperatures and more variable extreme weather. This program will engage visitors and volunteers, in addition to technicians, to collect phenology and productivity data and create predictive maps that identify areas with high berry yields under likely weather scenarios. The maps
can be used to prioritize protection of high-yield berry patches from development or severe fires. The park will use the information to modify human picking regulations in years when weather conditions indicate few berries will be available overall. Additionally, predictions for when and where berries are ripe will help managers time messages to the public about bears and attractant management, potentially decreasing human-bear conflicts.
This will directly inform conservation of grizzly bears, other wildlife including black bears, grouse, multiple birds, many insects and important pollinators (a new federal priority), and management of berry-loving visitors.
This project also will allow even shortterm visitors to learn about bears and huckleberries. A new mobile geocaching-like app will guide visitors to berry shrubs to take a picture and answer questions about the timing of berry development.
Studying the Disappearing Harlequin Ducks $35,696
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arlequin Ducks, a small sea duck that migrates inland to breed on white-water streams, have been named a species of concern. They are slow to mature and females only nest on streams where they were born. Nests are increasingly vulnerable to severe stream flows due to climate change, human disturbance and oil spills on wintering grounds. Glacier National Park boasts the highest breeding pair density of Harlequin Ducks in the lower 48 states on Upper McDonald Creek; yet biologists from throughout their range report declining numbers or shifts in historical distribution ranges.
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GLACIER: The Crown of the Continent
In Banff, the pair numbers have dropped from 90 to about 25 since 1995. On the coast, males no longer molt along the British Columbia / Washington border. In response to regional concerns, a group of biologists from 11 different agencies in Canada and the U.S. initiated an international, multi-agency research project investigating local and broad movement patterns and habitat use of the birds in Western North America. In 2016, park staff and volunteers will mark two pairs on Upper McDonald Creek with satellite transmitters (males)
and geolocators (females) as part of this study. This project will allow researchers to expand their efforts within Glacier and survey streams historically known to support breeding pairs. Streams supporting pairs will be selected for trapping, banding, and marking additional pairs and chicks. Information from this study will aid in conservation efforts for Harlequin Ducks on breeding, molting and wintering grounds. Â
Harlequin ducks migrate to breed every spring.
Hucklberries are an important food source for Glacier’s bears.
Volunteers release Harlequin Ducks after marking them with geolocators.
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g din n u F ed ed lly e n ua n
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Half the Park Happens After Dark $30,500
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s the NPS celebrates its centennial anniversary, we reflect on the many “surprise values” that have arisen thanks to a century of protecting our nation’s natural heritage. One such value is the dark skies over national parks like Glacier. No unit of the National Park System was ever established specifically to protect dark skies, yet today we are discovering that parks have the darkest skies found anywhere in our nation – and these dark skies provide visitors with a window into some of the biggest questions we ask as human beings. This project provides support for one of the most popular interpretive programs in the park – an opportunity to look through a telescope at the wonders of the night sky (and our sun during the day) and to learn about why dark nights are important - not only to view wonderful celestial objects, but as critical periods for many animal and plant species, not to mention directly connected to human health and well-being.
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GLACIER: The Crown of the Continent
Astronomy education programs are attended by 30,000 visitors each year at Apgar and St. Mary and this year’s official Dark Sky Designation will draw even more people to enjoy Glacier’s dark skies. The park also hosts star parties at Logan Pass with the help of the Big Sky Astronomy Club. Additionally, this project plans the installation of a dome at the St. Mary Visitor Center that will permanently hold two telescopes. This will allow for better use of large scopes that won’t have to be set up each night. It will also allow for other types of in-depth viewing programs with visitors and school groups. This location will be in partnership with The Starships Project - part of a worldwide network of small, public observatories that share information and experiences via the internet and traditional media.
The Milky Way NPS / Jacob W. Frank
SUSTAINABLE GLACIER G
lacier National Park is often cited as one of the National Park Service’s most visible examples of changes due to a shifting climate. Shortened winter seasons and warmer temperatures are undeniable conditions that impact the park’s glaciers and wildlife habitats. The increased variability of weather throughout the year has resulted in recent extreme events involving wildfire, floods, and avalanches. Such variability present numerous challenges for Glacier’s environment, the historic hotels, the iconic Going to the Sun Road, and over 700 miles of hiking trails.
The park is responding to climate change in four ways: mitigating for carbon emissions, adapting to the impacts of climate change, undertaking research to understand how climate change will impact complex systems, and communicating about climate change impacts and the NPS response to the millions of visitors that come to the park each year.
A cyclist rides along McDonald Creek NPS / Jacob W. Frank
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Help Glacier National Park Become a Leader in Sustainability for the Flathead Valley & Beyond $50,000
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lacier National Park has served as the “poster child” for warning of the impacts of climate change, because of it’s disappearing Glaciers, and yet the Park itself (and the surrounding communities) have not been able to meet the expectations of visitors when it comes to sustainability and green/eco practices. This funding will allow the park to begin to pursue the many green initiatives that Glacier has identified, to help us create a greener, more environmentally friendly park. It will also allow the park to work collaboratively with sustainability partners in the Flathead Valley to coordinate best practices and combine efforts. The National Park Service has a crucial role in demonstrating best practices in
conservation and sustainability. The park will work with the Glacier Gateway Climate Solutions Partnership, made up of individuals, municipalities, federal agencies and businesses within the Flathead Valley who are committed to improving sustainability practices and opportunities in our local community and beyond. A Sustainability Coordinator position will be dedicated to identifying park needs, look for opportunities to combine efforts and to educate the public on ways that sustainability investments can reduce overall operational costs and improve operational effectiveness. This position will help turn the focus of investment opportunities toward reducing operational costs, ultimately reducing
environmental impacts of the park and businesses throughout the Glacier community.
This project has been accepted for the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Great Fish Challenge. If you wish to support this project, please visit greatfishchallenge.org and donate directly to the Whitefish Community Foundation on behalf of the Glacier Conservancy prior to September 16.
Partners in Sustainability $50,000
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ecognizing climate change as the greatest threat to our youth’s future, advocacy and action for our planet is vital. To that end, the leadership and staff at Glacier National Park are working towards zero waste sustainability principles. The Whitefish Schools’ Center for Applied Sustainability is an innovative educational center providing interdisciplinary learning experiences for students in grades K-12 with a focus on agriculture, energy, natural resources and entrepreneurship. A greenhouse with energy systems, laboratories, gardens,
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Sustainable Glacier
orchards and an experimental forest engage and empower students through real-world platforms. This program will partner with the schools to coordinate education programs to develop ecologically literate and globally minded citizens. This partnership aims to create a model for schools and national parks across the United States. In the first year of this partnership, an Education Program Coordinator will re-
search, collaborate and assess the needs of both Glacier National Park and the Whitefish Schools. The coordinator will create curriculum and set future goals in the principles of sustainability, environmental education and stewardship. The coordinator will also work together with the Climate Solutions Partnership to develop a shared sustainability plan that can be implemented by organizations throughout the Flathead Valley.
REDUCING SOUND POLLUTION IN THE BACKCOUNTRY $13,000
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t the present time, park staff operates gas-powered tools such as chainsaws to complete a wide range of necessary jobs throughout the park’s backcountry. The funds from this grant would replace older model gas-powered tools with quiet, low or zero emissions battery operated tools, which will not only be more environmentally friendly, but also greatly improve backcountry visitors’ wilderness experience.
Implementing Waterton-Glacier International Dark Sky Designation $46,560
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n 2016, the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park will receive provisional status as the world’s first International Transboundary Dark Sky Preserve - a recognition three years in the making. The International Dark Sky Association will remove the provisional status once the two parks attain approximately 64% compliance with night-sky friendly light fixtures in each park. This project will replace approximately 200 non-dark-sky compliant lighting fixtures in Glacier with approved lighting. These fixtures promote a healthy night environment for the park’s numerous nocturnal species, provide a better vis(Left) The Northern Lights are often on display in the park and are more visible due to Glacier’s dark night skies.
itor experience, protect the dark night sky resource, and provide a safer park by controlling glare and directing lighting where it best serves its purpose instead of directing it up into the night sky. The replacement of current fixtures will also support the efforts of existing darksky programming by further improving the dark night sky views that visitors see during night-sky events.
Sustainable Glacier
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INSTALLING RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AT LOGAN PASS $102,000
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mproving the electrical system at the Logan Pass visitor center, one of the most heavily visited areas in the park, will help reduce sound pollution and demonstrate a commitment to sustainable energy options in every area of the park. This visitor center and associated buildings currently utilize electricity produced on site by internal, combustion-driven generators and photovoltaic panels. Current power demands exceed the capacity of the photovoltaic panels, subsequently needing the generators to be run much of the day. The park has made efforts to utilize quiet generators, but there still is a level of noise produced that disturbs visitors and detracts from the experience at Logan Pass.
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Sustainable Glacier
A variety of renewable energy options have been researched including solar, water and wind power, but none are feasible due to the weather extremes and potential wildlife impact. This project will increase the capacity of the photovoltaic system at Logan Pass and replace the internal-combustion, engine-driven generators with silent fuel-tcell technology. This change also will provide for battery protection and radio operations throughout the winter months. With the current system, the batteries are completely discharged by mid to late January. This leaves them susceptible to damage from freezing, and the park loses communication facilitated by the Logan Pass repeater. Â
Bringing Solar Power to the North Fork Ranger District $55,000
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urrently, the North Fork Ranger District is powered by two propane generators that run twenty-four hours a day, all year long. Park staff live and patrol the North Fork District all year in order to protect and monitor park resources, make visitor contacts and maintain facilities. The remoteness of the ranger station limits how electricity is generated. A sustainable, alternative power source will greatly improve the efficiency of operations, and decrease the carbon footprint of the constantly running generators. Specifically, a solar electrical system with battery storage would decrease fuel use, greenhouse gas produc-
tion and noise by 66% from the current system. This project would fund three pole-mounted solar arrays with 36 panels each, connected to a new battery bank that will store roughly three days of power for the ranger compound. The existing propane generators would remain as backup to the new solar system. The reduction in noise will benefit park residents, visitors and the local community by providing a more natural outdoor experience
(Below) When visitors arrive to the North Fork Ranger Station, they hear propane powered generators. This project would install a solar electrical system.
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GLACIER NATIONAL PARK: a child’s largest classroom
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pportunities to get out of the classroom and into a “high-impact� environment like Glacier National Park helps children to become curious about their natural surroundings and brings their lessons to life with hands-on activities. Formal education programs in the park have a long history dating back to the many schools who came on field trips in the 1960s-70s and stayed in the park dormitory rooms during the height of the bald eagle migrations every fall. For decades, university student-teachers, interns, and school-age classrooms have come to Glacier to help bring textbook concepts to life. Educators in the lo-
cal Glacier community and beyond have consistently demanded that the park help them to meet their educational objectives with field trip and virtual opportunities that relate to current resource issues. Today, these educational programs are not only still in demand but the requests are increasing due to the spotlight on its disappearing glaciers and the climate change research being conducted here. Currently, the curriculum-based educational programs provided are dependent on federal project appropriations, grants and partner-funding which changes from year to year.
Providing a Glacier Experience to Every Student in Northwest Montana $65,300
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field trip to Glacier National Park is often the highlight of a child’s school year. Each year, the demand for park field trips increases, and in 2016, there was a waiting list for schools to attend, especially on the east side of the park. Curriculum covers a wide range of subjects from animals and their habitat for first, and second-graders, to forest processes and fire ecology for third through fifth-graders. Middle and high school students can hike to Avalanche Lake or John’s Lake to learn about geology or help the park to collect and study data on “Plant Invaders” along Lower McDonald Creek. In winter, students learn about the role snow plays in our watershed. These programs directly engage students in learning about Glacier National Park and provide memories that last well into adulthood.
Glacier education field trips also provide internship opportunities for students interested in environmental education careers with the National Park Service. This project supports four interns who receive a weekly stipend, housing, uniforms and provides crucial on-the-job training for their degree requirements.
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Funding for this program is used for staffing, materials and supplies, including making all curriculum materials available on the park’s website.
Funding Transportation for School Field Trips $20,000
T ing d n d Fu ede ly ne nual an
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his project will provide funding for schools participating in Glacier National Park ranger and staff-led field trips to apply for travel grants. Increasingly, the schools who participate in park education programs are no longer able to pay for the buses and thus, cannot participate in the education programs. Approximately 30% of the schools registering for field trips also apply for a travel grant. The park is also seeing an increased interest in schools wanting to visit from a greater distance, visit-
Glacier National Park: A Child’s Largest Classroom
ing the park only if they are awarded a travel grant. This program ensures that approximately 2,500 students, teachers and chaperones are able to participate in Glacier field trips each year. This program is supported in part each year through the Smith’s Round Up for Glacier campaign. From June 26, through July 31, visit Smith’s in Columbia Falls or Kalispell and contribute to this project at checkout.
Studying Climate with Citizen Scientists Through STEM Education $50,000
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his new initiative creates a Citizen Science project centered on phenology (seasonal changes in flora and fauna) to increase the park’s capacity to involve youth in unique and educational park experiences. A curriculum-based program will introduce students to three STEM components: The science of how climate affects the timing of seasonal changes in local plants and animals; how technology, such as mobile-device apps, GPS units and computerized data processing programs, can assist scientists in field work; and how mathematics are applied to analyze data results that answer scientific questions.
This hands-on program will encourage youth to carefully observe their natural surroundings on field trips to the park using techniques that can be applied within their own schools and backyards. The data collected by youth and adult participants will be contributed to nationwide databases such as Project Budburst and the National Phenology Network. The result will allow park managers to gain insight from these databases into how climate is impacting our local flora and fauna.
In addition, this project will support the park’s entire Citizen Science program including the study of loons, mammals in the high country and invasive weeds.
Glacier National Park: A Child’s Largest Classroom
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Going the Distance: Ranger Education Programs Around the World $51,176
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he inspiration of Glacier National Park has no boundaries. It serves as a classroom both locally and around the world. This program acts as a pre-visit online classroom for students who have an upcoming park visit, and also offers ranger-led distance-learning to connect live with classrooms. Up to 750 students will be reached in the first year of this program. Studies have demonstrated that pre-visit lessons improve student behavior and learning on field trips. Rangers are not always available to travel to schools to help teach the curriculum, and not all teachers have the knowledge and time to prepare lessons in advance of the field trips. Distance learning provides an opportunity for rangers and staff to talk face-to-face with teachers before the trip. It also engages the students on what
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to expect, what they will learn and how they can be prepared for their field trips. Furthermore, there is national and even international demand from teachers to be able to have their students communicate “virtually� with rangers and staff. This would provide a Glacier education to students around the world who are unable to come to the park itself and connect with the living laboratory that is Glacier National Park. The funds from this grant will be used to finish outfitting the distance-learning studio, fund the staffing and training for the distance-learning curriculum, as well as a high-speed Internet connection to allow the park to connect with schools using Skype.
Glacier National Park: A Child’s Largest Classroom
Connecting the Next Generation of Park Stewards to Glacier $45,300
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he need to connect today’s youth with the outdoors and the natural resources of public lands is considered one of the top five critical issues facing the National Park Service. This program will fund stipends for two local teachers to spend their summers teaching 10,000 kids and their families within the park. In the fall, they will take their training and experience back to their classrooms to be integrated into their curriculum. This program, referred to as Teacher-Ranger-Teacher, is a winwin for Glacier and the local school community. It provides a meaningful professional development opportunity for teachers and provides the park with skilled staff to offer youth-based programming both within the park and in local classrooms.
To support the program, this grant will also expand the Junior Ranger program, a national program designed to engage youth in the parks. Included in the expansion of this program will be the development of children’s lending libraries in two campgrounds, as well as an interactive display and awards station intended to reach more diverse young audiences. If funding for this project is not secured, formal children’s programs will not be available resulting in decreased opportunities for youth engagement and a reduction in the number and quality of visitor services.
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Glacier National Park: A Child’s Largest Classroom
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Young Montana Naturalist Week $6,000
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mmersing children in outdoor experiences are an important early step in creating lifelong stewards of the wilderness. Young Montana Naturalist Week will encourage students to develop a meaningful and lasting relationship with their public lands while also reducing their dependency on screens and technology for enjoyment.
In partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Missoula, this program will connect youth with the natural and cultural resources of Glacier National Park through on-trail education, scientific inquiry and creative expression. 24 middle school youth will spend five days in the park learning about water quality and testing, carnivore ecology, geology and glaciology, plant ecology and identification, and cultural history. Children learn to closely examine their natural surroundings during the Young Montana Naturalist Week.
Investing in Teachers: A Forest for Every Classroom $33,300
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n 1999, a unique collaboration of partners comprised of National Park Service Conservation Study Institute, Shelburne Farms, National Wildlife Federation, USDA Forest Service and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park came together with a common vision: If students are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of their own “place” they will be more eager to learn and become involved in the stewardship of their communities and public lands. As a result, they developed a “Forest for Every Classroom.”
Flathead National Forest and Glacier National Park will form a partnership through this program to implement the “Forest for Every Classroom” teacher professional development program from 2017-2019. The two agencies will bring a one-year professional training experience to teachers focused on place-based education in and about local forest areas focusing on the Flathead watershed. During the year-long program, 18-20 educators are provided with the knowledge, skills and mentoring necessary to
Teachers learn about how the glaciers carved our landscape.
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revitalize their curriculum with effective and engaging learning opportunities using nearby public lands and forested landscapes as their classrooms. Educators develop their own individualized curriculum integrating concepts of ecology, sense of place, land management and stewardship, service learning and civics, increasing student literacy skills while also enhancing student understanding and appreciation for public lands and forests in and near their own communities.
TRAINING FUTURE PARK LEADERS
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ark rangers are the public face of our nation’s precious natural resources. There are a wide range of skill sets required, from educating the public to supporting and implementing conservation efforts that preserve and protect the park. Many of these skills cannot be easily taught in a classroom and require hands-on experience in order to qualify for positions within the National Park Service. Glacier offers a variety of both paid and volunteer programs for high school and college-age students to get summer experience leading educational programs, performing citizen science surveys, working with professional trail crews that provide a lasting benefit to the park and significant work experience for those interested in future careers with the park service.
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Interpretive Youth Internship Program $30,000
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s the National Park Service looks forward to the next century, one of the goals is to engage youth as the next generation of park leaders. This project provides funding and offsets support costs for eight student interns in the Division of Interpretation. These positions will provide unique professional development opportunities for college students and recent graduates that will enhance interpretive skills and provide an improved understanding of visitor services.
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These positions offer valuable support for frontline interpretive and curriculum-based programs, at visitor centers and roving details while providing valuable experience and skill development for the interns. Interpretive staff training and professional development opportunities are essential to providing the public and other stakeholders with current and accurate natural/cultural history information and support resources. The program also builds a foundation for interpretive staff to provide opportunities for meaningful connections between park resources and the visiting public. Seasonal training extends over three weeks with additional professional development and cross-training sessions integrated throughout the summer.
Feedback and mentoring provided by supervisors enables the interns to refine their skills and ensure the quality of visitor services expected in the NPS. Stipend-based internships identified in this project are not eligible for government funding and need to be funded through partner sources only.
Glacier Youth Conservation Corps:
Delivering Hands-On Experiences for the Park’s Next Generation of Stewards $40,000
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he Glacier Youth Corps strives to increase opportunities for youth to serve within Glacier National Park and to deepen their understanding of public lands. Each year youth and young adults ages 15-24 are invited to Glacier National Park to work on projects that include trail maintenance, monitoring of sensitive species, weed elimination and rehabilitation of historic structures. The partnership engages one of the country’s premier youth development organizations, the Montana Conservation Corps, and creates a mechanism for participants to translate their knowl-
edge and passion for the environment into valuable work experience with opportunities to work together on conservation projects of lasting benefit to the park. This program also strives to reach under-served and urban communities to create a deeper connection with Glacier and inspire the future stewards of our public lands.
these opportunities for young adults to work together on conservation projects of lasting benefit to the park, the participants have the opportunity to translate their knowledge and passion for the environment into valuable work experience. Â
The Glacier Youth Corps is able to complete a variety of projects including trail work and scientific data collection that enhance the visitor experience and helps preserve both natural and cultural resources in the park. In providing
Veterans volunteer corps: Transitioning from the Military to the Park Service $14,000
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he veteran volunteer corps is a new project that aims to bring together a crew of volunteer veterans with valuable military trades alongside necessary Glacier National Park projects. For two weeks they will work on a variety of projects throughout the park. This program is in partnership with the Montana Conservation Corps who are responsible for the recruitment and training of this crew. In providing this opportunity for veterans to work on conservation projects, they will gain additional valuable work experience and be provided with the necessary skills to be competitive for jobs within the National Park Service. This opportunity is
a means for veterans to reconnect with nature and find solitude while continuing to serve their country in a different capacity. The veterans will assist on a variety of projects including trail maintenance, research for Citizen Science and preservation of historic structures. All of these projects will create a positive impact on the visitors and the resources at Glacier National Park.
Training Future Park Leaders
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Creating a safe & enjoyable park experience
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ith 2.3 million people venturing into Glacier each year, ensuring the safety of each visitor is of the utmost importance to park staff. From ensuring durable trail surfaces for people of all abilities or educating the public about water, wildlife or road safety, ongoing funding is necessary to provide a safe experience, whichever area of the park you choose to visit.
Creating a Pedestrian Boardwalk Over Avalanche Creek $15,332
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he Federal Highways Administration is poised to build an accessible pedestrian bridge over Avalanche Creek near the Going-to-the-Sun Road. A total of 250 feet of elevated boardwalk sections are needed on either end of the bridge to tie in with the existing Trail of the Cedars Boardwalk. FHWA is providing all materials as well as equipment and labor to install the bridge. This project will fund the labor to install the boardwalk sections. The resulting bridge will eliminate pedestrian congestion along the Going-to-the-Sun Road near the existing Avalanche Creek vehicle bridge. Pedestrians currently cross the creek on the same bridge with vehicles. This project will construct a separate foot bridge over the creek completing the Trail of the Cedars loop.
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Safe & Enjoyable Park Experience
Providing Access for All at Many Glacier’s Swiftcurrent Lake Trail $98,874
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he 2.5 mile Swiftcurrent Lake Trail in the popular Many Glacier Valley not only has spectacular views, but has minimal grade variance and can be accessed from the Many Glacier Hotel as well as the Grinnell picnic area. These attributes make it a great choice as an accessible trail. In 2011 the first 1,300 feet leaving the Grinnell picnic area were made accessible. The second phase is set to take place August of 2016 by making the first 1,400 feet from the hotel along the east shore accessible. This project will be the third phase and continues along the east shore of Swiftcurrent Lake.
surface, are environmentally friendly, and have excellent longevity and ease of maintenance. Though trail locations and transportation of materials make these types of projects expensive and labor intensive, these projects set the stage for eventual continuation around the entire Swiftcurrent Lake. The long-term intent would connect the eventual accessibility of Swiftcurrent Lake Trail with the boat dock located at the north end of Josephine Lake. Â
The biggest challenge in the past has been sustainability of the accessible tread itself. After considerable market research, native material-based products have been located that provide a great accessible Safe & Enjoyable Park Experience
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Glacier Park Bear Management Fund:
Protecting Bears and Visitors in Real Time $6,000
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ith nearly 300 grizzly bears, Glacier National Park is home to the highest density of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. Add in about 600 black bears and over 2 million human visitors per year, and the stage is set for a challenging management situation. Glacier has risen to the challenge and has one of the most successful bear management programs in the world. Visitor injury rates and property damage rates are exceedingly low and declining. Property damage claims are nearly non-existent. Furthermore, levels of human-caused bear mortality are also low. On average, less than one bear per year is removed due to management concerns. This sterling record of success does not come without cost. Examples of annual expenditures are: non-lethal aversive conditioning rounds, pamphlets, signs, decals, darts, repairs to culvert traps, new or refurbished radio collars, oxygen, intravenous fluids, volunteer and seasonal staff, and helicopter service. Occasionally, contract work is required for focused aversive conditioning efforts. Conservancy funding has now established a bear management fund to help defray these ongoing costs but needs additional funds to be fully seeded in case of emergencies. Â
This project will provide funds for park staff to handle potential emergency bear responses including contracts for Karelian Bear Dogs.
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Safe & Enjoyable Park Experience
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Improving Bear Safety Information in Campgrounds $9,842
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roper food storage in picnic areas and campgrounds is critically important for the welfare of park bears and the safety of park visitors. This is probably the most important safety message we provide in the park.
This project will provide high quality signs about appropriate food storage and human etiquette in bear country for every public picnic table in the park. Currently, the park has a paper sign that is stapled to each table. These are quickly removed by campers or the wind, look unprofessional, and do not communicate this important information in an effective manner.
These improved signs will help reduce improper food storage and protect inquisitive bears from “getting into troubleâ€? in park picnic areas and campgrounds. Â
Visitor information in Print & on the Web $52,800
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his project funds the production of 16 publications, totaling more than 700,000 copies. For a basic cost of about 7.5 cents per copy, these publications provide key resource information to the visiting public. Without these publications visitors would be uninformed of basic park regulations and wildlife safety concerns.
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