2016 Annual Report Glacier National Park Conservancy

2016 ANNUAL REPORT

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK CONSERVANCY

PRESERVING GLACIER NATIONAL PARK FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

FROM OUR BOARD & STAFF On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the Glacier National Park Conservancy, we take great pride in presenting this Annual Report of our growth and accomplishments over the past year. We recognize and thank our many donors and friends committed to preserving this inspiring and historic place for generations to come.

2016 was a remarkable year, and not just due to the centennial celebrations of the National Park Service. The generosity of our donors and shoppers at our Park Stores has led us to significant funding milestones, allowing the Glacier Conservancy to fund a record number of projects and provide more financial support to the park than ever before in our history.

Every day Glacier National Park faces new challenges.

Whether it’s providing outdoor education for a growing population of school children who have never set foot in the wilderness before, managing the huge influx of visitors along the Going to the Sun Road in the brief summer months, or studying and responding to the impacts of climate change on the unique plants and animals throughout the Crown of the Continent, the challenges we face are more significant and the opportunities timelier.

Board of Directors

Mo Stein, Chairman John Donovan, Vice Chair Margaret Notley, Secretary Jeanette McKee, Treasurer Darrell Worm, Immediate Past Chair Lin Akey Zak Andersen Tom Bannigan Rick Bennet Carl Berry Leslie Breaux Karen Chickering Nick Chickering Nicole Donester Abbie Milisci Greg Olson Susan Hay Patrick Tony Patterson Joe Raudabaugh John Repke Cathy Stein Jeannine Trousdale

The park continues to reach out and ask for help.

You continue to answer.

Staff

While a simple thank you does not seem adequate, please accept our deep gratitude for your ongoing support. We pledge our energy toward even greater achievements. We are proud of the accomplishments each of you has made possible and look forward to your continued commitment to our partnership. We always appreciate your ideas and feedback.

Development

Nikki Eisinger, Director of Development Julie Daugherty, Director of Retail Barb Sieh, Director of Finance Amy Dempster, Director of Marketing & Communications

Linda Clark Lacy Kowalski Kristine Marvin Naomi Morrison

Retail

Amber Lundgren Tiffany Tyree Chris Walters Patti Johnson, Office Manager Becca Wheeler, Graphic Designer Mo Stein Chairman, Board of Directors

Nikki Eisinger Director of Development

National Park Friends Groups are working to support their parks every day. While private philanthropy should be the margin of excellence, often it is the margin of survival instead.

-Sally Jewell, August 25, 2016 On the cover: Preserving Glacier’s dark skies will be a priority theme for the Conservancy in 2017.

Photo credit: Jacob W. Frank, NPS

Former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell recognized the critical role of private philanthropy while celebrating the centennial of the National Park Service in Glacier. Her visit included hikes and meetings to see firsthand the effects of increased visitation and a changing climate.

YOUR SUPPORT IN 2016 FUNDED A RECORD-BREAKING

$2.2 MILLION IN GRANTS TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

46

TOTAL AID TO THE PARK

SINCE 2013

PROJECTS

$4,888,283

FUNDED

IN TOTAL AID

GLACIER NATIONAL

PARK

- Jeff Mow, Superintendent, Glacier National Park

“

“ $2.2M

Over the past four years, support from the Glacier National Park Conservancy has significantly contributed to our ability to care for our resources and provide outstanding visitor experiences. As we consider how to continue to preserve and protect the park with a 25% increase in visitation and the potential for significant cuts to our budget and staffing in the coming year, the necessity of philanthropy is critical.

2016 FINANCIAL STATEMENT * 2016 P&L ($ in ,000s)

Total Giving

$2,382

Sales & other income

$3,489

Ordinary Revenue

$5,871

Total Expenses

$1,581

operating income

$2,262

Estate Gifts (one time)

$1,134

Total Revenue

$7,005

release of grants

$2,200

Net Profit Administrative & General Costs (2015 990)

$63 14%

PRESERVATION 58.35% research 9.38% education 32.27%

2016 GRANTS TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

statements of the Glacier National Park Conservancy are audited annually. Copies of the complete audited financial statements are available online at glacier.org. Final audited numbers for * Financial 2016 will be available in May 2017.

Your donations provide the first glacier experience for many local students Teacher Spotlight: Melaina Ames, Hedges Elementary in Kalispell

Melaina Ames has been bringing her classes on field trips to Glacier National Park for 12 years. These trips bring classroom material to life with outdoor education.

Although she provides hands-on science labs at school, she finds it difficult for students to appreciate the intricacies of an ecosystem without spending time in one.

“While we were hiking along Lake McDonald we encountered a mule deer who was feasting on the fungi that were prolific due to the wet conditions. I had never seen a deer eating mushrooms and it made a huge impression on many of my students who went on to write about it after the field trip,” said Melaina.

Even living this close to the park, for many children this is their first visit to Glacier.

Teacher Spotlight: Melaina Ames (right)

Creston School visits Glacier National Park: Photo Credit Jacob W. Frank

Blackfoot Glacier Sampling: Photo Credit USGS

Glacier’s stoneflies recommended for federal protection through your support Researcher Spotlight: Joe Giersch & Clint Muhlfeld, USGS Scientists Most visitors arrive at Glacier National Park eager to see things much larger than themselves: a mountain goat, a bighorn sheep, and the towering mountains.

If you squint hard the next time you’re looking at those mountains, you might spot USGS aquatic ecologists Joe Giersch and Clint Mulfeld perched alongside an alpine stream, looking for some of the tiniest residents of the park: the meltwater and western glacier stoneflies.

Glacier’s stoneflies are very sensitive to changes in water quality and temperature.

These two particular species adapted to live in very cold alpine streams fed by glaciers.

Climate change induced loss of their habitat may result in their extinction.

“Support from the Glacier Conservancy has been integral to our research. We were able to purchase new temperature loggers to monitor stream temperature changes at study sites and pay for cutting-edge DNA analysis of insect specimens”, said Joe. As a result, the scientists recently published the first comprehensive evaluation of the current status, distribution and habitat requirements of these stoneflies.

In part, due to this research project and publication of their paper, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently recommended federal protection of these stoneflies under the Endangered Species Act.

Stonefly: Photo Credit USGS

why we give: Your donations make Waterton-Glacier the world’s first international dark sky park Donor Spotlight: John & Dana Donovan, Essex, Montana

John & Sarah Graves, Oklahoma

Glacier’s popular trail of the cedars rehabilitated by donors like you Donor Spotlight: John & Sarah Graves Donors John and Sarah Graves love the many beautiful spaces in their home state of Oklahoma, but Glacier’s grandeur continues to astound them on every visit.

The Graves are long time donors who have chosen to support major improvements in the Trail of the Cedars and associated facilities for the past three years. This trail was one of the first accessible trails completed by the National Park Service in the 1930’s and is now one of the busiest destinations in Glacier.

A measured, contemplative journey through The Trail of The Cedars can be magical. Sarah and I hope to help ensure that it is magical no matter whether on foot or in a wheelchair.

-John Graves Through the Graves’ support, the trail itself was returned to a fully accessible status in 2015 and this spring, the restrooms in the area that are shared by the Avalanche Campground will be fully rehabilitated, making it usable for all visitors on the trail and in the campground. Also in 2017, a new pedestrian bridge will be built over Avalanche Creek, eliminating the pedestrian congestion along the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Trail of the Cedars: Photo Credit, Glacier Jacob W. Frank

At a time when light pollution prevents 80% of Americans from being able to see the Milky Way and all but a very few stars, the dark sky environment preserved in Glacier-Waterton has become another sort of endangered species. By changing out the light fixtures in both parks to confine the light to where it is needed, Glacier and Waterton are working to preserve one of America’s few remaining truly dark sky places.

John and Dana Donovan want to ensure that future generations will still be able to experience the wonder of a naturally dark night sky.

“Glacier’s dark skies offer magical night sky experiences for park visitors. Here’s an endangered resource whose preservation is truly within our reach. Through our current funding and our inclusion of the Conservancy in our estate plan, we can help preserve that resource and fund the park’s’ popular astronomy programs so that generations of future visitors can see that half of the park really does happen after dark,” said John.

Dana & John Donovan, Board Member, Montana

The preliminary designation of Glacier-Waterton as the world’s first trans-boundary dark sky park is just the beginning. Over the next three years, hundreds of light fixtures throughout the park still need to be replaced with lighting that directs the light only where it is needed and promotes a healthy night environment for nocturnal species.

Donations to the Glacier Conservancy continue to fund this work and the park’s astronomy education program that is enjoyed by 30,000 visitors each year. Both solar and nighttime viewing is available at Apgar and St. Mary, and popular Star Parties are held at Logan Pass each summer.

These programs would not be possible without your support.

Leaving a lasting legacy in the backcountry Donor Spotlight: David K., Minnesota After personally volunteering thousands of hours over ten years to work in Glacier’s backcountry, David was intimately familiar with the park’s most urgent needs across these most remote areas.

As a result, he has created an endowment specifically to support backcountry projects throughout Glacier. In addition he has provided funding for two vehicles for use by the backcountry ranger team for the past two years.

“Preserving the natural world is more important to modern civilization than ever,” said David. “It is the underpinning of being a human being and explains our spiritual nature. Protecting this wilderness is the idea that the National Park Service was founded on and in today’s economically driven world, this is of utmost importance to me.”

Kyle Johnson, the park’s Wilderness Specialist says, “David and I worked together to find a solution to our huge annual expense of transportation for backcountry volunteers.

Without this endowment, providing the basics for our volunteers would be a struggle”.

Whether you share a monetary or in-kind donation or volunteer your time and talents, David’s story demonstrates that there are many valuable ways to leave a lasting legacy in Glacier.

in 2016, the park Accomplished the Following donor Supported work PRESERVATION PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

1400 feet of accessible trail added to the Swiftcurrent Lake Trail Hidden Lake Trail improved and rerouted to reduce future closures due to bear activity 2 new alternative fuel shuttle buses for the Going-to-the-Sun Road 2 bicycle trailers to provide a visitor shuttle during Hiker/Biker season 99 volunteers pulled over 600 pounds of invasive weeds New viewing platform and trail improvements at Appekunny Falls Trail improvements at Two Medicine Lake and Scenic Point by Blackfeet Youth Academy

EDUCATION

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

6 interns hired to provide education to 36,000 visitors while learning valuable on-the-job training for future careers 2 Teacher-Ranger-Teachers provided four family-friendly programs during the summer months for 6,500 visitors 41 schools received transportation grants for field trips to the park 18 teachers participated in a week-long workshop focused on climate change and cultural resources 4 Logan Pass star parties and daily astronomy education programs were offered at St. Mary and Apgar Visitor Centers 90 Native America Speaks presentations provided by members of local tribes 3 tipis created and erected in Two Medicine in partnership with the Blackfeet tribe and local schools

RESEARCH

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

4 Harlequin Ducks were fitted with geolocators and transmitters as part of an international project studying the changing habitat of this species of concern

Samples collected from 272 streams to assess habitat requirements for two stoneflies, now listed as “threatened” due to climate-change induced habitat loss

187 citizen scientists completed 375 loon surveys

many glacier hotel lobby This summer, the final phase of a multi-year project to rehabilitate the Many Glacier Hotel will be complete. Thanks to both public and private funding including the generous support of Pendleton and an anonymous donor, two of the most prominent historic features will be restored to the hotel lobby–the original double-helix staircase and reproductions of the dramatic “Orient Express” light fixtures originally installed by James J. Hill in the 1930’s.

Many Glacier Hotel Lobby: The original Helical Staircase

Bark Ranger gracie Reported For Duty at Logan Pass Gracie is a border collie trained to safely move wildlife to the 25-yard distance required for safe viewing while still allowing visitors the once-ina-lifetime experience of seeing the animals up close at Logan Pass. Then, Gracie and her handler, Natural Resources Program Manager Mark Biel, interact with the visitors to talk more about the goats and sheep and why it’s important to keep a safe distance around wild animals.

Media stories featured this program in all of the local news outlets. In addition, the story was featured nationally on NPR’s Morning Edition, Outside Magazine and the Huffington Post. Gracie met Montana Governor Steve Bullock at our Backpacker’s Ball and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell at Logan Pass on the National Park Service Centennial.

Gracie also has her own Instagram account: @barkrangernps and has amassed nearly 12,000 followers.

This partnership between the park and the Conservancy was recently honored by the Public Lands Alliance for the Partner’s Choice Award, celebrating the best in partnerships on public lands.

Glacier’s most famous new employee Bark Ranger Gracie reports for duty at Logan Pass

Connect with us Online at glacier.org

thank you to all our donors for your support! $50,000+ Anonymous Anonymous BNSF Railway Foundation

Waterton­-Glacier International Peace Park Association Darrell Worm & Karen Leigh

Greg & Kelli Gillingham

Todd & Deborah Williams

Missoula Sunrise Rotary Club

Glacier Guides, Inc.

Howard & Patricia Wilson

James & Beth Ann Nickelson

Glacier Restaurant Group

Christopher & Cheryl Zabel

Nursery Place, LLC

Alan & Sallie Gratch

John & Marilyn Olson

John & Jean Grove

$500 - $999

Richard & Karen Allen

Helen & James Hamilton

Anonymous

Chad & Carrie Parker

Richard & Lavonne Bennet

Walt Handschin

Motoko Aizawa

James Pine

Frederick Bentz

Joy Hargett

Tran & Barb Alfrey

Hugh & Theresa Reilly

Leslie Breaux

Kelly Harrington

Michael Altese

Therese & Norbert Reis

John & Patricia Case

Katie & Alan Heibein

Fritz Asche

The Oberkoetter­-Richardson Family/

William & Jennifer Cassidy

Helena Rotary Foundation

Glenn Ballard

Renaissance Charitable Foundation

Thomas O. Brown Foundation

Charter Communications

Wilson & Charlotte Higgs

Michael & Kristi Barham

Linda & Justin Ries

Carolyn & Buzz Crutcher

Louis & Kathrine Hill

David Benson

Mike Rihner

$25,000 ­$49,999

Davidson Family Foundation

Marc Hochman

Big Dipper Ice Cream

James & Jenette Roberge

Nicole and Don Donester

Mary Hoolsema

Stephen Bockhold & Annmarie Geniusz

Mary & Mark Robertson

Dorrance Family Foundation

John & Sonya Hunt

Ralph & Elizabeth Bremigan

Sheila K. Salyer

Eddie Bauer

James & Wanda Hollensteiner Foundation

Kenneth & Karen Buchi

Perri Schelat

James & Linda Farley

Denis Johnston

Charlotte & Edward Wheeler Foundation

Tad & Eileen Smith

Whitefish Community Foundation

Fun Beverage, Inc.

Lisa & Marcus Kelley

Karen Christian & Richard Wenstrup

Kenneth & Muffin Spielman

Gardner’s RV & Trailer Center

Sonja Keohane

Clearwater Montana Properties

Rosanne & Robert Stocker

$10,000 -­ $24,999

Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission

James & Barbara Keppel

Jenny & Bill Colman

Tolleson Management LP

Glacier Payments, Inc

Ronald & Margaret Kimmet

Mary Stewart Ramsey Family Charitable

Ned R. Tomsheck

Klorfine Foundation

Kirby Inland Marine

Fund/Community Foundation of North Texas

Victor Tortorelli & Kathryn Hayes

Mark Mance & Katie Callahan

Bill and Laurie Klein

Donald & Marjory Crawford

David & Jeannine Trousdale

Steven & Sara Marquardt

John Kramer

John & Felice Crocker

Gordon & Janet Tsuchiya

Jerry & Rhona Meislik

Franklyn Kraus

Elizabeth & Brian Dillon

Michael Tumey

Mark & Mary Ann Miller

Joseph & Renee Lozon

William & Paulette Docktor

Joan & Robert Wellman

Baker & Mary Montgomery

Jesse & Gaylynn Lynch

Jacqueline Dyer & Keith Hammonds

Maria Wheeler

Nemacheck Family Foundation

Kirk MacKenzie

Brian Finneran

Henry Wilson

Northwestern Energy

Idelle Manning

First Interstate Bank Billings

Robert & Joli Wilson

Victoria Reich

Karen Maurer

Flathead Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Joseph Wollack

John & Beth Repke

Libby & Murray McCabe

Flow397

Suzanne Woo

Dean Robbins

Bruce & Karen McCaul

Donald & Mary Ann Garner

Randy & Susan Woods

Soka Piiwa Foundation

James R. McDonald

Dave Gezon

Earl & Joan Zinkham

Don & Lisa Stephenson

James & Elizabeth McDonald

Glacier Outfitters

Ed & Shirley Sullivan

Gregory & Dana McGowan

Kathryn Glas

Teck Resources Limited

Randy & Teresa Minchew

Richard & Cheryl Gordon

Whitefish Credit Union

Montana Shirt Co.

Michael Hannan

Nicola Opdycke

Kathryn Hayes & Victor Tortorelli

Oro y Plata Foundation

Joel Hester

Special thanks to these supporters for their substantial in­-kind gifts:

Anonymous

Parks Project

Jill Hirsh

Anderson Zurmuehlen

Lin & Kathy Akey

Tony & Marylou Patterson

Robert Holland

Big Hairy Dog Information Systems

Anderson Zurmuehlen

Susan Hay Patrick

Rory Holscher

Brunswick Group, LLC

Robin Wheeler Azqueta & Norberto Azqueta

William & Ann Payne

Gail Holt

Charter Communications

Stephen & Jane Baldock

Julie Piepenkotter

Robert & Patricia Huberty

Daily Inter Lake

Carol Bibler & Jim Watson

Ryan Pyle

Thomas Hughes III

Delta Airlines

Mac & Patricia Binger

Jack & Mary Rader

Frederic & Cecilia Jenkins

Eisinger Honda

Jennifer Blakely

Richard & Nancy Nicholson Fund

John Jensen

Glacier Bear Retreat

The Bohne Family

Rocky Mountain Transportation Inc

Brian Johnson

Great Northern Printing

Scott & Rebecca Bracewell

Rotary Club of Kalispell Daybreak

Robert Johnson

Green Valley Ranch

Paul & Sally Bradshaw

Rotary Club of Lethbridge East

Johnson, Berg & Saxby, PLLP

Hike734

Ellen Brennan

The SahanDaywi Foundation

Mona & Jack Jones

Montana Athletic Club

George Bristol

Michelle & Tom Shahriari

Monica Jungster & Chuck Brasen

Nancy Cawdrey Studio & Gallery

Pamela Caraway

Charlotte Sine

Linda & Sidney Kleiger

Sportsman & Ski Haus

Stephen & Kelly Clark

Jim Streeter

William & Jennifer Koch

Swan Mountain Outfitters, LLC

The Kroger Co. Foundation

Steven & Linda Swartley

Molly Lenhart

The Party Store

Thomas & Gail Colman

Bob & Liza Tamashunas

Jean Light

Tarbell’s

August Dessel

The HealthCenter

Bill & Diane Lundgren

Tagen Vine

Marie Dix

The Huckleberry Patch

John & Karen Lynch

Thomas & Lucinda Downing

Richard Tigner

Sandi Lynch

William & Rusty Duvall

Carol Timmis

Richard & Jean Lynch

John & Patricia Endicott

Ann Yvonne Wagner

Paula Martin

The Erich & Hannah Sachs Foundation

Bill Moore & Mary Wagner

Julie Martinson

Matthew & Mary Ellen Estes

Todd Weaver

Bradley & Barbara Massam

First Interstate Bank

Kendall Wheeler & Sam Chew

Parker Massman

Peter & Jenifer Flynn

The George B. & Oma E. Wilcox & Gibbs M.

Bob & Julie Mattson

Marshall & Kathy Friedman

& Catherine W. Smith Charitable Foundation

Margaret McCaul & Peter Cabban

John & Sarah Graves Pendleton Woolen Mills /National Park Foundation REI Missoula Steve Samuel & Donna Hathaway Robert Sanders The Windmill Foundation, Inc.

Thomas & Louise Bannigan Climate Ride John & Dana Donovan Philip Jackson

Zak & Susie Andersen Anonymous Joe & Lana Batts Janet Brandt Karen & Nick Chickering The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation Glacier Park, Inc. Jeanette & Mike McKee Abbie & Chris Milisci Kathie Priebe Joseph & Beverly Raudabaugh Sperry Chalet, Belton Chalets, Inc Morris & Catherine Stein Subaru of America, Inc Priscilla Swanson Veverka Family Foundation Xanterra­-Glacier National Park Lodges Yellowstone 2 Yukon

$5,000 ­$9,999 Anonymous Diane Barlow & David Laney Carl & Linden Berry Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana California Notley Foundation Linda Cornutt Eisinger Auto Group Expedia, Inc First Interstate Bancsystem Foundation, Inc. Foundation for Community Vitality Glacier Bank Izaak Walton Inn Kootenai Resource Corporation Don & Kim Lindley Casey Malmquist & Natalie Johnson Montana Coffee Traders National Parks Conservation Association Greg & Cyndi Olson Tom & Teresa Quinn Jamie & Janna Shennan Rex & Ginna Short Fred Simmons Smith’s of Columbia Falls & Kalispell Sonja Tate Fred & Shelby Thompson Mr. and Mrs. William H. Walton, III

$2,500 ­- $4,999

$1,000 ­- $2,499

Park Side Federal Credit Union

LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY TO GLACIER BY INCLUDING THE GLACIER CONSERVANCY IN YOUR ESTATE PLAN. The Glacier National Park Conservancy works in partnership with Glacier National Park. Whether raising funds for the enhancement of park facilities, or spearheading research on species, the Glacier Conservancy is wholly dedicated to preserving the landscape, its unique history and experience of the park.

Glacier national park conservancy | PO Box 2749

|

Columbia Falls, MT 59912

|

406.892.3250

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glacier.org