Tag Archives: Glacier National Park

Future of Inside North Fork Road up for public review

News,

Glacier Park has put the problem of the Inside North Fork Road up for public comment. It’s pretty evident that the park would rather not spend the money necessary to fully repair the damaged sections. So, if you want the road to remain open, take advantage of the public comment period (July 1 – August 3) to explain why . . .

The fate of Glacier National Park’s least-known road is up for public review this summer.

The Inside North Fork Road parallels the better-known North Fork Road between Apgar and the Canadian border on the park’s west side. But it’s suffered from regular washouts, forest-fire burnovers and low priority for years. Since 2006, annual flooding has damaged several portions, especially near Anaconda Creek, Logging Creek and Quartz Creek.

A 2014 engineering study estimated repairs for those three areas at between $682,000 and $735,000. The repairs would place better drainage culverts and bridges, and reduce sedimentation into area creeks.

Read more . . .

Also see:

Management of the Inside North Fork Road project page

Scoping document and public comment link

Trapping restrictions imposed near Glacier & Yellowstone to aid lynx

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Trapping regulations have been tightened up around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks to avoid accidental lynx capture . . .

Montana wildlife officials have tightened trapping regulations outside Yellowstone and Glacier national parks to reduce the chances that threatened Canada lynx accidentally will be caught.

The changes include restrictions on the types of traps, snares and bait that can be used in special protection zones outside the parks

State wildlife commissioners approved the changes on a 3-1 vote Thursday. Commissioner Gary Wolfe of Missoula cast the dissenting vote, Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim said.

Read more . . .

Researcher studying huckleberries in Glacier Park

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Here’s an interesting article on huckleberry research in Glacier Park . . .

Tabitha Graves can’t say this will be a bad year for huckleberries, even though four of the five sites she is monitoring in the West Glacier area show berry production is down 75 percent to 95 percent from last year. But the fifth is showing the same number of berries as 2014, when a bumper crop was produced after a wet, cool spring.

And Graves, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, doesn’t yet know what the huckleberry crop at higher elevations – where bushes are just popping out from under snow – will be like this summer.

“It could still be a great year if the berries at the higher elevations grow,” Graves says.

Read more . . .

Community meetings scheduled to share info about Glacier Park

News,

Glacier Park has two community meetings scheduled to share information and gain community feedback. The closer of the two is Wednesday, June 3, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Teakettle Community Hall in Columbia Falls.

Here’s the press release . . .

Glacier National Park is hosting two community meetings to share information about park activities and provide an opportunity for personal dialogue between park leadership and local community members and neighbors. The first meeting will take place Tuesday, June 2 at 4-5:30 p.m. at the St. Mary Visitor Center Auditorium in St. Mary, and a second meeting will be Wednesday, June 3, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Teakettle Community Hall in Columbia Falls.

The format of the meetings will include presentations by Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow and other members of the park leadership team. Following the presentations, there will be a question and answer period and opportunity for informal conversations.

Topics of presentation and discussion will include rehabilitation of the Going-to-the-Sun Road and related activities, spring plowing and snow removal operations, entrance fee increases, Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, Many Glacier Hotel 100th Anniversary and projected work activities at the hotel, and National Park Service Centennial.

Community members are encouraged to attend and learn more about what’s happening at the park.

2015 Citizen Science opportunities at Glacier Park

News, ,

From the official press release . . .

The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park will continue its Citizen Science Program this summer, offering free research and learning opportunities for the public.

The program trains individuals to identify, observe, and record information on mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pikas, aquatic insects, loons, and invasive plants in Glacier National Park. These species have been targeted because of their sensitivity to changes in habitat, human disturbances and, in the case of invasive plants, their threat to native biodiversity. Participants are asked to attend a one-day training session before collecting data for a project.

High Country Citizen Science
Observe mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pikas, and aquatic insects at selected sites to assist with population and distribution estimates. These species are habitat and temperature sensitive and may be affected by climate change. Monitoring takes place June through October. Training Dates: June 12, June 19, or July 2

Common Loon Citizen Science
Gather information on the distribution and reproduction of common loons to understand more about population trends and nesting success. Glacier National Park is home to about 20% of Montana’s breeding Common Loons. Monitoring takes place May through September.
Training Date: May 22, June 18, June 26, or July 9

Invasive Plant Citizen Science
Learn to identify five targeted invasive plants and use GPS units to map their locations while hiking along trails in Glacier National Park. Monitoring takes place June through September. Interested invasive plant citizen science participants can be trained in one of two ways:
1. Complete online training session at http://www.crownscience.org/getinvolved/citizen-science/noxious-weeds.
2. Attend annual weed blitz on Tuesday, July 21. Participants will assist Glacier National Park by pulling targeted weeds.

Additional training sessions for any of the programs may be scheduled based on interest.

 

Since 2005, the Glacier National Park Citizen Science Program has utilized trained citizen scientists to collect baseline population data on species of interest within the park. Training is provided to participants to inform them of threats to native plants and wildlife that may result from human disturbance, climate change, and invasive species. Perhaps most importantly, the Citizen Science Program helps create an informed group of visitors involved in active stewardship of Glacier National Park.

Please contact the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at 406-888-7986 to register for training or for more information, or visit http://www.crownscience.org/getinvolved/citizen-science.

Funding and support for the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center’s Citizen Science Program is provided by the Glacier National Park Conservancy. The Glacier National Park Conservancy, a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is the official non-profit fundraising partner of Glacier National Park by providing support for preservation, education, and research through philanthropy and outreach. Visit http://glacierconservancy.org/ for more information about the Conservancy.

Montana looking at tighter trapping restrictions near Glacier and Yellowstone

Environmental Issues, News, , , , ,

Montana FWP wants to tighten trapping rules near national parks to protect Canada Lynx . . .

Montana wildlife officials are considering stricter regulations in an effort to reduce the chances of Canada lynx being caught in traps set for other animals outside Glacier and Yellowstone national parks.

The plan presented to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday is part of a settlement agreement in a lawsuit filed in 2013 by three environmental groups over trapping in the threatened species’ habitat.

Several of the settlement’s statewide restrictions are already in place, but additional changes are needed in special zones near Yellowstone National Park and a wider area outside Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks attorney Aimee Fausser said.

Read more . . .

Presentation Monday on wolverines in Glacier National Park

Environmental Issues, News,

From the official press release . . .

The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a brown-bag luncheon presentation about wolverines in the park by Dr. John Waller on Monday, May 18, from 12 – 1 p.m. at the park’s community building in West Glacier.

Dr. John Waller is the park’s carnivore ecologist and has been actively seeking to expand knowledge about wolverines in Glacier National Park. Wolverines are one of the least studied animals in the United States. Research indicates that Glacier National Park has the largest reproducing population in the lower 48 states.

The Glacier National Park Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center hosts brown-bag lectures throughout the year. Learn more about the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at http://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/ccrlc.htm.

Glacier Park wants comments on Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan

News,

As mentioned in an earlier post here, Glacier Park has developed five “preliminary alternatives” for handling increased traffic and usage along Going-to-the-Sun Road. None of the choices are entirely palatable, although it’s pretty obvious they prefer alternative #5. In any event, they are asking for public comment with a June 5 deadline.

Here’s the official press release . . .

Glacier National Park is encouraging public comment regarding five preliminary alternatives that have been developed for the Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan. These preliminary alternatives are conceptual at this time, and public comment will help in further development, modification and analysis of alternatives for the draft plan and environmental impact statement.

For many years, especially during July and August, the Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor has experienced crowding and congestion along the road and at associated pullouts and parking areas. Many of the more popular trails in the road corridor are also congested, and impacts to vegetation and wildlife are increasing. Park visitation is on the rise and trends indicate it will continue to increase in the future. Increasing visitation will add to congestion and crowding, impacts to natural resources, and stress to facility infrastructure such as parking areas and restrooms. Additionally, a recent financial analysis has indicated that the portion of the entrance fees that support the shuttle system launched in 2007 are only paying for operations and maintenance and do not support acquisition of buses.

The preliminary alternatives outline various responses that park management could take to address issues along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Alternative 1 is the no-action alternative. Alternatives 2, 3 and 4 were developed using a more traditional approach of forecasting or predicting a certain future condition of high visitation and longer visitor season. They describe alternative ways the park would respond. Alternative 5 describes a flexible management approach to allow the park to respond to an uncertain future, and changes in transportation, visitation, economics, funding and climate.

The preliminary alternatives were informed by comments and concerns received from the public during the summer of 2013, research conducted by the University of Montana and socioeconomic and transportation contractors.

The alternatives are not fully developed yet and are being shared at this time to get early public comment and response. The park has not selected a preferred alternative, nor completed the environmental analysis. The draft plan and environmental impact statement will identify a preferred alternative and analyze impacts of all alternatives, and is anticipated to be available for review and comment later this fall. Public meetings will be held at that time.

The preliminary alternatives are described in the project’s spring newsletter available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/glac. Comments may be submitted online at this website or by mail to: Glacier National Park, Attn: GTSR Corridor Plan, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, MT, 59936. Comments are due by June 5, 2015.

For more information contact the park at 406-888-7800.

Glacier Park proposes solutions for Sun Road congestion

News,

Glacier Park is trying to figure out what to do about overcrowding on Going-to-the-Sun Road. At this point, they’ve proposed five alternatives, none of which are entirely palatable. If you want a hand in this process, download the current management plan newsletter, read about the alternatives and submit comments. The deadline for comments is June 5.

Here’s a write-up from the Flathead Beacon . . .

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a global icon, attracting millions of visitors to Glacier National Park each year and consistently garnering praise for its awe-inspiring views and connection to pristine recreation opportunities.

But with the growing popularity comes a significant dilemma. Once word spreads that the Sun Road is fully open in summer, visitors flood the park, clogging the narrow two-lane corridor with vehicles and filling the surrounding trails with hikers.

Amid this increased visitation and congestion along the main thoroughfare, park officials are proposing several changes that could impact how visitors travel throughout Glacier.

Read more . . .

Risk to Glacier Park stonefly triggers lawsuit

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The Center for Biological Diversity is leaning on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to investigate threats to the western glacier stonefly . . .

Wildlife advocates asked a judge Wednesday to force federal officials to decide if a rare aquatic insect that’s found only in Montana’s Glacier National Park should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Western glacier stoneflies were first identified by scientists in 1963. They live in streams fed by cold water from glaciers in northwest Montana…

In a Wednesday lawsuit, the Center for Biological Diversity said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to follow through on a 2011 finding that protections might be needed for the insects.

Read more . . .