Tag Archives: Glacier National Park

Jeff Mow takes over at Glacier Park

News,

Glacier National Park’s new superintendent is settling into his new job . . .

Jeff Mow has taken the reins of one of America’s most iconic national parks. The 25-year veteran of the National Park Service officially became Glacier National Park’s 22nd Superintendent on Aug. 28.

Mow, 54, was selected as Glacier’s new chief in June. Before coming to Montana, he was superintendent at Kenai Fjords National Park, a 600,000-acre preserve along the Gulf of Alaska. Since arriving in late August, Mow said he has been meeting with staff and the park’s partners.

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The Robert Fire ten years later

Fire Information and Status, History, , ,

The Flathead Beacon has a nice retrospective on the 2003 fire season, the Robert Fire in particular . . .

The rolled-up maps in Dennis Divoky’s office show the enormity of the 2003 fires in Glacier National Park. Huge swaths of land are colored in red and orange, depicting in print the 136,000 acres of land burned that summer. It was the biggest fire season in the park’s history – even larger than 1910’s “Big Burn.”

“The 2003 season is the pinnacle,” said Divoky, fire ecologist for the park.

That summer, the National Park Service responded to 26 wildfires that scorched roughly 13 percent of the park’s land. Of those, six blazes were larger than 10,000 acres. The Robert Fire alone burned 57,570 acres of land in the park and Flathead National Forest and forced multiple evacuations of the Lake McDonald Valley and West Glacier. By September, the fires had cost the Park Service more than $68 million.

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Xanterra selected as new Glacier Park concessioner

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The National Park Service has selected Xanterra Parks & Resorts as the new Glacier Park concessioner for the next 16 years, replacing Glacier Park, Inc., which as been operating the park concessions since 1981.

And, yes, this is the same Xanterra with connections to Anschutz Exploration Corp., the outfit that was until recently performing exploratory drilling on the Blackfeet Reservation along the eastern boundary of Glacier Park. Both Anschutz Exploration and Xanterra Parks and Resorts are owned by Philip Frederick Anschutz, one of the wealthiest billionaires in the nation. Xanterra is likely to prove a controversial choice.

Here is the lead-in for the official press release . . .

The National Park Service has selected Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. (Xanterra) to provide a variety of visitor services in Glacier National Park for the next 16 years.

The new park concessions contract is anticipated to begin in January 2014 and includes lodging, food and beverage, retail, transportation and other visitor services within the park. This fall Xanterra is expected to work with Glacier Park, Inc. during a transition period. Glacier Park, Inc. has held the current park concessions contract since 1981.

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Building a new management plan for the Flathead River Corridor

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

The Flathead Beacon just posted another of their “Focusing on…” articles, this time discussing the challenges to the Flathead River Corridor from increasing recreational pressure, which is forcing consideration of a new river corridor plan. Recommended reading . . .

The rhythm of the North Fork flows to a mellow tempo, even as the steady thrum of traffic and the ever-present flotilla of rafts and kayaks sketch a clear portrait of the wild and scenic river corridor’s growth and popularity.

Dust clouds roll off this unpaved portion of Highway 486, also known as the North Fork Flathead Road, and the meter of traffic ticking along the western border of Glacier National Park has given rise to the need for a new river management plan.

Designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1976, the three forks of the Flathead River amount to 219 miles of what everyone agrees is “a very special place,” says Rob Davies, the Flathead National Forest’s district ranger for the Hungry Horse/Glacier View district. The North Fork Flathead River is protected by that designation, while its eastern tributaries and uplands are tucked away in Glacier Park. Its Canadian headwaters are protected by a provincial ban on mining and drilling, and U.S. Sen. Max Baucus has introduced legislation that would prohibit new energy and mineral development on the nearly 400,000 acres of the North Fork watershed within the Flathead National Forest.

Still, public land managers say the river corridor is being impacted by increased use, and have been collecting data to inform the future of the river corridor, while calling on the public to help adopt a new management strategy for recreational use.

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Still Kintla Lake ranger at age 93

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I’ve met Lyle Ruterbories — nice guy. And still driving that Volkswagen Beetle of his up to Kintla Lake each year to serve as the ranger . . .

There’s a 40-foot spruce tree tucked in the back of the Kintla Lake Ranger Station, swaying in the wind. When Lyle Ruterbories started as the ranger there, the tree was only waist high.

Ruterbories is 93. He’s been watching over Kintla Lake and its campground every summer for 22 years now. This may be his last summer, he hasn’t decided yet. He has a cranky knee now that hurts with every step. But whatever happens, it’s been a glorious career in a glorious place.

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Entire Inside North Fork Road expected to open this weekend

News,

Well, now. It looks like the complete Inside North Fork Road will open this weekend.

From the official press release . . .

All 28 miles of the Inside North Fork Road between Fish Creek Campground and Polebridge is anticipated to open this weekend. Glacier National Park road crews are currently completing temporary repairs, including utilization of existing gravel to fill holes in the road due to annual spring runoff flooding. The section of the road between Polebridge and Logging Creek opened in May of this year to vehicle travel.

Flooding and road washout has caused significant damage to the Inside North Fork Road, particularly near the Anaconda Creek and Logging Creek areas. Yearly spring floods cause recurring damage to these areas of the road. A third location on the road between Quartz Creek and Logging Creek converges with the North Fork of the Flathead River. The river is beginning to undercut this section of the road due to sloughing of the riverbank, posing safety concerns and potential road loss issues.

Planning is needed for long-term solutions to the continual damage occurring on the Inside North Fork Road. When planning efforts begin, public input will be sought for long-term solutions that would ensure visitor safety and best protect park resources. An announcement will be released once the planning effort begins. Future temporary repairs to the road will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Inside North Fork Road was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is a narrow, gravel road and use of recreational, towed, and low-clearance vehicles is strongly discouraged. In ideal conditions, at least two hours are needed to travel the entire length of the Inside North Fork Road. Visitors are advised to prepare for travelling this road by carrying plenty of water and food. Also be prepared to encounter possible downed trees.

For more information on the current status of roads within the park visit, http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm or call 406-888-7800.

Food-conditioned bear caught and killed in Glacier Park

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Another “don’t feed the bears” story: Glacier Park rangers put down a food-conditioned black bear at Fish Creek Campground yesterday . . .

Glacier National Park Rangers captured and euthanized a black bear in the Fish Creek Campground area yesterday afternoon after numerous incidents in which the bear exhibited aggressive and food-conditioned behavior towards park visitors.

The black bear was frequenting the Fish Creek Campground area and displaying aggressive behavior almost daily for the past two weeks. The bear was entering campsites, foraging, and charging visitors. This behavior is consistent with behavior displayed by habituated and food-conditioned wildlife. Attempts to haze were unsuccessful in deterring the bear from frequenting the campground. The female bear was approximately three years old and weighed 100 pounds.

After the recent incidents in the Fish Creek Campground area, park rangers set traps and captured the suspect animal at approximately 7:30p.m., Sunday, July 21. After Glacier National Park personnel verified that the correct animal had been captured through distinct markings, the bear was euthanized…

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Glacier Park hosts 4th annual Noxious Weed Blitz, Tuesday, July 23

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Glacier Nation Park is sponsoring their fourth annual Noxious Weed Blitz on Tuesday, July 23. For those who can’t make the event, there’s also an online course. Here’s the press release . . .

Glacier National Park’s Citizen Science Program announces two opportunities to help with early detection of invasive plants along park trails: Noxious Weed Blitz on July 23 and an on-line training course for the Invasive Plants Citizen Science program. Both opportunities are free of charge and open to the public.

The fourth annual Noxious Weed Blitz will take place on Tuesday, July 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., meeting at the park’s Community Building in West Glacier. Participants will be trained to assist the Invasive Plant Management Program by learning to identify, map, and pull invasive plants. A free lunch will be provided by the Glacier National Park Conservancy. Be prepared to spend the afternoon in the outdoors, pulling invasive plants. Please bring gloves for hand pulling, footwear for hiking, and drinking water. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.

An on-line training opportunity teaches participants how to identify five targeted invasive plants, conduct surveys, and map locations of invasive plants using GPS units. Once training has been completed, visitors may check-out GPS units from the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center to detect invasive plants while in the park. The on-line training program can be accessed at http://www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/ccrlc-citizen-science_weeds.htm.

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Glacier Park funding study on interactions between mountain goats and humans

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Some areas of Glacier Park are getting awfully crowded in the summer and park personnel are trying to figure out what to do about it. One part of this process is a study of the mountain goats in the Logan Pass area . . .

Glacier National Park hopes to radio-collar about 20 mountain goats at Logan Pass this year as part of a research project designed to study the iconic animal’s interaction with people…

The Logan Pass goat study is part of a broader look at the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor and how best to manage it. Beginning this month, the Park will begin an intensive round of public meetings across Northwest Montana to gauge public opinion on how best to manage the alpine highway and the crowds of visitors it draws…

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