Tag Archives: Glacier National Park

Jeff Mow named new Glacier Park superintendent

News,

Jeff Mow, currently superintendent of Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, takes over as the Glacier National Park superintendent August 25 . . .

A new superintendent — 25-year National Park Service veteran Jeff Mow — has been selected to lead Glacier National Park.

Mow is currently superintendent at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. He will begin his assignment in Glacier on Aug. 25…

Mow, who has been superintendent at Kenai Fjords since November 2004, is eager to return to Montana.

“My first visit to the park was in 1988 as a wildland firefighter on the Red Bench Fire near Polebridge,” he said. “Twenty-five years later, it is such an honor and privilege to return as superintendent and a newest member of Glacier’s outstanding management team. I can’t wait to join with the park staff and partners as we meet numerous challenges and opportunities facing the park in the next few years.”

Continue reading . . .

Further reading: coverage from the Flathead Beacon and the Missoulian.

Harlequin duck study in Glacier Park continues; 17 year old male identified

Environmental Issues, News, ,

The latest from the ongoing harlequin duck study in Glacier Park . . .

A male harlequin duck, known to be at least 17 years-old, was recently identified in Glacier National Park by University of Montana researchers and Glacier National Park scientists. The banded duck is believed to be the third oldest on record. The oldest known banded harlequin duck has a recorded age of 18 years and 10 months.

“Prior to these findings, harlequin ducks were reported to live up to only 10 years of age, which makes this finding a positive indicator of the health and longevity of harlequin breeding populations in Glacier National Park,” said Lisa Bate, Glacier National Park biological science technician. “Research indicates harlequin ducks mate for life unless something happens to one member of the pair. This old male has returned the last three years with the same female.”

In 2011, a study of harlequin ducks on Upper McDonald Creek was initiated by Glacier National Park in cooperation with researchers from the University of Montana. Researchers use radio-telemetry and banding to learn more about the location of harlequin nests and factors affecting offspring survival. Upper McDonald Creek is considered an important breeding stream for harlequin ducks, comprising 25% of known broods produced in Montana. The area also has the highest density of breeding harlequins in the lower 48 states. Glacier National Park has approximately 40 pairs of harlequins in the park.

Continue reading . . .

Grizzly bear monitoring continues in Glacier Park

Environmental Issues, News, ,

Now in its ninth year, an interagency grizzly bear study led by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will be active in Glacier National Park. Here’s the press release . . .

A long-term interagency program to monitor grizzly bear population trends in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem will continue at Glacier National Park this year.

Bait stations, automated cameras, and traps are used to capture and monitor grizzly bears within the park. Bait stations and trap sites are marked with brightly colored warning and closure signs. Visitors are asked to respect posted signs and not enter sites where grizzly bear traps or bait stations are present.

Glacier National Park wildlife biologists attempt to maintain a sample of up to 10 radio-collared female grizzly bears out of an estimated population of 300 grizzly bears living in the park. Trapping efforts will continue through October at various locations throughout Glacier National Park.

The interagency grizzly bear monitoring program began in 2004 and is led by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Participating agencies include: National Park Service, United States Forest Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and the Blackfeet Nation.

Glacier Park hosts community meetings

News,

Glacier Park is hosting their usual early-season informational community meetings this week. The first is this Wednesday, May 22, in Columbia Falls from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Teakettle Community Hall; the second is in East Glacier on Thursday, May 23 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Glacier Park Lodge. Here’s the official 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 management and local community members and neighbors. A west-side meeting will take place Wednesday, May 22, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Teakettle Community Hall, 235 Nucleus Avenue, in Columbia Falls and an east-side meeting will be Thursday, May 23, 4-5:30 p.m. at the Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier.

The format of the meeting will include presentations by Acting Glacier National Park Superintendent Kym Hall and other park management team members. Following the presentations, there will be a question and answer period and opportunity for informal conversations.

Hall will share updates regarding 2013 park programs, including Going-to-the-Sun Road Rehabilitation, spring plowing, sequestration impacts, Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, Dark Skies Initiative, and aquatic invasive species management. Community members are encouraged to attend and learn more about what’s happening at the park.

Kate Kendall, Glacier Park grizzly bear biologist to retire

News, ,

Kate Kendall, Glacier Park grizzly bear biologist, is retiring the end of this month . . .

Kate Kendall laid the groundwork for modern grizzly bear population studies in northwest Montana and, with a career that spanned 35 years, pioneered a brave new path for women in a male-dominated field.

The U.S. Geological Survey scientist at Glacier National Park will retire at the end of May…

Continue reading . . .

Glacier Park plans prescribed burn in Big Prairie area

News, ,

Glacier Park plans a prescribed burn on Big Prairie sometime within the next month . . .

A prescribed fire project is planned in the North Fork area of Glacier National Park, roughly four miles northwest of Polebridge, in the next month, according to park officials.

Park crews plan to burn roughly 175 acres in the Big Prairie area, depending on weather and fuel conditions, according to a news release.

Continue reading . . .

It’s that time again: bears are coming out of hibernation

Environmental Issues, News, , ,

Grizzly bears, as well as black bears, are coming out of hibernation and looking for food. “Bear aware” North Forkers will be making sure they have no bear attractants on their property such as smelly trash, bird feeders, animal feed, downed apples and so forth. The Creston area has had several bear incidents already and Glacier Park reports evidence their Grizzlies are stirring. Here are the stgories . . .

Creston seems to be the place for grizzlies this spring – Creston apparently is a hot spot for grizzly bear activity this spring, with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials aware of at least four bears in the area. Continue reading . . .

Glacier Park Officials: Grizzly Bears Emerging From Dens – Grizzly bears are out of their dens and roaming throughout Glacier National Park, according to park officials. Recent observations of bear tracks in the snow indicate bears are emerging from hibernation and looking for food, according to an announcement from park officials. Continue reading . . .

Searching for fishers in Glacier National Park

Environmental Issues, News,

Do fishers live in Glacier Park? Probably not, but there are a lot of good reasons to look . . .

After wading across the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in a pair of brand-new defective waders and skiing sodden-footed through a miles-long thicket of tangled deadfall, Glacier National Park wildlife biologist John Waller admits he may be chasing a phantom.

His research often requires skiing across 15 miles of steep, rugged terrain in a single day and working from dawn until dusk – a trying effort for what may prove to be the wildlife biologist’s equivalent of a snipe hunt. But even if the critter he’s pursuing eludes him, and even though the ultra-lightweight Hodgman waders he just bought are worthless, the scientific data Waller’s study will produce and the questions it may help answer are invaluable.

Continue reading . . .

National park photos by Ansel Adams accessible online

History, Photos & Images, ,
St. Mary Lake, Ansel Adams, 1941
St. Mary Lake, Ansel Adams, 1941

Here’s a little gem I ran across this morning on the U.S. National Archives website. It seems they have a pretty good collection of photos taken by Ansel Adams back in 1941 of many of the national parks. This includes some two dozen photos of Glacier National Park. According the the site:  “In 1941 the National Park Service commissioned famed photographer Ansel Adams to create a photo mural for the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC. The theme was to be nature as exemplified and protected in the U.S. National Parks.” The advent of World War II killed the project, but the images are in the national archives and accessible to the public.

Further reading:

“Ansel Adams Photographs” page at the U.S. National Archives

“Discover Ansel Adams’ 226 Photos of U.S. National Parks (and Another Side of the Legendary Photographer)” via Open Culture