The Father of Glacier National Park

George Bird Grinnell is widely regarded as a towering figure in the American conservation movement. Not only is he recognized as "The Father of Glacier National Park," but he's also recognized as "The Father of American Conservation."

Born in 1849, Grinnell was an explorer, historian, anthropologist, naturalist, writer and founder of the Audubon Society. As editor of Forest and Stream he crusaded for more than a decade for more stringent protection of Yellowstone’s wildlife. He campaigned tirelessly to defend the fledgling park from commercialization, and specifically focused on protecting bison from hunters, as Yellowstone was its last refuge. In 1894, he fully exploited a famous poaching incident that occurred within the park boundaries. Less than two months after that incident, the Lacey Act of 1894 was passed by Congress, which was a direct result of Grinnell's persistent reporting. The act protected wildlife in Yellowstone, and made violations punishable.

Grinnell made his first visit to Glacier in 1885. He was so inspired by the scenery that he spent the next two decades working to establish it as a national park. In 1896, he was one of three commissioners to sign the treaty with the Blackfeet Indians that transferred ownership of the land that would become Glacier National Park.

During his first visit to the future park, Grinnell would discover the glacier that now bears his name. Today, Mount Grinnell, Grinnell Lake, Grinnell Falls and Grinnell Glacier are all named in honor of him. During his final visit to the eponymous glacier in 1926, Grinnell noted in his diary that "the glacier is melting very fast and the amount of water coming from it is great. All these glaciers are receding rapidly and after a time will disappear."

Grinnell (second from right) and a hiking party on Grinnell Glacier in 1926:

Grinnell and his wife, Elizabeth, circa 1925:

                *******************************************************************************

Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.

Yellowstone Bears Emerging From Dens

Grizzly bears are emerging from hibernation in the Greater Yellowstone Area, so hikers, skiers and snowshoers are advised to stay in groups of three of more, make noise on the trail and carry bear spray.

The first confirmed reports of grizzly bear activity in the Park were reported on March 4th. Guides and visitors observed and photographed a grizzly bear along the road in the Hayden Valley area. The first black bear of the year was observed on February 11 near the south end of the park.

Bears begin looking for food soon after they emerge from their dens. They are attracted to elk and bison that have died during the winter. Carcasses are an important enough food source that bears will sometimes react aggressively when surprised while feeding on them.

Updated bear safety information is available on the Yellowstone bear safety web page and in the park newspaper, which is distributed at all park entrances. The park also implements seasonal bear management areas closures to reduce encounters between bears and humans in areas where elk and bison carcasses are in high density. A listing of these closures can be found here.

Yellowstone regulations require visitors to stay 100 yards from black and grizzly bears at all times. The best defense is to stay a safe distance from bears and use binoculars, a telescope or telephoto lens to get a closer look. All visitors traveling in the park away from developed areas should stay in groups of three or more, make noise on the trail, keep an eye out for bears and carry bear spray. Bear spray has proven to be a good last line of defense, if kept handy and used according to directions when a bear is approaching within 30 to 60 feet.

While firearms are allowed in the park, the discharge of a firearm is a violation of park regulations. The park’s law enforcement rangers who carry firearms on duty rely on bear spray, rather than their weapons, as the most effective means to deal with a bear encounter.

Visitors are also reminded to keep food, garbage, barbecue grills and other attractants stored in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes. This helps keep bears from becoming conditioned to human foods, and helps keep park visitors and their property safe.

The park also notes that bear sightings should be reported to the nearest visitor center or ranger station as soon as possible.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Yellowstone Gray Wolf Euthanized

It's 2011....and people are still feeding wild animals!

A habituated gray wolf believed to be conditioned to human foods was killed by Yellowstone National Park staff on October 8th.

Since July, the 110-pound male wolf had approached staff and visitors at close range at least seven times and had been unsuccessfully hazed each time from the Fishing Bridge developed areas. The wolf was a member of Mollie's Pack from the Pelican Valley area, and was estimated to be between 2 and 4 years old.

The decision to remove the wolf came following a history of fearless behavior in the presence of humans, repeated visitation to developed areas within the park and numerous unsuccessful hazing attempts. Each of these factors was indicative of the wolf's potential habituation to human food, which posed an increased risk to park visitors and staff.

Efforts to relocate food-conditioned animals have generally proven unsuccessful because they simply return to the areas from which they were removed.

What does it take for people to understand that feeding wildlife is bad for the animal, and potentially bad for other people? You can read the rest of the press release by clicking here.



Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com