Data Collection Begins in Grand Teton’s Moose-Wilson Corridor

Visitors traveling through the Moose-Wilson corridor in Grand Teton National Park may encounter researchers along the road, at trailheads, on trails, and in parking areas through October, 2013. Data collection this summer will be led by researchers from Utah State University (USU) though a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS). These data will be used to inform a planning process that will address future management of the corridor.

Research this summer will help determine visitor use patterns; areas and levels of user-created impacts (such as user-created parking areas and associated trails); and adequacy and efficiency of existing formal parking facilities. A variety of data collection methods will be used, including providing some visitors with GPS units while they visit destinations in, and travel through, the Moose-Wilson corridor. Additionally, researches will install cameras at key intersections to capture vehicle movement and use data from traffic and trail counters to determine levels and patterns of use. No personally identifiable information of visitors will be maintained.

USU professors Chris Monz, Ph.D., and Kevin Heaslip, Ph.D., will lead the research team. Monz and Heaslip have extensive experience collecting these types of data, and Dr. Monz has performed research in other national parks including Yosemite and Rocky Mountain.

The National Park Service is initiating a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning process to create a comprehensive management plan for the Moose-Wilson corridor in Grand Teton National Park. At this point, the NPS has initiated internal scoping for the project and assembled a planning team. Later this year, the Park Service will begin a formal public engagement process and seek public scoping comments.

The Moose-Wilson corridor, located in the southwest corner of Grand Teton National Park, is an exceptional area and favorite visitor destination within the park that has a remarkable diversity of wildlife and habitat. These unmatched natural communities are located within a geographical area that is about seven miles in length, five miles in width, and 15,000 acres in size. The corridor is delineated by the Teton Range to the west, the Snake River to the east, the community of Moose to the north, and the park's Granite Canyon entrance to the south.


Jeff
Hiking Glacier National Park

Glacier Invites Public to Brown-Bag Seminar

The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a free brown-bag lecture on Thursday, July 11 from 12–1pm at the Community Building in West Glacier. The public is invited to join Render and Helen Davis, freelance writers and photographers, who will tell the story of the Civilian Conservation Corps in America's parks, including Glacier National Park.

Render and Helen Davis's recently completed book, Our Mark on This Land: A Guide to the Legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps in America's Parks, culminates a decade of research in state and national archives and collections, visits to more than 100 parks across the country, and correspondence with noted experts on the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Join this brown-bag seminar to learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps and its importance to Glacier National Park.

For more information about the presentation, or the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center, please click here or contact 406-888-5827.


Jeff
Hiking Glacier National Park

Glacier Asks Visitors to View Wildlife from Safe Distance

Distance requirements between people and wildlife in Glacier National Park have been implemented to prevent negative human-wildlife encounters and decrease wildlife habituation. Visitors are required to keep a distance of at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from any other wildlife including nesting birds.

Acting Glacier National Park Superintendent Kym Hall said, "One of the values of Glacier National Park is the opportunity to view a diversity of wildlife." Visitor and animal safety is a priority and Hall asks visitors to respect the viewing distances identified.

Animals in Glacier National Park are wild and their behavior is often unpredictable. Maintaining a safe distance from wildlife is necessary for visitor and animal safety. Disturbance to wildlife can inflict major stress on populations, especially animals with young. Visitors are encouraged to use binoculars, spotting scopes, or telephoto lenses for safe wildlife viewing. Always use designated roadside pullouts when viewing wildlife from your vehicle.

Willfully disturbing or interfering with the unimpeded movement of wildlife is illegal within any distance. Failure to comply with park wildlife protection regulations may result in a fine and/or required court appearance. This regulation is consistent with other national parks, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

Approved management or research activities or persons in compliance with approved written protocol may be exempt from the regulations.

Specific information about the wildlife protection and distance regulations can be found in the Glacier National Park 2013 Compendium which is located on the park's website.


Jeff
Hiking Glacier National Park

Granite Park Chalet is Now Open for the Season

Over the weekend the manager for the Granite Park Chalet announced that the chalet is now open for the season. The posting on the chalet website stated:

Chalet staff is reporting that the Loop Trail is completely clear of snow all the way to the chalet, although it is a bit wet and muddy as you near the top. There are still snow patches and wet ground conditions around the chalet. The Highline Trail remains closed.

The forecast for the week calls for hot weather, so be prepared with extra water for your hike. Get started early too, the cool morning air is easier to hike in. This heat is going to melt snow fast, expect high country trail conditions to change day by day. Hopefully the Highline Trail will be melting out soon.

Hikers may want to note that the chalet isn't just for people wishing to spend the night. Day hikers can also purchase packaged foods, beverages, snacks, and bottled water.

The chalet will be open through September 8th.


Jeff
Hiking Glacier National Park

Is Glacier's Shuttle System in Jeopardy?

Within the last two weeks Glacier National Park has published two press releases concerning the shuttle system along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The second of those two releases has a few people on some of the social media outlets a little upset. Some have expressed dismay with the fact that the park will no longer be offering the 7am express from Apgar to Logan Pass. Others complained about the 40-60 minute interval times between shuttles on the east side.

However, a press release published two weeks ago should be cause for even more consternation among fans of Glacier's shuttle system. The June 17th release announced the proposed Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan, which could change the way visitors recreate along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. In particular, the announcement states:

Popular trails along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, such as Avalanche Lake Trail, have seen an increase in use by as much as 250% in the last 25 years. These increases are resulting in significant congestion and resource impacts on vegetation and wildlife. Additionally, a recent financial analysis indicates the park's shuttle system, implemented in 2007 to reduce construction delays during road rehabilitation, is not financially sustainable considering the future need to replace buses.

Reading between, or within the lines, it's fairly clear the park is seeking to end the shuttle service, or at least curtail its scope. I, for one, hope they keep the service. Moreover, I think they should increase the number of buses on the east side in order to decrease the interval times between each bus.

Last week the park held a series of public open houses. Conversations with visitors will also be hosted throughout the park between July 19th and August 9th. The public also has the opportunity to provide written comments on the plan through September 6th.

Obviously there are two main issues the park seeks to address: overcrowding and costs. I think the cost issue is fairly easy to solve. The park should begin charging a fee to use the shuttle. I think most hikers wishing to hike from point-to-point along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor would be more than happy to pay a fee for the convenience and ability to do one-way hikes. Also, I think many visitors, for a variety of reasons, would be willing to pay a reasonable fee to ride the shuttle and see the sights along the road as well. The National Park Service needs to do a cost analysis to see what a proper fee would be, and implement it next year, or once the rehabilitation project is complete.

The second issue, concerning crowds along the corridor and on the trails, is probably a much broader problem. However, I think there are things Glacier could do to disperse visitors along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, as well as throughout the park.

Between Apgar and St. Mary there are ten major stops on the road. Looking at the map, it appears there's one area along the road that's underutilized. This is known as Packers Roost - located just below the The Loop. As is, there's not a lot of reasons to visit Packers Roost, unless you're backpacking or horseback riding on the Flattop Mountain Trail. However, what if the park created a new attraction at this location, with the purpose of helping to ease traffic on the other trails along the Going-to-the-Sun Road? What if they built a new trail that led hikers to the top of Heavens Peak?

Another thought I had was for the park to begin doing a better job of highlighting some of the other areas of the park. This could be done through the use of photos and videos, which could be published on their social media outlets. Ranger-led hikes could also be used to help promote different sections of the park. For instance, why not use some of these tactics to help promote hiking at Bowman Lake, Belly River, Cut Bank, along Camas Road, and off Highway 2 which runs along the southern border of the park. I would venture to say that most visitors know almost nothing about these places, but if promoted, would give them a reason to spend some time in these less-visited areas, while helping to alleviate traffic from the most popular areas of the park.

Finally, I think the park should use some of the tactics mentioned above to promote hiking along the Going-to-the-Sun Road where there's already plenty of parking. This would include less-known hikes such as the Beaver Pond Loop at St. Mary, Otokomi Lake at Rising Sun, or Trout Lake and Arrow Lake from Lake McDonald. In fact, it might be possible to build a trail that leads to Heavens Peak, or even Mt. Vaught, using the West Lakes Trail.

If you would like to express your opinions on this issue, please visit the Park Planning website.


Jeff
Hiking Glacier National Park