Glacier Seeks Public Comment on Preliminary Alternatives

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 socio-economic 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. 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.



Jeff
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Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day at Grand Teton

Visitors and local residents are invited to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD)at Grand Teton National Park by joining a bird-watching caravan on Saturday, May 9th. Park Ranger Andrew Langford will visit several park areas that provide the best opportunities to locate, identify, and record birds as part of the annual North American bird count and annual IMBD observance.

Anyone interested in birds is welcome. The bird-watching excursion begins at 8 a.m. from the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center in Moose and finishes by 4 p.m. at Christian Pond by Jackson Lake Lodge. This public activity is free and reservations are not required. Participants of the IMBD activity are reminded that park entrance stations are open;therefore a park pass is required for travel through any fee station.

Throughout the day, participants will take short walks at various locations, so those attending should wear comfortable shoes and bring a lunch, drinking water, warm clothing and rain gear. Bird field guides, binoculars and spotting scopes are also recommended items.

The 2015 IMBD theme, "Restore Habitat, Restore Birds," focuses on the loss and degradation of bird habitats around the world. Urbanization and climate change are two of the primary threats to bird populations. To foster conservation efforts, IMBD suggests ways to get involved in habitat restoration projects at home, in communities, and further afield. Each habitat illustrated on the 2015 IMBD poster provides a colorful view of the places migratory birds seek for nesting, wintering, or as stopover sites during migration. Grand Teton National Park provides critical habitat for a host of migratory birds, as well as year-round species. The arrival each spring of sandhill cranes, mountain bluebirds, western tanagers, meadow larks and other charismatic and fascinating birds brings delight to park visitors and local bird watchers alike.

As always, the annual theme is relevant to host organizations and participants throughout the world. Participation in Grand Teton's IMBD tour offers a chance to learn about the benefits of birds and their unique contribution to the health and beauty of the natural areas in northwestern Wyoming.

Observed each year in May to support avian conservation, IMBD serves as the hallmark outreach event for Partners in Flight—an international conservation program with a goal to reverse dwindling populations of migratory birds by bringing attention to factors that contribute to worldwide declines.

For more information about International Migratory Bird Day and the North American Migration Count, please call the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at 307.739.3399. To learn more about the IMBD organization, go to http://www.migratorybirdday.org/.



Jeff
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Go Higher This Summer

Backpacker Magazine Senior Editor and professional mountain guide, Shannon Davis, offers several tips for hikers who want to ascend higher. Whether your goal is to tackle Static Peak Divide in the Grand Tetons, or to summit Mt. Elbert, the highest mountain in Colorado, these useful tips will help you achieve your goals:



By the way, in the video, Shannon mentions the "Rest Step". This is a technique any hiker can use on steep terrain. You can click here for more information on how to use it.



Jeff
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Research Trapping of Grizzly Bears to Begin in Grand Teton

Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) plan to conduct scientific research and trapping operations within Grand Teton National Park as part of ongoing efforts required under the Endangered Species Act to collect data and monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution, as well as their food selection and other activities, is vital to recovery of grizzlies across the GYE. Trapping operations will begin Wednesday, May 6, and continue through June 30, 2015.

Trained professionals with the IGBST will bait and trap bears at remote sites across Grand Teton National Park. Once trapped, grizzly bears are sedated to allow wildlife biologists to radio-collar and collect scientific samples for study. All trapping and handling are done in accordance with strict protocols developed by the IGBST.

Trap sites will not be located near established hiking trails or backcountry campsites, and all sites will be posted with bright-colored warning signs around the closure perimeter. Potential access points will also be posted with warning signs. All backcountry users who come upon any of these posted areas must obey the warnings and stay out of the closure area.

It is critical that all members of the public respect these warning signs.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team was established in 1973 to research and monitor bears across the GYE in a collaborative effort between federal land managers and state wildlife agencies. Gathering of critical data on these protected bears is part of a long-term research effort to help wildlife managers devise and implement programs to support the ongoing recovery of the GYE's grizzly bear population.

For information on hiking in bear country, please click here.



Jeff
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Bridger-Teton National Forest Authorizes Aerial Adventure Course at Snow King Mountain Resort

The Bridger-Teton National Forest has signed a Decision Memo authorizing the Snow King Mountain Resort to install an aerial adventure course on the mountain.

Snow King Mountain Resort proposed the aerial adventure course or “ropes” course to the Bridger-Teton in their 2014 Master Development Plan. In 2011, ski resorts on National Forest System lands were authorized to provide opportunities for families and guests of various ages and physical abilities to participate and to experience personal growth in a unique, natural, setting through activities such as zip lines and ropes courses in the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act (SAROEA). “The aerial adventure course fulfills the need to involve a broad spectrum of participants in outdoor recreation activities particularly as a family or group,” said Jackson District Ranger Dale Deiter. “There is a need at Snow King Mountain Resort to enhance and diversify recreational opportunities in order to improve its viability as a competitive, year-round resort,” he said.

The aerial adventure course will be suspended in the trees and utilize wooden supports and it will be accessed by the Rafferty ski lift. “There will be no drilling or bolting into the live trees,” said Deiter. Additionally, no new roads will be constructed with the installation of this course. The course will require Snow King to have all aerial adventure courses audited by an independent qualified inspector (FSM 7330.5) prior to public operation. At a minimum, the Forest requires the holder to have an annual operations audit conducted in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or equivalent industry standards and certified by the Forest Service before it will be open for use by the public.

“Scoping for this project started last year in April,” said Deiter. The Bridger-Teton received 53 comments on Snow King Mountain Resort’s proposal. The comments were mixed, both in favor and opposed to the project. “Some of the comments were related to concerns about noise from the course,” said Deiter, “so we insisted on several things to mitigate those concerns.” A few examples include that the Forest had a noise study conducted over the last year to make sure that the addition of the course wouldn’t affect the existing condition on the Forest. “We also have required that the operation of the aerial adventure course occur concurrently with the times that the ski lifts are already running,” Deiter said. Additionally, besides prohibiting operations before 9:00am, the Forest is also requiring state of the art rollers and cables which further reduce noise from the course operation. “We made changes based on the comments we received to the visual impacts as well,” said Deiter. The Bridger-Teton required that the course be moved 400 feet away from private land to further reduce not only the potential for noise, but visual sight-lines as well.

The course will impact 7/10’s of an acre of National Forest System land after Snow King orders it from the manufacturer and it is delivered and built on site,” said Deiter.

This Snow King Mountain Resort is located adjacent to the Town of Jackson, Wyoming in Teton County on the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The ski area occupies approximately 450-acres on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.



Jeff
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