GNP Invites Volunteers to 2025 Annual Hawk Watch Training

Glacier National Park will host volunteer training for its annual Hawk Watch Program on August 26 and September 22.

The training session on August 26 will run from 9 am to 1 pm in West Glacier in the Community Building. Trainings will provide an in-depth introduction to raptor ecology, identification, migration and teach volunteers how to conduct migration counts at both the Lake McDonald and Mount Brown Hawk Watch sites during the months of September and October.

Once trained, volunteers can hike to an observation point and count migrating raptors just below Mount Brown Lookout, alongside trained raptor migration counters. This is a hike of about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) one-way (about 9 miles (14.5 km) roundtrip) with an elevation gain of over 4,000 feet (1,220 m).

The September 22 training will be an in-the-field training day for volunteers interested in participating in the Lake McDonald Lodge Hawk Watch during the end of September through October. This field training will take place from noon to 4 pm in Jammer Joe’s parking lot adjacent to Lake McDonald Lodge.

To join the Hawk Watch Team, participants will learn from park biologists on how to identify and count migrating raptors. Park biologists will answer questions and share information about the integral role of raptors in our ecosystems, risks they face, and why Glacier started the Mount Brown Hawk Watch Program.

Volunteers interested in registering for either or both training days should email the Glacier Citizen Science Office, GLAC_citizen_science@nps.gov, for additional details.

Each year in the fall, golden eagles migrate from northern breeding grounds to warmer climates. One of the most important North American golden eagle migration routes passes directly through Glacier National Park. Large numbers of other raptors also use this migration corridor during the fall and spring months.

In the mid-1990s biologists documented nearly 2,000 golden eagles migrating past Mount Brown annually. Recent data from outside Glacier National Park indicate significant declines in golden eagle numbers. Due to this concern, the park initiated a Raptor Migration Project in 2011 to investigate possible locations for a Hawk Watch site.

Hawk Watch sites are part of an international effort to track long-term raptor population trends using systematic migrating raptor counts. Observers also record data on sex, age, color morph and behavior of raptors, as well as weather and environmental conditions. To see a map of Hawk Watch sites around the world go to www.hawkcount.org.

Funding for the Mount Brown Hawk Watch program is provided by the National Park Service, Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates, and Glacier National Park Conservancy. The Northwest Montana Lookout Association assisted with Mount Brown lookout refurbishments. The Hawk Watch Program is a collaborative project between the Citizen Science office and the Wildlife Department. For more information about the Mount Brown Hawk Watch program, contact park staff via email at GLAC_citizen_science@nps.gov or call (406) 888-7986.

Big news at Jenny Lake Campground!

Grand Teton National Park posted this on thie social media the other day:

We’ve wrapped up a series of renovations designed to make the camping experience safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable. Here’s what’s new:

✔️ 13 new accessible water spigots (plus new water lines)

🐻 48 new elevated bear-resistant food storage boxes (with support from the @grandtetonfoundation )

🚴‍♀️ Widened pavement and a short bicycle route connector lane to ease vehicle/bike interactions

🛣️ Road repairs and fresh paving

🔢 Reflective campsite number signs (easier to spot after dark!)

Huge thanks to everyone who helped make this project happen. The park and @grandtetonlodgeco are excited to welcome visitors back to a refreshed Jenny Lake Campground!

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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Have you stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge this summer? Please read.

Grand Teton National Park posted this blurb on their website yesterday. Please read if you think you may have been exposed to a bat while staying at the Jackson Lake Lodge this summer:

A suspected bat colony was recently discovered in an attic space above guest rooms 516, 518, 520, 522, 524, 526, 528 and 530 at the Jackson Lake Lodge. There is no immediate threat to the public. Wyoming Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are leading the effort to coordinate with the affected guests' local public health officials, who will conduct rabies risk assessments. State public health officials are reaching out to these guests directly to assess if they had exposure to a bat while staying in any of these rooms and determine if they meet the risk criteria for receiving rabies preventive treatment. Individuals who meet the risk criteria for a rabies exposure will be connected with the appropriate provider in their home state for preventive treatment.

Since June 2, Grand Teton Lodge Company has received eight reports involving overnight guests who may have been exposed to bats in Jackson Lake Lodge rooms. As a precaution, the affected rooms are closed while public health professionals conduct further assessments and provide recommendations for mitigation.

What to do if you stayed at Jackson Lake Lodge this season and think you might have been exposed to a bat:

Contact Grand Teton Lodge Company at RoomsGTLC@vailresorts.com or 307-543-3044 to determine if you stayed in one of the potentially affected rooms where bats were found. They will put you in touch with a public health official, who will help you assess risks associated with your stay.

Teton Interagency News Release: Fire Danger Elevated to Very High for Teton Interagency Area

Teton Interagency Fire managers have elevated the fire danger rating to “very high” for Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, and the National Elk Refuge. Conditions in the Teton Interagency Dispatch area are drying rapidly, and a fire may start easily, spread rapidly and burn intensely. Everyone is asked to practice heightened fire safety at all times.

Fire managers use a variety of factors to determine fire danger ratings including the moisture content of fuels (how dry grasses, shrubs and trees are); projected weather conditions (including temperatures and possible wind events); the ability of fire to spread after ignition; and the availability of firefighting resources nationwide.

So far this year, Teton Interagency Fire personnel have extinguished 75 unattended or abandoned campfires. Abandoned campfires can quickly escalate into wildfires, and if your campfire sparks a wildfire, you can be held responsible for the cost of putting it out.

Celebrate Great American Outdoors Day with free entrance to all national parks on August 4

In celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), all National Park Service (NPS) entrance fees will be waved on Monday, August 4. GAOA’s National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) is making a significant impact by funding $6.65 billion in critical maintenance and repair needs in national parks across the country.

GAOA, signed into law by President Donald J. Trump in 2020, is making transformative investments in national park infrastructure, such as roads, trails, campgrounds, visitor centers, staff housing, and utility systems, that enhance park facilities, increase recreational access, and improve the visitor experience. Between 2021 and 2025, GAOA LRF provided up to $1.3 billion per year to the NPS for repair projects to keep parks operational and accessible for public enjoyment and inspiration. The funding is provided by royalties from offshore oil and gas leases and not taxpayer dollars.

GAOA LRF funding has touched national parks in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and multiple U.S territories. It is supporting more than 180 large-scale infrastructure projects, including extensive improvements to iconic roads in Yellowstone, Shenandoah, Glacier, Theodore Roosevelt, Great Smoky Mountains, and Grand Teton national parks. It has renovated campgrounds in Yosemite, Zion, Mount Rainier, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks and upgraded vital safe and functional water and wastewater, HVAC, and electrical systems in Rocky Mountain, Acadia, and Grand Canyon national parks.

It is also funding more than 400 smaller scale historic preservation activities managed by NPS in-house Maintenance Action Teams (MAT). MAT staff are skilled in a variety of traditional trades and deployed across regions to perform specialized maintenance and repair tasks. Many projects involve volunteer groups and Youth Service Corps, inspiring and training the next generation of maintenance professionals. These teams are helping preserve places that tell our nation’s stories, including Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Saratoga National Historical Park, Antietam National Battlefield, and Andersonville National Cemetery. GAOA funding is helping many historic sites prepare for the upcoming celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.

These projects are just a small sample of GAOA's lasting legacy which is making sites safer for visitors, restoring important historical locations, and creating recreational opportunities.



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com