Glacier Park Concessions Prospectus Modified

Modifications have been made to the prospectus for the award of a new concession contract to provide lodging, food and beverage, retail and other visitor services in Glacier National Park. Most of the modifications are related to the management of the iconic red bus fleet in response to concerns raised by the public. The modifications include a requirement for the selected concessioner to rehabilitate the red bus fleet to maintain the buses in a road worthy and safe condition for road-based tours and ensure a fleet of 33 red buses. Conditions assessments of all buses will be required every five years. Another modification requires the selected concessioner to establish and manage a Red Bus Rehabilitation Reserve to ensure the availability of funds to rehabilitate the buses as needed. The reserve funding will be dedicated to the perpetual care of the bus fleet.

Acting Glacier National Park Superintendent Kym Hall said, "We believe the modifications to the prospectus clearly define our intent to maintain the iconic red bus fleet at Glacier National Park. We want visitors to have the opportunity to enjoy the traditional experience of the red buses for years to come."

The deadline for submitting a proposal for the concession contract to provide lodging, food and beverage, retail and other visitor services at Glacier National Park has been extended to April 2, 2013.

The current concession contract for this service, held by Glacier Park, Inc. since 1981, will expire on December 31, 2013. The new 16-year concession contract is anticipated to take effect January 1, 2014. The contract is for seasonal concession operations at five lodging locations, ten food and beverage locations, eight retail locations, road-based tours and transportation-related operations, and other services in Glacier National Park.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

New Xanterra Parks & Resorts Contract in Yellowstone Calls For $134.5 Million in Facilities Improvements

The National Park Service has selected Xanterra Parks & Resorts to provide a wide range of visitor services in Yellowstone National Park for the next two decades.

The contract covers lodging, retail sales, restaurants, and many other services provided to visitors to Yellowstone.

The new 20-year contract includes a 4.5-percent franchise fee and a 6-percent repair and maintenance reserve account.

The contract also requires an estimated $134.5 million investment in facilities improvements. Roughly half of the money will be invested in redevelopment of lodging at Canyon. The current cabins, which were constructed as temporary facilities in the 1960s, are in poor condition. Other projects include renovation of the Fishing Bridge RV Park, continued renovation of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, construction of new concession employee housing at Lake and Old Faithful, rehabilitation of the Mammoth Haynes Photo Shop, and changes necessary to provide year-round lodging at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.

Work on these facility improvement projects is scheduled to begin in 2014 and to be completed by 2018.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts holds the current contract to provide these services, which began in December 2005 and expires at the end of November 2013. The company reported gross receipts of approximately $89 million for calendar year 2011.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

Only A Few Days Left In Yellowstone's Winter Season

Yellowstone National Park's winter season is drawing to a close.

Park roads that serve commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel to iconic Yellowstone locations will be closed in stages beginning Friday, March 1, when the East Entrance will close at 9:00 p.m.

Oversnow travel into the park from Mammoth Hot Springs will end at 9:00 p.m., Sunday, March 3.

Visitors traveling with a commercial guide service through the West Entrance will be able to enjoy the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at Canyon Village by way of Norris Geyser Basin until 9:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 5.

Travel to Canyon Village will be still be possible from the both the West and South Entrances via the West Thumb area until 9:00 p.m., Sunday, March 10.

Old Faithful will remain accessible from both the West and South Entrances until 9:00 p.m. Friday, March 15, when all remaining interior parks roads will close for the season.

After the roads close to oversnow travel, plowing crews will clear them of snow so they can reopen to automobile travel in the spring.

At Old Faithful, the Snow Lodge and Cabins will close for the winter season on Sunday, March 3. The Geyser Grill, Bear Den Gift Shop and the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center will remain open through Friday, March 15.

At Mammoth Hot Springs, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Dining Room and Gift Shop will close for the season Monday, March 4. The Mammoth Campground, Yellowstone General Store, Post Office, Medical Clinic, the Albright Visitor Center and self-serve fuel pumps are open all year.

The road from Gardiner, Montana, through the park's North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City, Montana, is open to automobiles all year, weather permitting. Self-serve fuel is available all year at Tower Junction. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling 307-344-2117.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

Prescribed Fire Projects Planned on Swan Lake Ranger District

The Swan Lake Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest is planning to conduct multiple prescribed fire projects when weather, fuel conditions, and air quality become favorable this spring. Smoke will be visible from various places in the Flathead Valley and the Swan Valley depending on the location of the burn units and weather conditions.

The project areas include:

* Blacktail Mountain Area – Up to 72 acres of logging slash from previously logged areas will be treated with fire to reduce hazardous fuels as well as create favorable conditions for natural regeneration of plant and tree species.

* Haskill Mountain Area – This ecosystem burn project has targeted 128 acres of mid to upper elevation brush and conifer. Fire suppression has caused a change in species composition resulting in accumulations of woody material and an increased risk of stand replacement fire. Fire management will reintroduce fire to overall improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of intense wildfire.

* Crane Mountain Area – This work includes three units in the Estes Lake, Hunger Creek, and Crane Creek areas. Geographically the area is located several miles south of Ferndale, above Woods Bay, totaling 506 acres of under-burning. Objectives are to reintroduce fire to the landscape thus reducing hazardous fuels that have accumulated over the years. A temporary closure on Trail #96 into the Estes Lake Area may occur during burn operations.

* Meadow Smith and Cooney McKay– This project includes under-burning timber stands located within the Meadow and Smith Creek areas of the Swan Valley. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, vegetation regeneration, and wildlife habitat improvement.

* Holland Lake Area – This project includes under burning 135 acres of ponderosa pine stands as part of ecosystem health. Prescribed fire will be reintroduced to improve overall forest health and reduce the likelihood of intense wildfire.

* Pile Burning – Hand or Machine piles are located in several locations within the Swan Valley and Blacktail Mountain as a result of but not limited to: logging, hazardous fuels reduction in the wildland urban interface, hazard tree removal, and trail or road construction. These piles are burned to reduce the fuel loads in these areas. These piles are strategically burned based on their location, access, and weather conditions.

Each project follows a Prescribed Fire Burn Plan. The prescribed fire projects are located and designed to be controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects, or to escape as a wildland fire. These projects will be in compliance with Montana air quality standards and coordinated with Montana State Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impacts of smoke to our neighbors, cooperators, and surrounding communities.

For additional information about these projects contact the Swan Lake Ranger District in Bigfork at 406-837-7500.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

Glacier National Park Visitors Add $97 Million to Local Economies

As the National Park Service moves closer to its second century, one of the key indicators of how parks are doing, and how the NPS is fulfilling its mission, is the economic impact that national parks have on America’s economy. According to a report compiled by Michigan State University, every dollar spent by the National Park Service, through Congressional appropriations, results in a $10 benefit to the national economy.

Using data gathered from parks and public data, economists at Michigan State examined the impacts visitor spending has on the local economy in terms of sales, income, and jobs in a report published yesterday called Economic Benefits to Local Communities from National Park Visitation, 2011. The information contained in this report will be used for planning, concessions management, budget justifications, policy analysis, and marketing.

According to the report, the National Park System received 278.9 million recreation visits in 2011, while park visitors spent $12.95 billion in local gateway regions (defined as within roughly 60 miles of a park). In total, park visitor spending supported 252,000 (mostly) local jobs.

The four local economic sectors most directly affected by visitor spending are lodging, restaurants, retail trade, and recreation and entertainment. Spending from these sources supported 45,200 jobs in restaurants and bars, 34,100 jobs in lodging sectors, 15,500 jobs in the retail and wholesale trade, and 20,000 jobs in recreation and entertainment.

Visitors staying overnight outside the park (in motels, hotels, cabins, and bed & breakfasts) accounted for 54.9% of the total spending. About half (48%) of the spending was for lodging and meals, 21.4% for gas and local transportation, 9.7% for recreation and entertainment, 8.1% for groceries, and 12.7% for other retail purchases.

Visitors to Glacier National Park spent roughly $97,715,000 in the surrounding communities in 2011. This spending supported 1,337 jobs within the local communities.

As a comparison, visitors to Yellowstone National Park spent roughly $332,975,000, which supported 5,041 jobs. Visitors to Grand Teton National Park spent roughly $436,416,000, which supported 6,352 jobs.

You can view the entire NPS report by clicking here.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking