Monthly Archives: September 2009

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September 25, 2009
Glacier National Park Invites Students to Celebrate, Inspire, and Engage Through Art for a Postcard Contest

Glacier National Park’s Education Program and the Glacier Association are again sponsoring a postcard contest for K-12 students. As Glacier approaches its 100th anniverary, the focus for this year’s contest relates to the Centennial themes of “Celebrate, Inspire, and Engage.“ In particular, to “engagement“ as the next 100 years of Glacier’s future depends on the participation of today’s youth in helping to protect and preserve park resources.

The purpose of the poscard contest is to promote learning and stewardship of Glacier National Park through the creation of messages from local students to future Glacier National Park visitors. First place winning entries in each category will be made into postcards to be given to the visiting public at Glacier Association bookstores throughout the park.

Winners will be announced by the end of November. The first place winning entry in each category will receive a Glacier Association gift certificate for $25 and be made into a free postcard to be handed out at Association sales areas. The second place winner will receive a $15 gift certificate. Third place and honorable mention entries in each category will receive a book from the Association.

The Glacier Association is a non-profit cooperating association of the National Park Service. Glacier Association helps to support Glacier National Park’s educational, interpretive, cultural and scientific program needs.

For complete details, see: The 2009 postcard contest.

2nd Glacier Centennial FVCC Lecture

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September 23, 2009
Setting the Stage- Describing the Crown Region

It was another successful evening for the Flathead Valley Community College, the hosts of the second Centennial Crown of the Continent Lecture Series. Presented by Geography Department Chairman Dr. Jim Byrne of the University of Lethbridge, Byrne was tasked with establishing the broader geographical elements that help define the Crown of the Continent.

His canadian spontaneity brought many laughs to the room as he quickly moved into a serious notion regarding the Crown of the Continent’s responsibility in being the headwaters for most of our continent’s watershed. Through graphs and images, Jim illustrated how the region’s water moves west via the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean, south via the Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico, and north via the St. Mary River to Hudson Bay. Byrne explained that the St. Mary drainage is extraordinarily vital to Alberta’s agriculture economy, as many of the other drainages have dried up or are not available throughout the growing season.

He concluded his perspective of the Crown with a case study focusing on Lake Winnipeg. He and his students at the University of Lethbridge are developing a feature film on the pollution pouring into our vast bodies of water.

Join us for the next centennial lecture:

When: Sept 29, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Description: Defining the Ecology of the Crown of the Continent

This lecture will focus on the unique collision of four major climatic zones, the characteristics and diversity of flora and fauna in the Crown of the Continent, and what distinguishes the Crown of the Continent from neighboring and global ecosystems.

Speaker: Dr. Chris Servheen

For more information about Glacier’s Centennial, please visit: www.glaciercentennial.org

Mountain Biking & Fall

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This past weekend I spent some time on one of Missoula’s premier recreation areas-Blue Mountain. Located literally minutes away from Missoula, Blue Mountain is an outstanding place for outdoor recreation with a folfe course and trails for hiking, biking & riding.

My adventure included watching some phenomenal mountain bikers. Check out the photos below…

Getting started for the day

Tearing down the trail at Blue Mountain

MB Blog2

An Autumn Ride in the Sapphire Mountains

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Settled snugly in my horse’s saddle, I tentatively coaxed Whiskey up alongside our equestrian guide, SuzAnne Miller, who was perched with authority atop her shining chestnut colored horse, Power, as we crested a golden brown grassy hilltop.

The group warms up their horses at Dunrovin Ranch.

Far below us the shallow Bitterroot River flowed along the valley bottom, calm and lazy as the wispy clouds streaking the faded blue fall sky. Giant cottonwood trees rose up all over the broad valley floor, their golden leaves aflame like Gulliver-sized torches illuminating the countryside.

The author (in green) guides her horse across the Bitterroot River.

Motioning toward the next rolling mountain top just a half kilometer east of us, SuzAnne pointed out a group of horses grazing, whinnying and occasionally tossing their manes.

“They’re wild,” she said. “They’re the descendants of some horses a rancher set free about 30 years ago. They don’t often let us see them this close.”

As SuzAnne’s business partner Dunrovin Ranch, manager Sue Matthews related to our group of five greenhorns the story of how Lewis and Clark nearly died in mountains very nearby when a deep snowstorm fell early and prevented them from being able to hunt, I watched the wild horses and savored the fall colors that adorned the entire valley with a full artist’s palette of golds and reds and oranges. This, I decided, was the perfect Montana moment.

And right about then, I also happily concluded that I was finally feeling almost comfortable sitting on a horse—one activity that instantly bucks me out of my comfort zone like no other.
That, I decided was another perfect Montana moment.

–by Lynn Martel, www.lynnmartel.ca

Glacier Centennial: First Peoples, Two Countries, Three Voices

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September 16, 2009
First Peoples, Two Countries, Three Voices
Flathead Valley Community College in partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) kicked off their Crown of the Continent Centennial Lecture Series last night.

The evening consisted of a conversation with leaders of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Salish-Pend Oreille, and the Kootenai/Ktnuxa nations. Speakers included Herman Many Guns from the Piikani Blackfoot Tribes, Tony Incashola from the Salish Tribes, and Vernon Finley from the Kootenai Tribes.

Herman Many Guns commenced the conversation with a traditional prayer, a perfect opening to what followed. The dialogue spanned a great deal of wisdom and story telling. Values of each culture were shared- such as that of Vernan Finely’s grandmother’s teaching of the importance of using our five senses to Tony Incashola’s comments on remembering where we all come from.

It was acknowledged by each of the tribes that this was an ideal space for such a series– the location is known as the Village Center to the Kootenai peoples. It happens to be the center of the Crown of the Continent National Geographic Geotourism Map, as well.

The lecture ended with wise words encouraging all people to work together to protect these resources and the special culture that exists here in the Crown of the Continent. Each tribal member expressed their gratitude for their invitation to the table. Vernon regarded that it is not of their interest that such an event exists– instead it is the interest of each of the audience members that the conversation has taken place, suggesting that it is up to us to continue the discussion.

Join us on Monday for the second lecture:

Sep 21, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Setting the Stage- Describing the Crown Region
Speaker: Dr. Jim Byrne
Flathead Valley Community College Continuing Education Center

For more information on Glacier’s Centennial, please visit www.glaciercentennial.org

9.9.09

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In honor of today, the ninth day of the ninth month of the year 2009, I’ve put together a list of NINE thing I love about Western Montana.

1. The Big Dipper.

This place kills me softly. Sometimes I daydream about it and my all time favorite flavor: Vanilla Reese’s. Personally, I don’t view daydreaming about ice cream as a bad thing, except that it happens in the morning and then I have to justify to myself that ice cream is not that bad of a breakfast food. It’s got milk. And peanut butter. That’s okay, right mom?
2. Rafting Guides. Is it just me or are most rafting guides here adorable?
3. Glacier National Park. I spent many a summer as a young lass in the park: hiking around, paddling a canoe in circles on Lake McDonald and eating family style meals in St. Mary. Today, you may find me doing the same thing. Except that I can now paddle in my desired direction.
4. The Bitterroot Valley. Q: Do I really need to taste test the sweet potato fries from the Bitter Root Brewery AGAIN? A: Um, yes I do.
5. The Blackfoot River. Nothing beats floating the river on a hot summer day.
6. The Great Northern on a Saturday night. Have you tried it? I guarantee you’ll have a good time. Bring your boots, your sundress or your alter ego. (Sometimes I bring all three.)
7. Sitting on the deck at The Raven on Flathead Lake.
8. Griz football games. Nothing I’ve ever felt delivers quite the same feeling as sitting in Washington-Grizzly Stadium during a home game and cheering with the 27,000+ crowd. griz
9. It’s home.