As a part of the annual Glacier National Park Associates winter speaker series, Ranger Naturalist Bill Schustrom kicked off the event with a program on 100 Years of Wilderness in Glacier.
The program commenced with a discussion on what ‘Wilderness’ means to us– means to you, means to me. Words such as quiet, untouched, and solitude were suggested from the crowd of 60 attendees. Bill suggested untrammeled. Land that is fairly untrammeled, he said. This word comes directly from the 1964 Wilderness Act, “…an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man…” Section 2(c).
The evening continued with how humans have learned to appreciate our wild landscapes– as the land is a part of our heritage and the responsibility for those of us today to pass on these lands to future generations to appreciate as our ancestors have done for us.
Bill, a 50 year veteran of Glacier National Park, ended the program with a quote from John Muir, encouraging the audience to really think about Muir’s words: “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
As we move into the second century of preserving places like Glacier National Park, it is imperative to recognize our responsibility as citizens and care takers of these invaluable landscapes.
Join the Glacier National Park Associates for the next lecture on February 22, 7 PM at the Central Museum in Kalispell. Ranger Joyce Lapp will be presenting a program on botany in the park.
