Glacier National Park will continue its “brown bag” lunchtime seminars on various topics over the next several months. The free presentations are held in the West Glacier Community Building, and always begin at noon. Here’s the schedule, and a small description of each talk, from park officials:
April 16: “A Georgian State of Mind: Common Threads in Protected Areas”
Richard Menicke, geographer/GIS coordinator at Glacier, recently spent two weeks in the Republic of Georgia as part of a Department of the Interior
international technical assistance team. Menicke will provide a colorful and informal presentation on Georgian protected areas, his experiences in Georgia and an overview of the GIS training he provided to Georgia’s Agency of Protected Areas personnel.
April 29: “Rainbows vs. Natives: It’s a Cutthroat Competition”
… and the cutthroats are losing. Rainbow trout, a popular sport fish, have been widely introduced into new waters. Biologists worry that mixing rainbow genes into native trout populations not only result in the loss of genetically pure trout but will undermine the natives’ long-standing adaptations to the environment. This loss of biodiversity poses difficult conservation questions for those making policy and management decisions. Dr. Clint Muhlfeld, a U.S. Geological Survey Aquatic Ecologist stationed at Glacier, will present an overview of the evolutionary and ecological consequences of hybridization on Montana’s state fish, the westslope cutthroat trout, based on 10 years of research in the Flathead River system and Glacier National Park. If it looks like a cutthroat trout and swims like a cutthroat trout….it may not be a cutthroat trout! For more information about this research, please visit:
http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/staff/muhlfeld.
May 28: “Wild River Pioneers”
John Fraley, local historical writer and information and education program manager for Region One of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks in Kalispell, will present an audio-visual program on his newest book, “Wild River Pioneers,” which tells about the exciting pioneer history of the Middle Fork of the Flathead River drainage within Glacier National Park and the Great Bear Wilderness. Fraley’s presentation will focus on George Snyder, with some glimpses of Josephine Doody’s life.
June 18: “Confessions of a Wildlife Observer”
This is an entertaining presentation that includes stories such as: “ He ended up with a crippling knee infection, hiked 12 miles in his underwear, was mistaken for a grizzly bear and, yes, he gathered his fair share of pika poop.” Join photographer, Chris Peterson as he takes a light-hearted look at the natural world as a wildlife observer in Glacier. Peterson is an award-winning photographer and editor. He is currently the photographer for the “Hungry Horse News” and is the owner/editor/photographer of “Glacier Park Magazine.” Peterson has been photographing Glacier’s flora and fauna for the past 11 years. This show includes photographs of loons, mountain goats, pikas, river otters, and other cool creatures he met along the way (www.glacierparkmagazine.com/).
July 2: “2010: Glacier’s Turning 100!”
Help celebrate Glacier National Park’s 100th birthday. This is a great time to learn about how to get involved in this memorable time in Glacier’s
history. Kassandra Hardy, Glacier National Park centennial coordinator, will present an update on the numerous events and programs that are being organized by over 60 community members. Find out how to be a part of this birthday bash: for information on the centennial program go to
www.glaciercentennial.org/
For more information about Glacier National Park’s Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center go to: http://www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/ccrlc.htm. Select brown bag lecture series in the right hand column for information on upcoming presentations.