Glacier Conversations

Upcoming Conversations

December 6, 2023 – 6:30PM MST

Climate Trial – Held v. Montana

Details: Join the Glacier Conservancy and Executive Director Doug Mitchell on Zoom where we will have a discussion with the Flathead Valley’s own Lander Busse, one of 16 youth plaintiffs who successfully asked the court to declare that Montana’s fossil fuel energy policies and actions violate young people’s state constitutional rights.

Past Conversations

October 2023

2024 Park Project Preview

Details: Executive Director Doug Mitchell will talk with Glacier National Park staff experts about a handful of select projects for 2024 including a harlequin duck study, a new season of the Headwaters podcast, and fisheries management. Speak directly to park managers about these projects and how you can help make them possible.

Guests from NPS will include Chris Downs, Aquatic and Physical Science Programs Manager, Lisa Bate, Wildlife Biologist, Holli Holmes, Master’s Student in Wildlife Biology, Peri Sasnett, Visual Information Specialist and Michael Faist, Visual Information Specialist

August 2023

Search and Rescue with Chief Ranger Paul Austin

Details: Join us for a fascinating look into search and rescue operations in Glacier. Chief Ranger Paul Austin will give us an inside look into everything it takes to locate and assist injured and lost visitors in a million-acre park with few roads. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when a person is reported missing in Glacier National Park, this is your chance to learn.

June 2023

Historic Preservation with Preserve Montana

Details: Since 1987, Preserve Montana has been providing individuals and communities with the leadership and knowledge to preserve our past for the future. Join Executive Director Jenny Buddenborg and Director Emerita Chere Jiusto in a conversation about Preserve Montana’s work statewide, in Glacier National Park and the Flathead Valley. Learn about restoration efforts at the Wheeler Cabin and Baxendale Schoolhouse, advocacy efforts at Holland Lake Lodge, and share your thoughts on the future of preservation in the Treasure State.

April 2023

Getting Glacier Open with Brian Paul

Details: The annual process of getting Glacier National Park facilities open for millions of summer visitors is a huge undertaking. It involves removing hundreds of millions of tons of snow, braving avalanche and rock fall, and preserving the historic integrity of the road. Join us for a discussion with Glacier National Park Roads Supervisor Brian Paul about plowing Going-to-the-Sun Road and everything it takes to make Glacier ready for summer.

Watch the Zoom conversation here.

February 2023

Citizen Science with Jami Belt

Details: The Glacier National Park Citizen Science Program invites members of the public to assist in biological research. The program is coordinated by the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center (CCRLC), based in Glacier, and made possible by the generous supporters of the Glacier National Park Conservancy. Jami Belt, Biologist and Citizen Science Program Manager, will present highlights of what we have learned from Citizen Science efforts since the program began over a decade ago, what is happening in 2023 and how you can help the park by becoming a citizen scientist.

Watch the Zoom conversation here.

December 2022

Adventure Photography with Jordan Lefler

Details: Jordan Lefler is an adventure photographer and filmmaker who spends a lot of his time capturing the awe-inspiring beauty of Glacier.  Jordan is a second descendant of the Salish tribe and has lived most his life on the Flathead Indian Reservation.  He will share some of his favorite images, stories about those images including the influence of Native American culture on his photography and his passion to leave no trace as he photographs some of the most beautiful places in the world.

Watch the Zoom conversation here.

October 2022

Winold Reiss Exhibit Discussion

Details: A special fall Glacier Conversation about Winold Reiss to include Prof. Heather Caverhill (University of Alberta, Department of Art Design), Prof. Julie Levin Caro (a contributor to the recent Reiss book The Multiculturalism of Winold Reiss), and Marilyn Kushner (Curator, New York Historical Society Museum and Library, Curator of ‘The Art of Winold Reiss: An Immigrant Modernist’).

Watch the Zoom conversation here.

August 2022

Bighorn Sheep with Dr. Elizabeth Flesch

Details: Learn all about the amazing lives of bighorn sheep and how the changing landscape affects them. Join researcher Dr. Elizabeth Flesch while she discusses her fascinating work studying the region’s bighorn sheep populations.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Flesch here.

June 2022

Fire Lookouts with Writer Amy Grisak

Details: Learn all about fire lookouts and their history – plus their current role – in Glacier National Park. Join writer Amy Grisak while she discusses her fascinating work writing a book about fire lookouts.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Amy Grisak here.

April 2022

Cultural History of Bison in Glacier with Park Archeologist Brent Rowley

Details: Join Glacier National Park Archeologist Brent Rowley and learn about the complex relationship of bison and people from the end of the Pleistocene to the late 19th Century based on ongoing archeological research undertaken by the park’s Cultural Resources Program.

People often think of bison as being only a plains animal, but they inhabited the mountain environments of Glacier as well! Bison played a central role to the Indigenous cultures of the region, so where there were bison, there were people trying to hunt them. This project attempts to tell the story of interactions between people and bison in the high country of Glacier based on nearly 13,000 years of archeological evidence in the region.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Brent Rowley here.

February 2022

Under The Night Sky with Artist-In-Residence Imma Barrera

Details: The Under The Night Sky presentation will highlight Imma’s current project to raise awareness about the importance of nature conservation efforts, in particular, protecting the night sky from light pollution. Preserving the night environment helps support human health and heritage and preserve wildlife habitats. Night photography offers a chance to capture and document scenes that few people ever see nowadays due to artificial light and airglow pollution.

Born in Barcelona, Imma Barrera is a landscape and nature photographer based in New Jersey. She is a graduate of NY Institute of Photography and has won several awards and exhibited her photography in a number of galleries worldwide. She has published books about the night skies in NJ and the first book of her series “Photographing National Parks” about her experience as an Artist-in-Residence at Capitol Reef. Currently, she is working on the second book about her National Park series covering Glacier and another book about several US national parks at night.

To see her work, and to find more information about Imma’s dark skies presentation, please visit this link. you can also follow her on Instagram @imma.photo.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Imma Barrera here.

December 2021

Kay Knapton & Olivia Secord – “The Young Goat and Old Goat”

Details: Kay Knapton and her granddaughter, Olivia Secord, will join us to talk about their inspiring Climate Hike through Glacier National Park, where they volunteered to hike 50 miles in four days and raised over $9,000 for Glacier National Park.

Kay and her granddaughter Olivia Secord call themselves the Young Goat (age 11) and Old Goat (age 81). They were determined to take steps – 100,000 to be precise – to help address the effects of climate change, support conservation in Glacier National Park, and add another adventure to their bucket of shared experiences.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Kay & Olivia here.

November 2021

Mapping Glacier’s Wilderness with Jillian McKenna

Details: Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst, Jillian McKenna, will discuss her work in creating a base GIS layered map that shows installations and facilities in Glacier’s recommended wilderness – the first of its kind for Glacier National Park.

You can learn a little bit more about the project and Jillian’s work by checking out our Project Spotlight video from this year’s virtual Backpacker’s Ball!

Watch the Zoom conversation with Jillian McKenna here.

September 2021

Alex Schnee of Alex on the Map

Details: Alex is a professional writer and international travel blogger. Her work has been featured in USA Today, the Huffington Post, Travel + Leisure, Fodor’s, and many more. A Flathead native, she now runs her own international travel blog, Alex On The Map, where she shares her passions of cooking, photography, and traveling as a digital nomad, as well as encouraging conservation and respect for natural spaces – including Glacier. She has been to over 50 countries and has worked with brands such as National Geographic, Contiki, Gutsy Women Travel, The North Face, and many more.

You can check out Alex’s recent work in Fodor’s Travel, which features Glacier Conservancy Executive Director, Doug Mitchell. The article is titled, “Everyone Is Flocking to National Parks—But Should They? Is It a Bad Idea?“.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Alex Schnee here.

June 2021

Glacier’s Native Plant Nursery

Details: Join us virtually as we visit Glacier’s Native Plant Nursery, where hundreds of native plants are cultivated from a variety of habitats found within the park and used in various restoration efforts. Glacier Conservancy Executive Director, Doug Mitchell, will meet with with Glacier National Park’s Vegetation Program Manager, Dawn LaFleur.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Dawn LaFleur here.

May 2021

The Last Glacier: Images of Our Changing Landscape at the Hockaday Museum of Art

Details: Join the Glacier Conservancy’s Executive Director, Doug Mitchell, and the Hockaday Museum of Art’s Executive Director, Alyssa Cordova, as well as featured artists as we explore the Hockaday’s new exhibition The Last Glacier: Images of Our Changing Landscape. The exhibition is currently on view to the public through June 19th and features the work of artists Bruce Crownover and Todd Anderson and photographer Ian van Coller. We’re incredibly honored to give you a sneak peek into the collection through this special virtual event.

For more information about the exhibition, please visit the Hockaday Museum of Art’s website.

Watch the Zoom conversation with the Hockaday Museum of Art’s Alyssa Cordova as well as featured artists Bruce Crownover, Todd Anderson, and Ian van Coller here.

April 2021

40 Years of Wolf Recovery in Montana

Details: Dr. Diane Boyd will talk about her work in wolf recovery from the first wolf to return to Montana in 1979 to the present population of approximately 850 wolves. This very successful recovery has had many bumps in the road, but wolves are resilient and here to stay.

Diane Boyd has worked with wolves for more than 40 years. She retired from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks in December 2019, as the Wolf Specialist for northwestern Montana and now pursues other conservation avenues.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Diane Boyd here.

March 2021

Rangers Michael Faist & Andrew Smith

Details: Join Park Rangers Michael Faist and Andrew Smith for a conversation about Glacier’s new podcast, Headwaters. Michael and Andrew recorded, edited, and co-hosted the show. This brand new podcast, made possible thanks to your donations to the Glacier Conservancy, travels to every major region of Glacier to tell stories how nature and culture come together in unexpected ways.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Michael and Andrew here.

February 2021

Climate Ride: Caeli Quinn and Leticia Romero

Details: Climate Ride is a nonprofit organization that organizes life-changing charitable biking and hiking events to raise awareness and support sustainability, active transportation, and environmental causes, including the Glacier Climate Ride, which funds renewable energy projects in Glacier National Park. Join Co-Founder and Executive Director, Caeli Quinn, and climate runner and community activist, Leticia Romero, for a conversation about climate activism in Montana.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Caeli Quinn and Leticia Romero here.

January 2021

Sarah Williams

Details: Sarah Williams thru-hiked the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in 2020 during the pandemic. The route through Glacier National Park changed this year due to closures on the east side of the park.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Sarah Williams here.

December 2020

Team Onyx

Details: Team Onyx is the first all-Black team in expedition racing, representing the best qualities and strength that come from diversity. They are a mixture of gay and straight athletes in their 20s, 40s and 50s from around the world. Team Onyx was featured on Amazon’s World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji. Our event sponsor, Bedrock Sandals, will be giving away two free pairs of sandals to two participants during the event.

Watch the Zoom conversation with Captain Clifton Lyles here.