Take a walk on Glacier’s trails or a drive along Going-to-the-Sun Road and you will pass by historic cabins, native wildflowers, exhibits about park wildlife and 10 visitor centers and ranger stations. With over 700 miles of trail and nearly 400 historic structures, countless artifacts and archaeology sites, and the storied Ptarmigan Tunnel, Glacier stretches across one million acres of forest, prairie and alpine park land. The Conservancy funds projects and programs that preserve Glacier’s heritage for all to explore in generations to come.
Native Fish Conservation
Funding Needed: $97,300
A critical part of keeping Glacier Park’s ecosystem intact is the protection of our native cold water trout. The Park’s population of migratory bull trout in alpine lakes and native westslope cutthroat trout is under threat from both intentional introduction of non-native fish and migration of non-native species into the Park.
Funding from the Glacier National Park Conservancy will allow the Park and other partner agencies to significantly leverage public funds to implement a highly technical, four-phase initiative that spans the Park -- from Camas Lake, Evangeline Lake and Quartz Lake to multiple lakes and streams in the St. Mary River drainage and beyond.
Prevent Catastrophic Mussel Infestation in Glacier National Park
Funding Needed: $130,000
In the past two years, the number of boats and other watercraft inspected as they enter Glacier Park increased from 1,000 in 2016 to over 13,000 in 2017. Continuing this program is critical not only to the Park’s pristine waters, but to the greater ecosystem of the Columbia River Basin.
This project will provide private funds to leverage significant federal and state resources being allocated for this effort, and will support inspection stations in Polebridge, Two Medicine, St. Mary, Many Glacier and Apgar.
Backcountry Invasive Weeds Management
Funding Needed: $20,000
Noxious weeds are a major threat to any ecosystem. While the Park continues to make significant investments in this area, private support is needed to provide additional boots on the ground, and to survey and map noxious weed infestations across all of Glacier National Park. By pinpointing and moving the needle in the most threatened backcountry areas, and increasing the reach of the Park’s limited resources, the provision of additional manpower and research tools will bring greater success.
Rehabilitate Trails Accessing Three Mountain Lakes
Funding Needed: $62,627
This project addresses much-needed tread maintenance on 5.4 miles of trail that access three mountain lakes. The trails included are: part of the historic Piegan Trail along St. Mary Lake, a 2.1 mile section on the south side of Two Medicine Lake, and a shorter section on the north side of Two Medicine Lake leading to No Name Lake. These three trails are used by an estimated 98,000 hikers every year.
Swiftcurrent Water Bottle Filling Station
Funding Needed: $7,700
Two Medicine Water Bottle Filling Station
Funding Needed: $6,750
This project is simple, effective and smart and may provide the best conservation and visitor experience “bang for the buck.” Keeping hikers hydrated is a critical safety issue across the park. By providing visitors with an easy, efficient, and safe way to get water, this project will not only address a health and safety issue but will go a long way toward helping eliminate the waste related to single use plastic water bottles, 80 percent of which end up in landfills.
This project will provide for the purchase and installation of two additional ADA-compliant water fountain and bottle fill stations -- one at Two Medicine “showcase” comfort station, and the other at the Swiftcurrent picnic area.
Lower McDonald Falls Accessible Trail
Funding Needed: $77,000
Swiftcurrent Accessible Trail
Funding Needed: $106,462
As visitation to Glacier grows, the number of people with mobility issues who want to experience its trails and campgrounds is growing as well. This project expands the existing Swiftcurrent Lake accessible trail and adds an accessible trail at Lower McDonald Creek Falls.
Operate Spring Hiker Biker Shuttle on the West Side
Funding Needed: $75,500
The experience of riding the Going to the Sun Road in spring, when it is open for bikers and hikers but closed to cars, is quickly becoming a “bucket list” item for cyclists from around the world. Glacier’s spring scenery rivals the best rides in Europe while for the hardcore athlete, the ride would rank among the top 20 toughest climbs in the Tour de France.
This is the fourth year for this overwhelmingly popular and growing project. This year’s grant will continue to expand the existing service on the Park’s west side, develop infrastructure on the east side, and explore connectivity to the Gateway to Glacier Trail and the Park bike path within West Glacier.
Create Safe Opportunities to View Wildlife
Funding Needed: $112,990
We’ve all had the experience of seeing a few cars stopped on the road with people interested in something going on up the hill. Our natural reaction is to slow down and see what everyone is looking at. If it’s a bear or a group of bighorn sheep, the odds are that we, too, will stop. This happens all the time in Glacier Park and these animal-induced “jams” can cause safety issues for both the animals and the humans watching them.
This project would continue the already proven program of supporting the Park’s Visitor Service Assistant (VSA) program by funding and training eight paid positions and additional volunteer positions in high-traffic areas throughout the Park. This will create a safer and more satisfying experience for visitors while helping to train a future generation of potential Park rangers.
Bear Management Fund: Protect Bears and Visitors in Real Time
Funding Needed: $6,000
Glacier National Park is home to the highest density of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. Add 600 or so black bears and 3 million human visitors a year and the stage is set for a management challenge of significant consequence. Thanks to prioritization by the Park and steadfast support from the Conservancy, Glacier National Park boasts one of the most successful bear management programs in the world with less than one bear per year removed due to management concerns.
2019 funding provides critical resources to allow the Park to enhance current prevention-related tools and to ensure resources, equipment, and properly trained staff are available to respond to any bear-related emergencies that may arise.
Reduce Conflict Between Humans and Grizzlies at Fifty Mountain
Funding Needed: $2,200
Named for its view of 50 snow-capped peaks, this beautiful and epic backcountry location is iconic for hikers, and an important corridor for the Park’s grizzly bear population.
In its second year, this project would outfit a volunteer backcountry host position in a wall tent from the beginning of August until late September. A rotating crew of volunteer hosts are specifically trained to help prevent conflicts with wildlife and to provide up-to-date trail routing, and be in radio contact to send and receive emergency updates and information.
Preventative Search and Rescue
Funding Needed: $67,750
When it comes to hiking safety in Glacier National Park, the old maxim that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” holds true. This innovative grant would fund paid positions plus additional volunteers to interact with visitors to prevent common problems before they begin. Data from other parks with similar programs shows that just making sure hikers have proper gear, sufficient water, and are aware of the adventure on which they are embarking can decrease search and rescue calls by as much as 45 percent.
Connecting People with Park History: Increase Access to Historical Archives
Funding Needed: $17,000
When it comes to hiking safety in Glacier National Park, the old maxim that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” holds true. This innovative grant would fund paid positions plus additional volunteers to interact with visitors to prevent common problems before they begin. Data from other parks with similar programs shows that just making sure hikers have proper gear, sufficient water, and are aware of the adventure on which they are embarking can decrease search and rescue calls by as much as 45 percent.
Sperry Chalet - Phase II
2019 will see the completion of the restoration of the historic Sperry Chalet project in which the Glacier Conservancy has played such a critical role. This multi-million dollar public-private partnership will require significant ongoing support from the Conservancy’s Sperry Action Fund established in 2017.
Respond to Increased Visitor-Wildlife Encounters
Funding Needed: $25,000
Provides additional staff to increase response to visitor and wildlife encounters along trails and roadside pullouts.
LiDAR at Granite Park Chalet
Funding Needed: $17,000
Enhanced topographic data (to one-foot contour level) will guide future facility management issues at the historic Granite Park Chalet site.
Young Scholar Research Fellowship
Funding Needed: $10,000
Continues the Glacier National Park Conservancy - Jerry O’Neal Research Fellowship program, funding at least two $1,000 - $5,000 research fellowships for college students.
Park Produced Publications
Funding Needed: $52,100
The impact of the Glacier Conservancy’s work begins at the Park gate with publications, funded by this grant, which are provided to every visitor entering Glacier National Park.
Granite Park Chalet Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning
Funding Needed: $4,000
Think of this as an MRI for an historic building. The result will be robust structural and status data that will be a valuable historic resource plus a working document, providing real-time data on the health of this iconic structure.
Restoring Harlequin Duck Habitat Along Upper McDonald Creek
Funding Needed: $5,000
Protection of Harlequin Duck habitat will be significantly advanced by the reclamation of native areas damaged by increased off-trail use.
Purchase Laser Engraver for Glacier’s Sign Shop
Funding Needed: $20,000
This purchase represents the completion of an equipment upgrade program, the result of which is a more efficient and impactful in-house sign shop to help inform park visitors.
Rehabilitate Virginia Falls Bridge
Funding Needed: $7,700
Rebuild existing footbridge and improve trail tread to alleviate safety concerns and improve visitor experience.
Replace Lake McDonald Ranger Station Barn Roof
Funding Needed: $28,000
This project will replace the existing deteriorated roof with a fire-retardant, cedar-shingle roof to match the historic pattern of the building.
Replace Walton Ranger Station Foundation
Funding Needed: $30,000
This structure’s pier construction allows the building to move seasonally. A new, permanent foundation will be an important safety and access improvement.
Employee Health and Wellness
Funding Needed: $5,500
This vibrant public-private partnership includes numerous local businesses and invests in the delivery of a vibrant health and wellness program for Glacier National Park staff.
Improve Winter Emergency Response
Funding Needed: $24,000
Increased winter usage of our million-acre park has the mostly 15+-year-old “fleet” of eight snowmobiles in need of modernization.
Increasing Ranger Station Staff at Many Glacier Valley
Funding Needed: $17,000
With daily counts of 400 or more visitors, this grant provides funding for a ranger in the Many Glacier Ranger Station to help visitors in this increasingly popular area.
Addressing the Impacts of Increasing Visitation
Funding Needed: $60,500
Capture and analyze visitor-use data to educate and inform a response to dramatically increased Park visitation and trail usage.
Maintaining Wildlife Connectivity in the Crown of the Continent
Funding Needed: $30,043
Conduct a public map-a-thon, deploy trail cameras and utilize GIS technology to determine appropriate potential locations for wildlife crossings on the Highway 2 corridor.
Rare Plant Monitoring
Funding Needed: $4,000
Establishes a baseline by which to measure future changes in plants and plant communities that contribute greatly to the Park’s overall biodiversity.
Grinnell Glacier Picnic Area Restoration
Funding Needed: $3,000
The second phase of this critical project will restore over a quarter acre with 1,000 native plants.
Collaborate with Transboundary Conservation Partners in the Crown of the Continent
Funding Needed: $20,000
Provides critical support for large landscape and transboundary partnership efforts in the larger Crown of the Continent structural context.
Advanced Life Support and Emergency Rescue A.L.E.R.T. Sustainability
Funding Needed: $100,000
A community first responder that flies over 20 medical response flights per year in Glacier Park, A.L.E.R.T. is adding a second helicopter to meet increased demand.
Operational Effectiveness
Funding Needed: $7,500
Supports expenses related to meetings, conferences and other official functions for which government funds are not available.
Purchase AEDs for Two Medicine and Walton Ranger Stations
Funding Needed: $3,735
A life was saved in 2017 by a Glacier Conservancy-funded AED and subsequent A.L.E.R.T. medical evacuation. This grant would deploy two additional units in strategic locations.
