A busy year of planning is on tap at Glacier National Park in Montana/Rebecca Latson file
Glacier National Park officials are looking at a busy year of planning, with projects ranging from managing historic properties to conserving Westslope cutthroat trout on their to-do list. With that hefty list on the drawing board, they'll be looking for public comments on how to proceed.
Other projects including dealing with congestion along the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor, reviewing the park's communications infrastructure, and figuring out how best to extend electric and telephone services to the Kelly Camp community, following the 2018 Howe Fire.
“Glacier National Park is an amazing place and community that continues to welcome more visitors each year,” Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow said. “We’ve set out a lot of goals for 2019 and will be looking to the public to help us make sound decisions moving forward.”
Lake McDonald Properties Management Plan/Environmental Assessment
This plan addresses seven historic properties around Lake McDonald now under park ownership. It proposes an adaptive management approach that identifies options for preservation including historic leasing opportunities, proposed administrative uses, possible concession use and possible removal of some properties if other viable solutions are not found. The draft plan and environmental assessment was released to the public for comment in January of 2018, and the decision is expected to be finalized this spring.
Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan/Environmental Assessment
This plan will identify strategies to manage transportation, visitation and visitor use, trail use, and access within the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor. A plan is anticipated in the spring with an opportunity for public comment. The National Park Service initiated an Environmental Impact Statement; however, has since decided an Environmental Assessment is more appropriate given the scope of the plan. The EA will be posted on the NPS planning page. Previous newsletters and other public scoping documents are currently available there as well.
Westslope Cutthroat Trout and Bull Trout Preservation in the Upper Camas Drainage Environmental Assessment
This project would conserve Westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout in the upper Camas drainage. The project would remove non-native Yellowstone cutthroat trout from Camas Lake, Lake Evangeline, and Camas Creek above Arrow Lake, and relocate native Westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout to Camas Lake and Lake Evangeline. The EA is expected to be released in the spring with an opportunity for public comment.
The park paused a larger fisheries planning effort to evaluate and focus on targeted fisheries management projects that can be analyzed in site-specific detail. Based on the success of these smaller scale actions, the park may or may not continue with a plan that identifies fisheries actions at the park-wide level.
Comprehensive Communication Plan/Environmental Assessment
This plan will identify the level of communication infrastructure and services needed in Glacier National Park to support two-way radio systems, phone services (cellular and landline), internet, and alarms. It will guide development of communication services including potential design, location, and appropriateness of facilities and other related communication infrastructure. The park expects to begin public scoping sometime in 2019.
North McDonald Road Utilities Categorical Exclusion
A project will be proposed to extend electric and telephone services to the Kelly Camp community, following the 2018 Howe Fire. The utilities would be located within the existing North McDonald Road corridor. Normally projects like this fall under a categorical exclusion, which covers routine actions that have little to no potential for environmental impacts and no potential for significant adverse impacts. A CE will be prepared for this action and made available for public comment and review. While public involvement is not typical for projects covered under CE’s, the park will notify the public about this project given the local interest. The project will be posted for public comment on the National Park Service Planning website later this winter.
Comments
Need for communication infra-structure to support emergency services..
I would like to suggest the installation of pay phones or cell service sites in locations that are known to have an search and rescue needs on a regular basis. The Highline Trail is clearly one location.
On a recent visit, Aug 4, 2019 to Glacier NP, my daughters were hiking the Highline Trail when they came across a party of 3 hikers who were in serious need of help. The party refused help even though it was clear that they were in trouble. My daughters said that when they got down to the "Big Bend", where the Highline meets the Going-to-the-Sun road, they met other hikers who had passed the distressed group. Since the last shuttle left an hour before, the group sat on the wall discussing how to get help for the party. They were unsure if the closest phone was Lake MacDonald Lodge or Apgar. They were pretty sure there was no phone at Logan Pass, but had no way of finding out. I think they said the group flagged a passing motorist and ask them to call for help when they got to a phone.
Since my daughters had not arrived back at the hotel at the agreed upon time, I went in search of them. I drove up to the "Big Bend". When I arrived there and my daughters were not sitting on the wall as promised, I realized I had no way of knowing where they were. I had no way of contacting them to find out if they were still on the trail at 10:30 pm or had bummed a ride from someone.
Fortunately, there was a ranger parked at the "Big Bend" at 10:30 pm, who was assisting with the rescue of the party of 3 distressed hikers. I asked her for help which she very professionally gave. She pointed out that she could not leave because she was back-up for the party in trouble. But she calmed me down by asking pointed questions. When the part of 3, assisted by another Ranger, arrived at the trailhead she was then able to assist me. One of the first things she did was to call Dispatch to have them call to see if my daughters were at the hotel. Again, if there had been phone service I could have found out myself. A short time later Dispatch called her back to say my daughters were safe at the hotel.
The need for pay phones or cell service is clear. If the service was available more people could take care of themselves. More people who truly need help could have it arrive in a timely manner.
Please install more communication services.
Thank you
Sue Waber