A debate over whether the wolverine needs Endangered Species Act protection has prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend its deadline for making the decision on that question.
The ability of the NPS and other government agencies to maintain some useful websites is proving to be a serious challenge in the face of budget cuts, and that trend seems unlikely to change. Now a pair of private citizens has stepped forward help fill that gap with a new national park history site called "National Park Electronic Library."
The crossing paths of fall and winter produce spectacular vistas in the high country of the northern Rockies, as Jane Timmerman's photo of Glacier National Park clearly shows. This was taken October 20, 2013, on the west side of the park, about 4 miles from "the" Loop on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
It's not unusual for find piles of stones marking the way for trails across open terrain in mountains, deserts and terrain otherwise devoid of easily recognizable landmarks, but these "cairns" can evoke a surprising amount of controversy both in an out of national parks. Sometimes, however, what appears to be a cairn is actually instead an item of historic interest.
Even if Congress finds a way to keep the federal government operating beyond midnight, part of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park still might be closed Tuesday...due to snow.
Earlier this month Yellowstone National Park officials issued a release warning that grizzly bears very possibly would be active in their search for food this fall and humans should be especially alert. Well, it seems the bears took that message to heart.
So crews can get back to full speed rehabbing the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, access to Logan Pass via that road from St. Mary will end Sunday evening.
So habituated to human visitors are mountain goats at Glacier National Park that they can seem as docile and innocent as sheep. To better understand exactly how habituated mountain goats have become to human invasions, the park and the University of Montana are studying how the goats are affected by people, trails, and roads in the Logan Pass area.
Fall is speeding our way, and for wildlife, that means it's time to pack on the calories. In western national parks such as Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier, that means bears are on the prowl looking for some good meals.