Help the Glacier Institute win $50,000 for Big Creek!

The Glacier Institute has become a finalist for the State of Montana for Tom's of Maine's 50 States for Good contest http://www.tomsofmaine.com/community-involvement/living-well/project-sponsorships

Our project would have Sunelco (www.sunelco.com) install both solar and wind generators to our aging power grid. 

You can help us by going to the Tom's of Maine Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tomsofmaine and voting for us ONCE A DAY, EVERYDAY from September 10, 2012 to October 9, 2012.

Remember: you can only vote once a day!

Please pass this on to friends/family/neighbors/coworkers/fellow students/everyone!

Art Unveiling Event

Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Art Unveiling at the Mark Ogle Studio! The event was a huge success with all of your support. Tickets are now available for our Oktoberfest (September 24th) so call in to get yours now! Main Office- 406.755.122

Mark Ogle talking about his donated painting, "Birdwoman Falls."

"Birdwoman Falls," by Mark Ogle (the original painting will be auctioned off at the Oktoberfest).

Fun from the field!

Another fun-filled summer is flying by here at the Glacier Institute! Here's a few photos from various field courses... enjoy and we hope you can join us on our upcoming courses!

Learn to Fly Fish!

On July 31st - August 1st, Glacier Institute will be offering "The Art & Science of Fly Fishing!" This is a basic beginner’s course to help you understand the science of streams, insects, fish and the finer points of fly-fishing. You will learn about basic gear, knots, casting and where to look for fish. You will be practicing your skills on the “Wild and Scenic” North Fork of the Flathead River. The course will also include an evening session that will provide a hands-on introduction to fly-tying. Call us at 406-755-1211 to sign up!

Details:
Date(s): July 31 - Aug. 1, 2010 - Saturday - Sunday
Start Time: 9:00 AM
End Time: 4:00 PM
Meeting Place: Big Creek Outdoor Education Center
Activity Level: Moderate
Instructor(s): Bob Geyer
Course Fee: $200 includes lodging at Big Creek July 31/ $170 without lodging.

Photo courtesy of Rebeka H.

Join us for the first course in the Centennial Series!!!

The first course of the Centennial Series is coming up next week! 100 Years of Bears in Many Glacier will be held June 4-6 and there's still time to sign up! Glacier National Park’s story would not be complete without a look at the bears of Glacier Park. Join us for day hikes with expert naturalist and author, Ralph Waldt, to learn about bear biology, habitat and foods, and spring emergence from the den. We hope to catch a glimpse of one of these impressive animals by making frequent stops along the trail and roads to glass mountain sides and avalanche chutes.Give us a call or check out the details online: http://glacierinstitute.org/glacier/courses/grizzlies_many_glacier.html
Photo Courtesy of Greg Thigpen

Cycling for Slides this Sunday!!!

There's still space available in this Sunday's Cycling for Slides course, so if you haven't signed up already, you still can! Here are the course details again:

Date: May 23, 2010 - Sunday
Start Time: 9:00 AM
End Time: 5:00 PM
Age: Ages 12 and up are welcome with an adult
*UPDATED MEETING LOCATION: Field Camp at 9 AM (rather than up at Avalanche CG)
Activity Level: Easy
Instructor(s): Paul Rappaport, M.S.
Course Fee: $65
Credits: 8 OPI
Student Limit: 13

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Work Weekend

A huge thank you to all the wonderful & hardworking volunteers who donated their time on Saturday at both Big Creek and Field Camp! It was a huge success and we couldn't have accomplished it without you all!

Glacier's Harlequins (recap)

Even the chilly, wet weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of the participants at this weekend’s Glacier’s Harlequins course! Under the guidance of instructor John Ashley, these 10 lucky participants had the opportunity to observe several Harlequin pairs while hiking along McDonald Creek. John shared both his knowledge and passion for Harlequins, emphasizing the importance of education in order to protect this at risk species. So if you're up in the Park, keep a look out for Harlequins!

Cycling for Slides

Avalanche slide paths along the Going-to-the-Sun Road provide key late-Spring ecological niches for early season foragers, grazers and opportunists: deer, elk and grizzly bear. Avalanche occurrence and dynamics are a function of terrain, weather, snowpack and a triggering mechanism. Come join us on this cycling excursion from Avalanche Creek to Logan Creek (8 miles round trip or perhaps the Loop: 15 miles round trip) to stop often to observe and discuss the dynamics of avalanche slide paths and their ecological role in the landscape.

Date(s): May 23, 2010 - Sunday
Start Time: 9:00 AM
End Time: 5:00 PM
Age: Ages 12 and up are welcome with an adult
Meeting Place: Avalanche Lake Trailhead Parking Area
Activity Level: Easy
Instructor(s): Paul Rappaport, M.S.
Course Fee: $65
Credits: 8 OPI
Student Limit: 13

Work Weekend

Want to help out, do some good work, get some lunch, and work on your tan all at the same time? Join us for Work Weekend May 15th!

We need volunteers at Big Creek Outdoor Education Center on the North Fork and Glacier Park Field Camp in West Glacier for some light maintenance, cleaning, raking, trail clean-up and more.

Please come prepared to work hard, play hard, get dirty, make friends, eat some good food and do some great volunteer work. Contact the main office if you would like to join us: 406-755-1211 or register@glacierinstitute.org.

We hope to see you there!

The Glacier Institute welcomes Tyler Nordgren

There is a new instructor at the Glacier Institute this year.

Tyler Nordgren is an astronomer and Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Redlands in California.

He earned his Ph.D in Astronomy from Cornell University where he used some of the largest telescopes in the world to study dark matter in galaxies. In 2004 he was part of a team of seven astronomers and artists who converted the camera calibration targets on NASA's Mars Rover into functioning sundials still in operation on the Red Planet today. For the last four years he has been a member of the National Park Service Night Sky Team working closely with astronomers and park rangers to protect our dark skies and promote astronomy education through their continued enjoyment.

In 2008 he was one of Glacier National Park's Artists-in-Residence because of his photography of the night sky above the nation's parks.

In celebration of Glacier National Park's one hundred year anniversary Tyler will be presenting Astronomy and Night Sky Awareness August 6th and 13th and Astrophotography of Glacier's Night Sky on August 7th and 14th.

Please join us for these exciting new courses and welcome Tyler this summer!

Burgers for Big Creek

Join the Kalispell Wendy's and the Glacier Institute this Wednesday, March 10th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. for BURGERS FOR BIG CREEK!

Wendy's is hosting the fundraiser to support educational scholarships for students of the Flathead Valley to attend Big Creek Outdoor Education programs. A portion of all proceeds go towards providing educational opportunities for local students.

Join us for fun, food and Frosties to support Learning Gone Wild!!

It's not too early in the season for an adventure in Glacier National Park. Join us on March 13th for Stories in the Snow.

Glacier’s blanket of snow reveals a frenzy of footprints, offering glimpses of wildlife activity that goes otherwise unseen. We’ll take a three to four mile (round trip) hike focusing on the forest carnivores that remain active in the winter, such as lynx, fisher, pine marten, mountain lion, and wolverines interpreting the tracks, signs and stories that they leave behind.

For more information visit the Glacier Institute web site at www.glacierinstitute.org.

Kintla Valley Cross-country: A Predators Shangri-La

Join us for our Kintla Valley Cross-country course on February 19 - 21, 2010. This course will be a challenging and rewarding adventure into a hidden paradise, Glacier National Park’s Kintla Valley.

This wild and remote valley is the an ideal place for deer, elk, and moose to spend the winter. For more information contact the Glacier Institute office at 406-755-1211.

Learning Gone Wild in 2010!!

Join us in the new year for special Centennial series courses along with many of your favorites. Our 2010 course schedule is available online at www.glacierinstitute.org. The catalog will be available shortly so if you would like a hard copy please let us know.

Here's to an exciting Centennial year in Glacier National Park!

It's our Anniversary

That's right, the Glacier Institute has been around for 25 years. Here's a bit of trivia for you, the Glacier Institute was founded in December of 1983 (hence the anniversary) but we didn't offer courses until the spring of 1984.

To honor this auspicious occasion we are having a gala celebration!!

Please join us for a night of fun, live entertainment, great food, great wine and a silent and live auction featuring incredible items such as an original oil painting by Marshall Noice, vacations, experiences and much more.

Tickets for this gala event are $75.00/person and will benefit the Glacier Institute's mission of providing excellent outdoor educational adventures to students of all ages.

For more information call the Glacier Institute office at 406-755-1211.

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Glacier Park visits up 14.3 percent

Associated Press/Daily Inter Lake

Visitor numbers at Glacier National Park were up 14.3 percent from January through June compared with last year.

According to the National Park Service Statistics Office, 484,458 visitors entered Glacier during the first six months this year, compared to 423,883 in 2008.

Park Service numbers show that 327,572 people visited Glacier last month, up from 287,000 in June 2008. May also was a busy month, with visitation up 20 percent from a year earlier.


"The Glacier Park numbers are our indicators," said Dori Muehlhof, executive director of the Flathead Convention and Visitor Bureau. She said lodging businesses are reporting solid bookings for July.

July and August are the busiest months for Glacier visitors.

Join us for Glaciers & Glacial Geology...

This Wednesday, July 22nd as we learn the fundamentals of glaciers: why they form and how they move. View the features of glacial erosion and deposition with a deeper understanding as we make our way up to Logan Pass for a hike in the alpine ecosystem.

For more information on the Glaciers and Glacial Geology course view our website at www.glacierinstitute.org.

Join us for lunch!

Join the Glacier Institute at the 1st Ave. East Cafe for food and fun on July 14th. Lunch will be served from 11:00 to 2:00 and will include soup, salad, bread, dessert, coffee or iced tea for $9.00. The 1st Ave. East Cafe is generously donating all proceeds to the Glacier Institute's Big Creek programs.

The Glacier Institute staff and board members will be on hand to assist in the food, laughter, door prizes and fun!

Join us on the 14th and support field-based learning experiences. It's Learning Gone Wild!

Ms. Joyce Baltz, Executive Director
The Glacier Institute
Kalispell, MT. 59903

Dear Joyce:
I am writing to thank you and your staff for the marvelous week my Girl Scout troop had at the Glacier Institute’s outdoor education center at Big Creek on June 7- 11 this year. The Big Creek staff, the facilities, the programming, and of course your great outdoors made the trip a tremendous success for each of our girls, and for me and the other troop leaders who joined them.

Beau Servo’s firm, good-natured leadership set the tone for our group for the entire week. He expected teamwork, attention, participation, and just plain work from the girls, and he got it. My scouts happily did all that was asked of them, and learned a tremendous amount about cooperation, as well as freshwater streams, wildlife, fire ecology, orienteering and wilderness skills. They also got to explore Glacier Park, hike up to the panorama of Avalanche Lake, and even learned to fly fish!

Beau’s attention to detail provided a safe environment, and his well-balanced staff (five young, well-prepared men and women) offered great role models for our 13 and 14-year-olds.

Big Creek’s operation offered its own lessons. It gave our suburban children an understanding of what it means to live life “off the grid.” Conserving, composting, and having electricity only a handful of hours each day was a useful experience for the girls. They were so happy to be outdoors all the time at the base of Huckleberry Mountainthat not one missed their iPod or cell phone!

Joyce, when I first contacted your office about this trip, I wasn’t sure what sort of experience we’d have in Montana. What we received from the Glacier Institute was instruction, accommodation, and life skills of the highest quality. Every family in my troop thanks you for providing this wonderful experience for their child.

I’d also like to thank Rachel Zeigler in your office for ably fielding my telephone calls, and being in charge of the arrangements for this trip. She gave us confidence to board the Amtrak train and travel 1,700 miles to Big Creek, and we’re glad that we did.

Thank you again for all that you and the Glacier Institute do.

Girl Scout Troop 274