Money still needed for Sperry Chalet repairs

Glacier Park Fund closing in on million dollar mark

The Glacier National Park Fund closed in on the $1 million mark in fundraising in 2011 but still needs to raise about $20,000 to complete repairs for Sperry Chalet.

The chalet was damaged last winter by heavy snow and an avalanche. Over the summer, Park crews made some repairs, and the chalet had a limited opening.

But to finish the job, the chalet needs about $60,000 more work, GNPF executive director Jane Ratzlaff said last week. Without the repairs, she said, the chalet will likely have a limited opening this year.

Several rooms were damaged by the avalanche. The roof of the chalet's kitchen building also needs work. The hope is to have the money raised by April so crews can begin work early in the spring.

The concessionaire, Belton Chalets Inc., pays a fee that goes toward day-to-day maintenance when the chalet is open, but those fees aren't enough to cover extensive repairs to the structure, Ratzlaff noted.

Despite a down economy, GNPF had an excellent fundraising year. An appearance by former First Lady Laura Bush raised $40,000, and a recent BNSF Foundation grant netted another $55,000.

But most of the funding came from small donors and license plate revenue. GNPF's vanity license plate raised about $190,000. Last year, donations were down, and GNPF raised about $850,000 for Park projects.

"The success this year comes from a lot of people giving smaller amounts," Ratzlaff said. "It was really grassroots."

About 75 percent of contributions goes directly to Park programs. About 9 percent goes to administration costs, and 13 percent goes toward fundraising and several Park endowment funds.

Eleven years ago, when GNPF was created as Glacier Park's official non-profit fundraising arm, it raised about $100,000. The organization first topped the $1 million mark in 2008.

Today GNPF funds or provides matching grants to a host of educational programs, including winter and spring school field trips to Glacier Park, a summer teacher at the Glacier Discovery cabin, the Park's citizen-science program and several other programs.

For 2012, Glacier Park has requested funding for a study of the Park's fisher population, further study of harlequin ducks, a moose study and studies of plant communities in the Park's arctic-alpine zones.

The Park has also requested funding to repair the Avalanche Lake, Loneman Lookout and Ptarmigan Tunnel trails. To create a long-term funding pool for trails, GNPF is working on an adopt-a-trail program.

The organization also recently implemented an adopt-an-animal program. For a donation, donors receive a plush animal toy of their choice. Ratzlaff said similar programs in other national parks have proven very successful.

To learn more about the Glacier National Park Fund, visit online at www.glacierfund.org.