Outdoor news
Harlequin talk
John Ashley will present a lecture on harlequin ducks at the Conrad Mansion Museum, in Kalispell, in partnership with Glacier Institute, on Thursday, April 3, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Ashley has worked for the National Park Service and the Forest Service as a wildlife biologist to conserve harlequin ducks in Montana, Alberta and British Columbia. Wine and desserts will be served before the talk begins at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. Seating is limited. Proceeds benefit the Conrad Mansion Museum and Glacier Institute. RSVPs are required by calling 755-2166.
Glacier Park e-magazine
A new 78-page e-magazine, “Crown of the Continent and the Greater Yellowstone,” is now available online at http://bit.ly/OoQ4ya with photos and articles about mountain goats, Montana landscapes, land use, grizzly bears, explorers, wolves, wilderness, book reviews and art. The publication was produced by the University of Montana’s Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone Initiative, co-directed by Jerry Fetz and Rick Graetz. For more information, visit online at http://crown-yellowstone.umt.edu.
Fur class
The Montana Trapper Association will hold a free fur handling class at Snappys Sports Senter on Saturday, March 29, starting at 10 a.m. The class will be useful to trappers and hunters, especially bobcat and coyote hunters.
Invasive species
The Glacier Institute will host a weeklong student symposium on invasive species at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center in the North Fork Valley on June 22-27. The symposium will challenge students to creatively address real-world invasive species issues through practical workshops with scientists, practitioners, landowners and agencies. The week will culminate with a public exposition. Twelve students will be awarded the opportunity to participate. To register and gain more information, call 406-755-1211 or visit online at www.glacierinstitute.org.
Trappers meet
The spring trappers meeting will be held at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks offices in Kalispell on Saturday, April 5, starting at 10 a.m. Department biologists, members of trapper associations, and other trappers will discuss this past season’s fur harvest and quotas, make recommendations for quotas and regulations, discuss upcoming regional trapping events, fur auctions, upcoming legislation concerns and other subjects. For more information, contact Paul Fielder at 406- 210-5943.
Artists needed
The Glacier National Park Conservancy will auction hiking sticks that have been decorated by student artists in grades 7-12 at schools across Northwest Montana to raise money for GNPC’s work as a partner with the Park. The auction will take place during the Backpackers Ball on Aug. 2. Six of the hiking sticks went to the Columbia Falls High School and Columbia Falls Junior High School art departments. Adults who want to decorate a hiking stick can attend artist-led workshops at the Stumptown Art Studio, on Central Avenue in Whitefish, on Wednesday, April 2 and May 7, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $25 per adult. For more information, visit online at www.stumptownstudio.org or call 862-5929. For more information about the Glacier National Park Conservancy, visit online at https://glacierconservancy.org or call 892-3250.
Wilderness history
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, retired Forest Service employee Al Koss is collecting stories and anecdotes from the Spotted Bear Ranger District, where he worked from 1990-2003, for a booklet to be distributed this year. Examples include stories about the Bunker Lake 12, the Phantom Herd and ghosts at Schafer Meadow and Big Prairie. Stories can be e-mailed to pioinfoal@gmail.com or susieexranger@gmail.com. Suggested deadline is April 1. A special celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act will be held at the Spotted Bear Ranger Station at the south end of the Hungry Horse Reservoir on Saturday, Aug. 2, with more details forthcoming.
Park art contest for kids
Glacier National Park and the Glacier National Park Conservancy are accepting original art submissions from sixth through 12th grade students for the annual Park pass artwork contest. The winning art will be displayed on the 2015 Glacier National Park Annual Park Pass. For more information or an application, visit online at www.nps.gov/glac/forkids/index.htm or call 406-888-7800. Deadline is April 11.