Thoughts on crowds and dogs

I had a hard time understanding the vitriol on these pages when Glacier Park biologist Mark Biel announced a plan to use his trained collie to shoo mountain goats and bighorn sheep from the Logan Pass parking lot.

A dog seems like a good idea to me and is far better than what the Park Service has been doing for years — namely either shooting the critters with non-lethal shotgun shells or chasing them away with lights, sirens and even whips.

The rangers always look silly doing this and the critters wander off for a few minutes and then return as soon as the ranger leaves.

But things could very well be different with a dog. Goats and sheep by their very nature have an aversion to dogs – in the “real” world I’m sure they’ve been chased by coyotes and wolves in Glacier. So if we can get them to think that there’s a “wolf” at the parking lot, then all the better.

At the very least, the effort is worth a shot — outside of an electric fence around the lot, I’m not sure how else to keep the goats and sheep away. The park could close the lot to private vehicles, but that would go over like a lead balloon.

The only problem I see with the use of a dog is that Biel will only be up there a couple of times a week. It might be better in the long haul to have a handler with a dog up there every day — at least until the sheep and goats learn to stay away.

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I had a brief conversation with Rep. Ryan Zinke about the Sun Road and crowds during his visit here. He was leaning toward more shuttle use and some sort of crowd control. I’m of the opinion that the shuttle is the problem, not the solution. The shuttle just dumps more and more people onto already crowded trailheads, making the problem worse, not better. In the “old” days, if there was no parking, people simply drove through the Park and enjoyed the view. Now we have hundreds, if not thousands, hiking the Highline Trail a day because the shuttle makes it possible. Is that really what we want in a region that’s supposed to be a “wild” experience?

What makes it even worse is there’s cell phone service at Granite Park chalet. There is nothing more annoying than hiking seven-plus miles to a backcountry location, only to listen to people chat on their phones. They have more courtesy in downtown restaurants than they do at the chalet. Technology is ruining the Park experience.

But I suppose it’s also disingenuous to complain about crowds in Glacier. After all, we spend most of the year promoting the park and then all of the summer complaining when people show up. I’m as guilty as any. I’ve spent a career photographing the Glacier landscape. I can’t blame people if they see one of my photos and want to come and visit the place, now can I?

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Chris Peterson is the editor of the Hungry Horse News.