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Wilderness films

Montana Wilderness Association and the Winter Wildlands Alliance are hosting the 15th annual Backcountry Film Festival on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Doors open at 6 p.m., films start at 7 p.m. The festival will feature numerous short films that tell compelling and entertaining stories about backcountry, human-powered recreation and environmental preservation. Tickets are $15. To purchase tickets, go to https://impact.wildmontana.org/filmfest.  This event sells out and tickets will not be available at the door.  For more information, contact Allie Maloney at MWA at 406-233-9223 or amaloney@wildmontana.org.

Wilderness talks

For the 10th year, local wilderness organizations are partnering to host the Wilderness Speaker Series at Flathead Valley Community College. The series will be presented in the Large Community Room at FVCC’s Art and Technology Building. Lectures will be held monthly from February through April from 7 to 8:15 pm. There is no charge. On Feb 5 it’s “Exploring Wilderness within National Parks” by Becky Lomax, author of “Moon USA National Parks,” “Moon Glacier,” “Moon Yellowstone and Grand Teton.” Becky will explore the connection between national parks and wilderness. Her presentation includes a visual romp through national parks that have wilderness designations, how to visit some of them, and options where designated wilderness areas combine with national parks for unique backcountry experiences.

Speaker series

The annual Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates winter speaker series kicks off this month with informative presenters at the Northwest Montana History Museum. Talks begin at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of January, February, and March. The community is welcome, attendance is free.

- On Jan. 27, Bill Schustrom, Glacier National Park Naturalist and Seasonal Interpretative Ranger will call upon his 47 summers in Glacier National Park for a presentation entitled “Memories You Should Take Home After Spending a Summer in Glacier National Park.”

- On Feb. 24, Sierra Mandelko, Cultural Resources Program Manager at Glacier National Park will present a program titled “Cultural Resources of Glacier National Park: A Puzzling Story Of How Humans Benefit From The Landscape.”

- March 23 will feature Mary Riddle, Chief of Planning and Environmental Compliance at Glacier Park: “What We Know and What We Don’t Know for 2020: Planning, Construction and Other Program Activities in Glacier National Park.” Topics include the ongoing visitor monitoring program, trail use, parking lot congestion, resource impacts of 2019 and the Many Glacier Road rehabilitation.