Bears making the news

Don't drink and yell, it's not nice!

I love the police reports here in Bozeman!

Due North

Every weekend I have managed to pack a bag, the bike and tent, chuck 'em in the back of the car and head to a recommended place. Having no set plan has worked well for me with road trips; there's no expectation, and so far it's never been a let down. So about 3 weeks ago I figured I should head North, it's an easy route on the American highway system and you can't really get lost. I set my sights on Glacier National Park. Glacier is known for pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes. This was a sure bet. Despite end of season closure having no information centers open, I would be missing the hordes of camper vans, tour buses and people being in my frame during photo time! Yeah...road trip!

With 325 miles ahead of me, I made an early start, got to see the sunrise on a pretty frosty morning. Sunrises are magnificent in the right area and a great way to start the day. So, get your booty out of that bed!

Sunrise at Deer Valley

Skittish Cows

Skittish Antelope

While heading north on I15 for awhile the boredom was relieved when I decided to hop onto route 287 and then finally route 89 which took me straight to Glacier. What a magnificent drive the whole way, Flathead National Park to the west which rolls into Glacier, sugar coated peaks the whole way and hardly any traffic along the road.

Heading to Glacier

St. Mary's Lake

The majority of early European explorers came to this area in search of beaver and other pelts. They were soon followed by miners and, eventually, settlers looking for land. Railways eventually came along which allowed more people to enter into the northwest and smalls towns emerged. Around the turn of the century, people started to look at this area differently. For some, this location held more than minerals to mine or land to farm, they began to recognize that the area had a unique scenic beauty all to its own. By the late 1800s, some influential homies pushed for the creation of a national park. It took some time and funds but eventually President Taft signed the bill establishing Glacier as the country’s 10^th national park. So there you have it, a brief history on a unique National Park.

Top of going-to-the-sun road

Dusty peak

Glacier National Park is not named so much for its small glaciers, but for the effect of larger (and I mean massive) glaciers in the past. Ten thousand years ago, the topography of Glacier looked pretty much the same as now. Before that, enough ice covered the Northern Hemisphere to lower sea levels 300 feet. In places near the park, ice was a mile deep. That's a lot of frozen water!

Glacier National Park's diversity of habitat types creates opportunities for a wide range of animals. Everything from elk of the prairies to the snow-white mountain goats that roam the rocky slopes.  Predator species such as the grizzly bear, gray wolf, elk, lynx, wolverine, cougar, mountain goat and bighorn sheep. These animals are more frequently seen than a grizzly bear, gray wolf, lynx, wolverine or cougar, but alas I did not see anything! Glacier does provides the core of one of the largest remaining grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 states. All these creatures and more are the keystone to a healthy ecosystem. The only thing I got to see were a few ground squirrels who can be noisy and nosy in the camp ground!

Don't feed the bears or the squirrels!

Picnic scenic

Storm rolling in

Well, no bear or wolf sighting on this trip. I still have a few weeks to go, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

In Search of Scat

For my first few weeks here at the Keystone Conservation office, I have researched articles on bears, wolves and mountain lions to gain a greater understanding of what my internship would entail. Apex predators are pretty fascinating, and are a keystone in our ecosystem. Without predators, the Ungulates ie. elk, moose and deer would eat so much vegetation, nothing would have time to replenish. Many Hunters and Ranchers beg to differ but that is a whole other ball game, one called politics and I found that you don't have to be running for office here in Montana to be involved in politics!

Local knowledge is key when you are one of more than two dozen conservation agencies trying to better situations for the wildlife. As a non-profit, you need to stand out from the crowd. Keystone implements practical solutions for wildlife conservation; they do not promote advocacy through litigation, as it causes more friction than the solutions it provides. Education is the key, and for those who don't understand the in-depth world of predators, Keystone helps give local residents and recreationists the tools they need to avoid conflicts with these predators. For example, being responsible for storage of trash while camping or at home, carrying bear spray while hiking or hunting in the back-country, maintenance of bird feeders and practical use of vegetation in our homes will deter bears. A program called Range Riders helps deter conflicts with wolves before they arise. Range Riders patrol Montana's open range on horseback. They use telemetry, herding, vigilant observation and non-lethal hazing techniques to keep wolves, bears and livestock safe.

We can't get away from the fact that there will always be hunters who hunt predators and that predators will be harvested by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services to maintain a safe number of predators. Sadly, when predators like bears become habituated to humans and their food in National Parks, this causes conflicts which usually end in mortality for the bear. This is becoming more frequent in the news.

I have yet to see a bear or wolf in the back-country, I've got my fingers crossed that I will before I leave. I have gotten the opportunity to head out on some field days with Melly, who is a wildlife biologist and Program Director of Wolf Coexistence here at Keystone Conservation. As part of the field day research, Keystone partnered with Megan and her dog Pepin from Working Dogs For Conservation click here. By locating scat samples they are able to identify species’ presence, abundance, food habits, parasite loads, and habitat use. It's pretty interesting what information you can get from poop!

So, we headed about 2hrs south of Bozeman to the Gravelly Range in search of wolf scat. Not the perfect day in search of scat but you got to face some elements in the name of science!

Just what the sign says

The search of scat begins!

Blanketed Meadow

The Scat Scientists!

Megan, Melly and Pepin

Tug, tug, tug! Pepin's reward for finding scat!
 

When traveling through small towns...

On a quick note, when you travel through small towns, you are bound to find some interesting approaches in the marketing field.  I think my photos below will explain the best.

A common Montana slogan

No feeding or cleaning poop required!

Montana Magic

When working for a great company like Patagonia, the benefits go far beyond wearing fantastic gear. Patagonia not only takes great pride in their products, environmental footprint, and innovative ways to lead and improve better business etiquette, but really it's their employees that make the company that bit more special. As a full-time employee with over a year under my belt, I was able to apply to work with an environmental group whose cause I support in order to help them and broaden my own experiences. For my internship, I chose a non-profit called Keystone Conservation. They are based out of a wee office in Bozeman aka Boze Angeles, in the magic mountainous state of Montana.

Keystone Conservation click here focuses on coexistence with Predators like bears, wolves and mountain lions. They want to ensure that ranchers, along with backcountry users, know they are essential partners in their work of pioneering solutions. Together with people who work, live and recreate alongside predators, they create a path to coexistence.  

Why I chose Keystone: I have a great interest in Western farm culture. Coming from Ireland and being raised on a farm, I gained an understanding of the interaction between humans and animals, and I am fortunate to have been exposed to this environment to a degree that goes beyond what most youngsters experience these days. Common Irish predators such as the Red Fox or Ferret are somewhat smaller and possess less of a dominating appearance than the Grizzly Bear, Gray Wolf, or Mountain Lion. Irish predators are smaller and there's less conflict between then and farmers but it's still an issue. While I am familiar with some issues that US farmers and ranchers deal with, I haven't had any opportunity to familiarize myself with the US predators and the interaction they have with humans. Keystone appealed to me immensely as they create solutions to help people and predators coexist, and this is a chance for me to understand the Western US ecosystems beyond the level I ever experienced at home in Ireland.

 

I am on week 4 of 7. So, I may have gathered enough interesting information and photos to give you something to read when you need to take a breather from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Stay posted every other day for updates!

Tobacco Root Mountains