Category Archives: National parks

May holds wildflowers, birds and more events

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Arrowleaf balsamroot at the National Bison Range.

From wildflower hikes to events on birds and bull trout, there’s a lot going on in May around western Montana! Here’s a sampling of wildflower and other nature-related events:

  • At 6:30 p.m. today – Thursday, May 2 – botanist Michael Krebs will lead a hike on Mount Sentinel with the Clark Fork Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society. The group will meet at the picnic table at the southeast corner of the University of Montana Campus, near the intersection of Beckwith and Madeline avenues, and hike the Evans Street Trail to the fire road across the face of the mountain. Along the way, they’ll document spring wildflowers for Project Budburst. Call 728-0189 for more information.
  • Also today, May 2, the Montana Natural History Center will hold a seminar titled “Design an All-Season Garden with Native Shrubs” with Marilyn Marler from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the center, 120 Hickory St. Learn how to design a garden for color, screening and wildlife habitat. The event is free for MNHC members and there’s a $5 suggested donation for others.
  • Starting in May and running through June, the Flathead Chapter of MNPS will hold Tuesday morning wildflower walks on Bigfork’s Wild Mile Corridor. Anne Morley and Neal Brown will lead the easy walks along the Old Swan River Road starting at 10 a.m. Meet in front of Showthyme on Electric Avenue in Bigfork. Call Morley at 886-2242 or Brown at 837-5018 for more information.
  • An International Migratory Bird Day celebration will be held at the National Bison Range on Saturday, May 11. There will be videos, trivia, walks and a Migration Challenge. Call (406) 644-2211, Ext. 207, to register and get meeting place and time. The day also marks the opening of Red Sleep Mountain Drive for the summer season, weather and road conditions permitting. The 19-mile, one-way gravel road climbs to the high point of the range, traveling through grassland and forest. The refuge and scenic drives open at 6:30 a.m., and the visitor center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Start Red Sleep Mountain Drive by 6 p.m. to complete the trip before the refuge closes as dark. Bird Day events are free but fees, starting at $5 for private vehicles, are charged for the scenic drives.
  • MNHC and the Endangered Species Coalition will hold a native plant sale and bull trout lecture to celebrate Endangered Species Day on Thursday, May 16. The plant sale is 5:30 to 7 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Fort Missoula Native Plant Gardens. The bull trout lecture, by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Wade Fredenberg is at 7 p.m. Both events, at the center at 120 Hickory St., are free.
  • On Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m. to noon, MNPS’ Clark Fork Chapter will hold its annual plant sale at the Missoula Farmers Market at the north end of Higgins Avenue. Arrive early for the best selection.
  • Also on Saturday, May 18, the Glacier Institute will hold a course titled “Glacier’s Harlequins” with John Ashley starting at 8:30 a.m. Learn about and observe harlequin ducks in Glacier National Park as they feed and court during breeding season. There will be a slideshow, discussion and walk along upper McDonald Creek near Going-to-the-Sun Road. The course will end about 4 p.m. Meet at the Glacier Park Field Camp Meeting Hall just inside the West Glacier entrance to the park. Transportation will be provided during the course. Cost is $65.
  • MNPS’ Clark Fork Chapter will have a Dyer’s Woad pull on Tuesday, May 21, starting at 6:30 p.m. Dyer’s Woad is a noxious weed in the mustard family. Meet at the main Mount Sentinel trailhead on the east side of the UM campus. Call 544-7189 for more information.
  • MNHC will hold a Naturalist Field Day titled “ID and Ecology of Local Grasses” with botanist Peter Lesica from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 25. The group will learn about grasses in the classroom, then visit several sites in the field. Call 327-0405 to register. Cost is $70 for MNHC members and  $80 for others. Some scholarships are available. Meet at the center, 120 Hickory St. Transportation to field sites is provided.
  • Also Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, is the Loon and Fish Festival based in Seeley Lake. Organized by Alpine Artisans, the festival features art, films, wildlife exhibits, loon viewing and a wildflower hike to Holland Falls. Events are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

See Glacier, other national park sites for free

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Glacier National Park is going fee-free next week for National Park Week!

Entry fees to Glacier and other National Park Service sites will be waived Monday, April 22, through Friday, April 26, for the annual celebration is coordinated by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation.

For updated road and weather conditions, visit the Glacier’s website or call (406) 888-7800, or visit the park’s Facebook page.

Going-to-the-Sun Road is open to motorized traffic from the West Entrance to Lake McDonald Lodge and from the St. Mary Entrance to Rising Sun. Hiker/biker access is available for 5 1/2 miles from the Lake McDonald Gate to Avalanche while a road crew is working 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. No restrictions are anticipated for hiker/biker access on the west side or east side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road on Saturday or Sunday. The Apgar Visitor Center is open every weekend 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Additional fee-free dates in 2013 include:

  • Aug. 25: National Park Service birthday.
  • Sept. 28: National Public Lands Day.
  • Nov. 9-11: Veterans Day weekend.

 

Wildflower guides for your smartphone

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There’s a bounty of wildflower apps out there for smartphones – one deserves note because it’s on sale for a limited time, and a few others for their connection to Montana!

First, the Audubon Wildflowers App is on sale for 99 cents for the Fourth of July. It has descriptions of more than 1,600 plants and photographs, and is searchable by flower shape, color and more. You can also record your sightings. Available for iOS, Android, TouchPad and Nook.

Next, Bozeman-based High Country Apps has one for the wildflowers of Yellowstone National Park and will soon be releasing another for Glacier. Read more about the apps here. The introductory price for the Yellowstone app is $7.99. It has descriptions of 320 plants with photos and illustrations, and similar search filters as the Audubon app.  Available for iOS and Android.

Finally, Project BudBurst has an Android app that allows you to log wildflower sightings as part of a citizen science initiative. Paul Alaback, a professor emeritus at the University of Montana’s College of Forestry and Conservation, is the lead science adviser for the effort. The app is free.

Western Montana wildflower tweets for the week of June 15

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I didn’t get out much this week, but here are a few western Montana wildflower reports to take you into the weekend. The highlight is the start of the beargrass bloom in Glacier National Park!

Up at Lolo Pass, off U.S. Highway 12 at the Montana-Idaho border, the camas is budding but not blooming, while glacier lilies, trillium and globeflowers are out!

More than a week of wildflowers in Waterton

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The Waterton Wildflower Festival – more than a week of wildflower-related events at Waterton Lakes National Park across the border in Alberta – is from June 16-24, and registration is open.

Events include hikes, bicycle and horseback rides, photography and art classes, lectures and slideshows, music and more, and range from free to $299.

Get your passport and go north!

Western Montana wildflower tweets for the week of June 1

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There’s more rain in the forecast for this weekend, but it likely won’t keep western Montanans from getting out! Here are a handful of wildflower tips:

 

Also, the Lolo Pass Visitor Center reports on its Facebook page that spring beauty, ivory globeflower and buttercups are blooming in Packer Meadows. Glacier National Park’s page says that white glacier lilies can be found along the Camas and Inside North Fork roads.

Remember, too, that Saturday, June 2, is National Trails Day and there are a variety of projects planned around western Montana!

Abundance of wildflower events in June

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With spring ending and summer starting in June, it’s the perfect time to view wildflowers – and there are plenty of events planned from the Bitterroot Valley north to Glacier National Park and the Tobacco Valley.

Here they are, by date:

This Saturday, June 2, the Flathead chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society will take a two- to three- mile hike to view flowers on the mossy Johnson Mountain terraces. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the rest area at the soccer fields next to Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish. Bring lunch. Call (406) 892-0129 for information and to sign up.

The Clark Fork chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society will hold a weed pull at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, in John Toole Park, along the Clark Fork River off of South Fourth Street East. Bring weeding tools. Call 542-2640 for more information.

Also on Tuesday, June 5, the Flathead MNPS chapter will be hiking at Columbia Mountain. Glacier Park biologist Tara Carolin will lead the two- to three-mile hike to view late spring flowers. Meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Columbia Mountain trailhead. Bring dinner. Call 888-7863 or email writetaraywc@yahoo.com for more information.

The Glacier National Park Fund’s Friday Hiking Club begins on June 8. The Glacier Fund isn’t leading the group or providing interpretation – the hikes are intended to be a fun, social outing. The June 8 hike is to be determined. The group will go on a 12-mile outing to Huckleberry Lookout on June 12, and a 9.4-mile outing to Scalpock Lookout on June 29. Carpooling may be available from the Glacier Fund office in Columbia Falls. Call (406) 892-3250 or email glacierfund@glacierfund.org to register.

Also on Friday, June 8, the Glacier institute will hold a course titled “Spring Wildflowers along the Rocky Mountain Front” with instructor  Ellen Horowitz. After a slideshow, participants will observe wildflowers on the Firebrand Pass Trail in Glacier National Park, hiking about two miles. Bring lunch. Meet at 9 a.m. at the Glacier Park Field Camp Meeting Hall in West Glacier. The group will return at about 4:30 p.m. Cost is $65.

The Clark Fork MNPS chapter will hold its third and final Dyer’s Woad pull at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12. Meet at the “M” trailhead. Call 544-7189 for more information.

The Montana Natural History Center will offer advice on plants to pull and plants to leave at “Which are Weeds? A Native Plant Gardener’s Conundrum” from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 14, at the Fort Missoula Native Plant Gardens. There is a $5 suggested donation for the public; MNHC members are free.

Steve Wirt will lead a course titled “Orchids: Glacier’s Precious Beauties” for the Glacier Institute on Friday, June 15. After a slideshow, participants will take several short hikes along the park’s Camas Road, upper McDonald Creek and/or Inside North Fork Road in search of 10 to 15 orchid species. Bring a lunch. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Glacier Park Field Camp Meeting Hall. The course will end at about 5 p.m. Cost is $65.

MNHC’s Saturday Discovery Day on June 16 will go hiking from 10 a.m. to noon on the Mount Jumbo Saddle Trail. Participants will look for flowers, insects and birds. Nets, binoculars and journaling tools provided. Meet at the trailhead at the top of Lincoln Hills Drive. There is a $5 suggested donation for the public; MNHC members are free.

On Saturday, June 16, MNPS’ Clark Fork chapter will visit the MPG Ranch in Florence to view wildflowers and bunchgrasses, and learn about conservation efforts there. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the southwest corner of the parking lot at Missoula’s Wal-Mart, 4000 U.S. Highway 93 S., or at 9 a.m. behind the IGA grocery store in Florence. Call 273-6140 or 258-5439 for more information.

Also on Saturday, June 16, MNPS’ Flathead chapter will visit Dancing Prairie Preserve, just north of Eureka. The native prairie habitat has been preserved by The Nature Conservancy, and botanist/ecologist Maria Mantas will lead participants on a tour of native grasses and prairie wildflowers. Bring lunch and gloves for weed pulling. Meet in Whitefish at 9:00 a.m.; call (406) 837-0066 or email mmantas@tnc.org for location.

The Montana Native Plant Society will hold its annual meeting Friday, June 29, through Sunday, July 1, at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest near Greenough. Outings, meetings and meals are planned.

On another MNHC Saturday Discovery Day, June 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., naturalist and photographer Hobie Hare will lead an outing to Upper Gold Creek, about half an hour from Missoula. Meet at MNHC, 120 Hickory St. Cost is $25 for adults and $15 for children for the public, $20 and $10 for members. Registration is required; call 327-0405.

National Park Week freebies!

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Saturday is the start of the National Park Service’s National Park Week, which runs through Sunday, April 29! That means free entry to Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, as well as other sites the service manages.

In addition to entrance fees being waived at parks, I’ve noticed several smartphone apps covering national parks are available for free for a limited time. I haven’t used these yet, but plan to check them out:

  • Fotopedia National Parks (iOS): This app has 3,000 photographs by QT Luong from all 58 U.S. parks, plus descriptions and travel planning information.
  • Chimani national park apps (iOS and Android): Chimani National Parks and apps for individual parks such as Yellowstone are available. The Yellowstone app, for example, has points of interest, trail information, an audio auto tour and more features.
  • National Parks by National Geographic (iOS): This brand-new app and the first park guide download are free, but additional guides require in-app purchase. It provides  must-see features, maps and GPS coordinates, and photos that include vintage images from the National Geographic Archives.