Date: June 1, 2006
Contact: Melissa Wilson, 406-888-7895
WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Officials from Glacier National Park remind park visitors and the general public that The Glacier Institute, a park educational partner, offers unique hands-on field based educational adventures for all ages throughout the year. Activities consist of field classes and outdoor-based educational seminars that emphasize the themes and special nature of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. Adventures range from one to three-day classes, and feature activities for adults, youth, and families. All educational programs are taught by veteran instructors.
The park offers a wide range of interpretive and educational programming. The Glacier Institute, a non profit organization, offers extended seminars and field learning opportunities that extend the park’s capacity to inform and educate the public.
Summer field courses can be as diverse as grizzly bear ecology, alpine and prairie flower identification, photography, or watercolor painting. Learning occurs while hiking, biking or rafting through the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. Many of the Institute’s programs are conducted within Glacier National Park. Each program is offered for a fee, which varies depending on the length of the program and the logistics involved.
A sample of The Glacier Institute’s field courses for this summer includes: June: 9-11 Birding by Ear 10 Orchids 21-22 Birds of Prey 24-25 Wolves of the North Fork 25 Roadside Geology of Glacier
July: 5 Railroad History of GNP 7-8 Plants of Lewis and Clark 9 Middle Fork River Ecology 20-23 Photography in Glacier Country 21-23 Geology of GNP
August: 2-3 Native Plant Landscapes 10 Becoming a Wildlife Detective 18-20 Glacier’s Grizzlies 24 Glacier’s Grizzlies & Black Bears 26 Geology along the Highline
The Glacier Institute has been providing educational programming for 23 years. Classes provide an objective and science-based understanding of the area’s ecology and its interaction with people by emphasizing outreach and field based learning experiences.
A summer catalogue is available online at http://www.glacierinstitute.org/2006/2006%20Course%20Catalogue.pdf.
For more information, contact The Glacier Institute, P.O. Box 1887, Kalispell, Montana 59903, 406-755-1211, www.glacierinstitute.org.
