Glacier planning 'brown bag' sessions

The Daily Inter Lake

Glacier National Park has scheduled a lineup of "brown bag" lunch seminars on a variety of topics for the next few months.

The free presentations, to be held at noon in the West Glacier Community Building, include:

April 16: "A Georgian State of Mind: Common Threads in Protected Areas," with park geographer Richard Menicke discussing his recent two-week visit to the Republic of Georgia.

He will talk about protected areas in the former Soviet state and provide an overview of the GIS training he provided to Georgia's Agency of Protected Areas.

April 29: "Rainbows vs. Natives: It's a Cutthroat Competition" will feature Clint Muhlfeld, an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Glacier. Muhlfeld will discuss the threat of hybridization with rainbows to the region's genetically pure westslope cutthroat populations.

May 28: "Wild River Pioneers' will feature John Fraley, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks public affairs officer, discussing his recently published book about the people who settled the Middle Fork Flathead River drainage on the park's southern boundary.

June 18: "Confessions of a Wildlife Observer." Photographer Chris Peterson will present a slide show of some of his best work.

July 2: "2010: Glacier's Turning 100!" will cover the park's coming centennial celebration. The park's centennial coordinator, Kassandra Hardy, will have an update on numerous events and programs being organized for the celebration.