Laura Bush visits Glacier Park

On the shore of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park, former first lady Laura Bush told reporters Friday that all Americans have a role in maintaining our national parks, either through philanthropy or protecting their pristine beauty.

 She held a press conference just before she was scheduled to attend an invitation-only benefit for the Glacier National Park Fund held at a private residence. Guests were previous donors or supporters who paid $250 for an opportunity to meet Bush, take a photo with her and hear her speak at dinner.

“I’m thrilled to do this benefit for the Glacier fund,” she said.

Bush called private philanthropy more important than ever in these days of budget cutbacks. She said the money raised by the Glacier National Park Fund has supported many park improvements, including contributing to the renovation of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

The former first lady told reporters she and some close friends have been hiking for years in different national parks across America.

“This is our first repeat,” Bush said. “We love Glacier. It’s one of our favorite parks.”

 She said their first visit to Glacier National Park was in 2004 when her husband George W. Bush was president. Bush said she and her friends had planned to come in 2003 but had to cancel after wildfires closed much of the park that year.

On that trip, she and her childhood friends had explored the Belly River Valley area, including Lake Elizabeth.

“This time we hiked on the east side,” she said.   

Bush said they stayed at a friend’s parents’ home on the Blackfeet area of the park. She said she and her friends have been exploring the park for the last week .

She said they hiked in the Two Medicine Lake area and also stayed right on St. Mary Lake.

“We saw a beautiful full moon over St. Mary Lake,” she said.

Bush said she and her friends also enjoyed watching a beaver and osprey. Their visit included sightings of grizzly bears but no moose.

“We had a marmot come very close to us,” she said. “We saw goats — that was the cutest sight of the entire trip.”

Bush said they enjoyed the views of fields of wildflowers. She said this visit was the first that she and her friends got to enjoy bear grass in bloom.

“We’re all self-taught naturalists,” Bush said.

She said these experiences were some of the reasons that Americans must protect their national treasures. Bush listed Yellowstone, Yosemite, Olympic and Acadia as some of the other national parks she and her friends had toured.

“Acadia is the only East Coast park that we have visited,” she said.

Bush pointed out that the White House and National Mall are also part of the park system. She said she is the honorary chairwoman of an effort to raise money to restore the National Mall.

In response to a question about budget cuts pending with the current budget crisis, Bush said she urged both national and state legislators to support crucial areas, including schools and America’s national parks. Bush said that every area has taken hits, which means private philanthropy needs to step in to help.

“That’s why we’re fundraising today,” she said.

Bush said that the Glacier National Park Fund benefits education, citing the curriculum developed through one of its projects. She said teachers all over the nation have access to this to use in classrooms.

She said students also benefit from the National Park Service website.

“They learn about wildlife and what is the state of the glaciers,” she said.

Bush said young people need to learn about and visit the parks to understand their role as stewards in the future. She mentioned that her daughter Jenna had been in this area recently for an event with the Glacier Institute.

She wrapped up her remarks at the press conference by urging Americans to protect their parks and to keep them wild and pristine. Bush said that she and her friends consider Glacier National Park one of the most magnificent, and that they all have good memories of hiking in the remote Belly River Valley.

“We’ve gotten to the stage that we don’t really hike,” she said with a laugh. “We just kind of stroll.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.