COLUMN: Park volunteers contribute in many ways

Glacier National Park Associates don’t let any dust collect under their feet – unless it’s sawdust.

Since 1989, the all-volunteer organization has worked to protect and preserve the national park’s buildings, historic structures and resources.

Every spring the group receives a list of volunteer park project requests, typically assisting with repairs and repainting.

“We work with park personnel,” Associates president Cheryl Klein said. “They identify the needs, draw up the plans and we do the grunt work.”

For instance, for their 25th anniversary members tore out the old rotten understructure of the Goat Lick overlook on U.S. 2 just southeast of the Walton Ranger Station, rebuilding a wider and more handicap-accessible observation deck with stronger rails.

Volunteers also staff the Hidden Lake Overlook, Oberlin Bend and the Highline trails during the summer, helping to keep hikers at a safe distance from the wildlife, as well as preventing damage to the fragile alpine vegetation.

This is the sixth year that dedicated volunteers have donated their time to staffing the Apgar Nature Center, where more than 10,000 park visitors stop in each summer.

The center is now open six hours a day, seven days a week (It had previously been open only an hour or so a day). Formerly called the Discovery Cabin and originally built in 1929, today the popular center offers a variety of family-friendly, hands-on exhibits and ranger-led activities.

The group’s fundraising efforts will support the park’s Native Plant Nursery and a ranger internship this year. Money also has been designated for the Backcountry Preservation Fund — If you find yourself in the backcountry in need of “facilities,” thank Glacier Park Associates for the new low riser toilets you may have at your disposal.

The nonprofit purchased and installed 10 of them in park campgrounds. The new food preparation area at Fifty Mountain Campground also was funded. Together, these projects cost more than $21,000.

This year Glacier National Park Associates has established a bike patrol on Going-to-the-Sun Road, providing assistance to the growing number of shoulder-season hikers and cyclists.

The organization is also financing the first two years of the Mount Brown Hawk Watch Project targeted to start in 2017. The Mount Brown Lookout, built in 1929, will be outfitted to house hawk watch volunteers for overnight stays, eliminating them having to make the arduous hike daily during the annual raptor counts.

Glacier National Park Associates also hosts an annual Winter Speaker Series in Kalispell, featuring naturalists, biologists and professionals whose work promotes Glacier Park’s resources and rich history.

Saturday, May 21, is the group’s Volunteer Day in Glacier Park. The public is invited to a complimentary breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at the West Glacier Community Building.

After a short business meeting previewing the coming year’s proposed projects, participants will work from 10 a.m. until about 3 p.m. on a variety of tasks. Bring a lunch if you plan on working afterward. For more information, call Scherry Baldwin at 257-5567.

Community editor Carol Marino may be reached at 758-4440 or by email at community@dailyinterlake.com.