Glacier planning to address crowding, non-native fish

Glacier National Park, whose spectacular features have been carved across eons by powerful forces, remains a work in progress — impacted both by natural forces and by its status as an increasingly popular unit of the National Park Service.

On Monday, Glacier described planning efforts underway to respond to a variety of challenges, ranging from congestion along the Going-to-the-Sun Road to removing non-native Yellowstone cutthroat trout in some water bodies and replacing the fish with native westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout.

Four of the five planning initiatives announced Monday will include opportunities for public comment. The fifth initiative previously provided a chance to weigh in.

In a news release, Jeff Mow, superintendent of Glacier National Park, noted that the park welcomes more visitors each year.

“We’ve set out a lot of goals for 2019 and will be looking to the public to help us make sound decisions moving forward,” Mow said.

On the drawing board:

- Going-to-the-Sun Road Corridor Management Plan — The plan will identify strategies to manage transportation, visitation and visitor use, trail use and access within the Going-to-the-Sun Road corridor.

The park said it anticipates releasing the plan this spring for public comment.

Lauren Alley, a spokeswoman for Glacier, said some of the strategies, such as “controlled entry” and “timed parking,” have been implemented in recent years as pilot programs to deal with crowding. She said a related environmental assessment is expected to be completed during 2019.

- Westslope Cutthroat and Bull Trout Preservation — This project intends to support westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout in the upper Camas drainage.

As envisioned, a toxicant would be used to remove non-native Yellowstone cutthroat trout from Camas Lake, Lake Evangeline and Camas Creek above Arrow Lake. The park would then relocate native westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout to Camas Lake and Lake Evangeline.

The park said an environmental assessment is expected to be released in the spring, with an opportunity for public comment.

- Comprehensive Communication Plan — The goal is to identify the level of communication infrastructure and services needed in Glacier that could support two-way radio systems, phone services, internet and alarms. The plan would consider potential design, location and appropriateness of facilities and infrastructure.

The park expects to begin public scoping this spring.

- North McDonald Road Utilities — The 2018 Howe Ridge Fire destroyed telephone services to the Kelly Camp. The project would restore telephone services and extend electric services part of the way along the North McDonald Road. The park service said although similar projects typically do not require public input, this action will provide an opportunity for public review.

- Lake McDonald Properties — The park, which previously released a draft plan and environmental assessment for this initiative, expects to decide this spring what to do with seven historic properties owned by Glacier around Lake McDonald.

Upcoming opportunities to comment on the plans will be announced online on the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment site, https://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkHome.cfm?parkID=61. Announcements will also be made via news releases.