Be "bear aware" when visiting Glacier NP

National Parks Traveler reports that Glacier National Park officials are telling visitors to be more aware of bears.

Two bear cubs were hit and killed by vehicles and several campers and hikers have encountered bears this year.

One [of the bear cubs] was killed by a driver who immediately reported the incident. The other was found dead and had suffered injuries consist with being hit by a vehicle. Drivers are reminded to obey the park speed limits and drive with due regard for bears and other wildlife that may be on or near the roads.

Hikers and backpackers are particularly at risk of encountering bears under potentially dangerous circumstances. To minimize the risk of injury or death (and lethal consequences for the problem bears involved), all trail users are urged to heed the rules and guidelines pertaining to hiking and camping in bear country.

Read the full story: Glacier National Park Officials urge visitors to be "bear aware"

Photo from National Parks Service

Guns vs grizzly bears - new federal law allows guns in national parks

The AP via USA Today reports on a new federal law that allows people to carry guns into national parks.

The law was focused on Second Amendment rights to bear arms as opposed to warding off attacking grizzly bears.

Proponents claim that the guns will help protect them against the advent of a bear attack. Park service biologists claim that guns and grizzlies together equal dead grizzlies and that less deadly methods to ward of bears should be used. Other park service workers say that only time will tell about the consequences of the new law.

Grizzlies are the undisputed bosses of the backcountry in [Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks]. They've killed 10 people in Glacier and five in Yellowstone in the past century. Those parks average one grizzly attack with injuries a year. Grand Teton has had only a handful of attacks, and no deaths, but it's only had substantial numbers of grizzlies for the past decade or so.

Wyoming, Idaho and Montana are home to roughly 1,300 grizzlies. Their numbers have rebounded since the 1970s and, although grizzlies still are listed as a threatened species, it's no longer rare for one lolling roadside to jam up tourist traffic in Grand Teton, Yellowstone or Glacier.

Park rangers in [the three parks] are still telling visitors that a pressurized can of hot-pepper oil — bear spray — is their best defense.

Their reasoning? Studies show that in most cases, putting a cloud of bear spray in a grizzly's face works better than trying to stop a moving 400-pound animal with a perfectly placed bullet.

"You've got to be a really good shot with a gun," said Yellowstone bear biologist Kerry Gunther. "That's the beauty of bear spray. You don't really have to aim it. All you have to do is pull it and pull the trigger."

Read the full story: New law pits guns against grizzlies in national parks

Photo by David Grubbs / AP

Glacier NP 100 years old but glacier free soon?

Associated Press via MSNBC reports that 100-year-old Glacier National Park could be glacier free by 2020.

The forests are drier and disease-ridden, leading to bigger wildfires. Climate change is forcing animals that feed off plants to adapt.

Many experts consider Glacier Park a harbinger of Earth's future, a laboratory where changes in the environment will likely show up first.

The chance to see the glaciers that are now disappearing is what lures many visitors to the remote park.

Read the full story: Age has been unkind to Glacier National Park

Photo by Michael Albans / AP

Two glaciers gone in Montana NP

USA Today reports that two glaciers are gone from Glacier National Park.

Warmer temperatures have reduced the number of named glaciers in the northwestern Montana park to 25, said Dan Fagre, an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He warned the rest of the glaciers may be gone by the end of the decade.

The park's glaciers have been slowly melting since about 1850, when the centuries-long Little Ice Age ended. They once numbered as many as 150, and 37 of those glaciers eventually were named.

A glacier needs to be 25 acres to qualify for the title.

Read the full story: Glacier National Park loses two more glaciers

Photo from National Parks Service / AP

Visit Montana, pitch in for conservation

USA Today reports on a Montana hotel initiative where guests can help pay for conservation efforts.

A new program invites innkeepers to make ever-so-subtle pitches for small sums that will help pay landowners who agree to sign conservation easements, which are binding agreements that limit development of property. In some cases, easements may make it financially workable for a ranch to remain in agricultural use rather than being sold for residential lots or other development.

Read the full story: Montana hotel guests asked to contribute to conservation efforts