Glacier National Park Conservancy

Last updated
Glacier National Park Conservancy
AbbreviationGNPC
FormationJanuary 1, 2013;10 years ago (2013-01-01)
Merger ofGlacier National Park Fund; Glacier Natural History Association
Type501(c)(3) Foundation
56-2579734
Legal status 501(c)(3)
PurposeFundraising
Headquarters Columbia Falls, Montana
Location
Board Chair
Margaret Notley
Executive Director
Doug Mitchell
Website https://glacier.org/

The Glacier National Park Conservancy was established on January 1, 2013, from a merger of the Glacier National Park Fund (established in 1999) and the Glacier Association (established in 1941). The Glacier National Park Fund previously operated as a non-profit fundraising organization whose main goal was to raise money to support various needs of Glacier National Park, headquartered in West Glacier, Montana. In its history, the Glacier National Park Fund raised 3.5 million dollars. The Glacier Association was founded in 1941 and incorporated in 1946 and provided funding from receipts received from book and merchandise sales at not only Glacier National park bookstores and visitor centers, but at other federal facilities including Flathead National Forest, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, and the Big Hole National Battlefield, all of which are located in the state of Montana. [1]

The Glacier National Park Conservancy has provided funding for educational programs, the construction of handicapped accessible trails, updating facilities and for restoration of historic structures such as when the Sperry Chalet was nearly destroyed by the Sprague Fire in 2017. [2] [3] [4]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Falls, Montana</span> City in Montana, United States

Columbia Falls is a city along the Flathead River in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,308 at the 2020 census. Columbia Falls has been ranked as one of the best and safest places to live in Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier National Park (U.S.)</span> National park located in the U.S. state of Montana

Glacier National Park is an American national park located in northwestern Montana, on the Canada–United States border, adjacent to the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The park encompasses more than 1 million acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges, more than 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem," a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2).

Sperry may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flathead National Forest</span> National forest in Montana, United States

The Flathead National Forest is a national forest in the western part of the U.S. state of Montana. The forest lies primarily in Flathead County, south of Glacier National Park. The forest covers 2,404,935 acres of which about 1 million acres (4,000 km2) is designated wilderness. It is named after the Flathead Native Americans who live in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake McDonald Lodge</span> United States historic place

The Lake McDonald Lodge is a historic lodge located within Glacier National Park, on the southeast shore of Lake McDonald. The lodge is a 3+12-story structure built in 1913 based on Kirtland Cutter's design. The foundation and first floor walls are built of stone, with a wood-frame superstructure. The lobby is a large, open space that extends to the third story. It has a massive fireplace and a concrete floor scored in a flagstone pattern, with messages in several Indian languages inscribed into it. The rustic lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987 as one of the nation's finest examples of large-scale Swiss chalet architecture. Lake McDonald Lodge is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granite Park Chalet</span> United States historic place

Granite Park Chalet is located in the heart of Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana at an elevation of 6,693 feet above sea level. The chalet was built in 1914 by the Great Northern Railway and is a National Historic Landmark contributing property, being one of five structures in the Great Northern Railway Buildings district. From Logan Pass along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, the chalet is a moderate 7.6 miles (12.2 km) hike along the famed Crown of the Continent Highline Trail, usually referred to simply as the Highline Trail. Much of the trail passes through the scenic Garden Wall section of the park, immediately west and parallel to the Continental Divide. The chalet is also accessible via the Loop Trail and the Swiftcurrent Trail. The trails are for hikers and horseback riders only; no vehicle access is provided. Granite Park Chalet is a limited services facility and those that spend the night make use of the full service kitchen to cook their own meals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Many Glacier Hotel</span> United States historic place

Many Glacier Hotel is a historic hotel located on the east shore of Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The building is designed as a series of chalets, up to four stories tall, and stretches for a substantial distance along the lakeshore. The building has a Swiss alpine theme both on the outside and on the inside. The foundation is made of stone, with a wood superstructure. The outside is finished with brown-painted wood siding, and the window framing and balconies have wood sawed in Swiss jigsawed patterns. On the inside, the four-story lobby is surrounded by balconies, whose railings are patterned after Swiss designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sperry Chalet</span> Building

Sperry Chalet is located about seven miles east of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The chalet was opened in 1914 by the Great Northern Railway and was a National Historic Landmark contributing property, being one of five structures in the Great Northern Railway Buildings National Historic Landmark. Along with Granite Park Chalet, Sperry Chalet is one of the two remaining backcountry chalets in Glacier National Park, both operated by Belton Chalets, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Medicine Store</span> United States historic place

Two Medicine Store, formerly part of Two Medicine Chalets, is a historic building in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The chalet was originally built in 1914 by the Glacier Park Hotel Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway, as part of the railway's extensive program of visitor services development at Glacier. The chalet group originally featured a complex of log buildings, all built in the rustic style, which provided dining and lodging facilities. Overnight accommodations at the chalet ended with the onset of World War II, and the other buildings at the site were intentionally burned in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Glacier, Montana</span> Unincorporated community in Montana, United States

West Glacier is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in eastern Flathead County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 227. The town is at the west entrance to Glacier National Park and is located on U.S. Route 2 and a main line of the BNSF Railway. The headquarters complex for Glacier National Park is located nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sperry Glacier</span> Glacier in the U.S. state of Montana

Sperry Glacier is a glacier on the north slopes of Gunsight Mountain west of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Although many geologic features of Glacier National Park were formed during the much longer period of glaciation ending over 10,000 years ago, Sperry Glacier — like all the glaciers in the park today — is a product of the recent Little Ice Age, the period of cooler average temperatures starting in about the 13th century and concluding in the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Park Service rustic</span> Style of architecture developed in 20th century for the United States National Park Service

National Park Service rustic – sometimes colloquially called Parkitecture – is a style of architecture that developed in the early and middle 20th century in the United States National Park Service (NPS) through its efforts to create buildings that harmonized with the natural environment. Since its founding in 1916, the NPS sought to design and build visitor facilities without visually interrupting the natural or historic surroundings. The early results were characterized by intensive use of hand labor and a rejection of the regularity and symmetry of the industrial world, reflecting connections with the Arts and Crafts movement and American Picturesque architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belton Chalets</span> United States historic place

The Belton Chalets are a group of historic hotel buildings in the village of West Glacier, Montana, near the western entrance to Glacier National Park. The chalet buildings were built in 1910-11 by the Great Northern Railway (GN) as the first component of the railroad's ambitious program of hotel, road, and trail construction in Glacier. The buildings featured a "Swiss Chalet" architectural style that set the style for much of the Great Northern's building program in Glacier. Ultimately, the site included five buildings, including a dining hall and a hotel facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Northwest Trail</span> Hiking trail in the western USA

The Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) is a 1,200-mile (1,900 km) hiking trail running from the Continental Divide in Montana to the Pacific Ocean on Washington's Olympic Coast. Along the way, the PNT crosses three national parks, seven national forests, and two other national scenic trails. It travels against the grain of several mountain ranges, including the Continental Divide, Whitefish Divide, Purcells, Selkirks, Kettles, Cascades, and Olympics. It was designated as the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail by Congress in 2009.

The Glacier Park Company, a subsidiary of the Great Northern Railway (GN), constructed and operated hotels, chalets, and other visitor facilities in Glacier National Park, Montana and Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta from the 1910s through 1960. Operating as a concessionaire of the National Park Service, the company operated from a summer base in East Glacier Park, Montana, near the company's flagship Glacier Park Hotel; winter headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota. Originally known as the Glacier Park Hotel Company, the corporate name was shortened to Glacier Park Company in 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Northern Railway Buildings</span> United States historic place

The Great Northern Railway Buildings are a set of five building complexes in or near Glacier National Park in Montana. They were built by the Great Northern Railway during the period of the park's founding to provide a unified tourist experience to visitors to the park, using the Swiss chalet as a building model. The building complexes, each separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places, are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glacier National Park Tourist Trails</span> United States historic place

The Glacier National Park Tourist Trails, including the Inside Trail, South Circle Trail and North Circle Trail, were established in Glacier National Park to connect a series of tourist camps and hotels established by the Great Northern Railway between 1910 and 1915. Prior to the construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, these trails were the primary form of circulation within the park. The trail system includes a number of bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Glacier National Park (U.S.)</span>

The following articles relate to the history, geography, geology, flora, fauna, structures and recreation in Glacier National Park (U.S.), the U.S. portion of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sprague Fire</span>

The Sprague Fire was a wildfire in Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. It was first reported on August 10, 2017 around 8:30pm after it was caused by a lightning storm. The fire encompassed 16,982 acres (6,872 ha). It nearly destroyed the historic Sperry Chalet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyman B. Sperry</span> American physician and explorer (1841–1923)

Lyman Beecher Sperry (1841-1923) was a physician, lecturer, and author. Nicknamed "The Gentleman Explorer", he was the discoverer of Sperry Glacier in Glacier National Park in Montana, and was influential in the park's promotion to national park status.

References

  1. "The Organization". Glacier National Park Conservancy. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  2. "Financial Statement" (PDF). Anderson Zurmuehlen. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  3. "Access for All at Many Glacier's Swiftcurrent Lake Trail". Flathead Beacon. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  4. "Crews bracing up remains of Sperry Chalet". KPAX News. October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.