Glacier Institute Celebrates Completion of Landmark Outdoor Education Project
With the nonprofit’s $1.5 million Big Creek restoration campaign complete, the community is invited to celebrate May 16 at the historic site along the North Fork Flathead River
By Tristan Scott
Having recently completed a multi-year fundraising effort to renovate its flagship outdoor education center along the North Fork Flathead River, the nonprofit Glacier Institute is ready to share the results with the public.
Dubbed “Restoration Big Creek,” the organization’s first-ever capital campaign raised more than $1.5 million to preserve and enhance its youth education site on the doorstep of Glacier National Park. The project ensures that the historic Big Creek Outdoor Education Center will continue welcoming students for generations to come, according to the organization’s leaders. To celebrate, a public event will be held on May 16, inviting community members, donors, and partners to experience the upgraded campus firsthand.
Launched in 2021, Restoration Big Creek set out to revitalize the historic Big Creek site, where Glacier Institute has hosted school field trips and youth summer camps since 1988. The impetus of the project was to preserve historic structures and expand the campus, with the fundraising initiative’s success allowing the organization to build a new foundation with a full basement for the main mess hall building. It also remodeled the staff and participant cabins and constructed a new modernized septic system with environmental safeguards in place to protect the water quality of nearby Big Creek (the site’s namesake) and the North Fork Flathead River.
Although some finishing touches are still underway, the site is now fully operational, with Glacier Institute’s staff welcoming the first class of its season from Kila School last month.
“After decades of bubble-gum and duct tape fixes on our beloved Big Creek, we realized we were at a make-or-break moment for the maintenance and stewardship of the campus,” Lance Fahrney, a long-time board member and the organization’s interim executive director from 2019-20, said. “Taking care to ensure we will be able to serve students, schools, and families for decades to come was a top priority during our strategic planning sessions back in 2020.”
Located within the Flathead National Forest, the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center has been a central part of the Glacier Institute’s mission since 1988, when the organization was first granted access to the historic site. As the official education partner of both Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest, the Glacier Institute has provided hands-on outdoor education across the region for more than 40 years, helping people of all ages build stronger connections to the natural world.
Given the Big Creek site’s rich history, ensuring its preservation for future generations was a priority for the Glacier Institute and the Flathead National Forest. The site originally served as a strategic stopover point in 1911 for U.S. Forest Service ranger work further up the North Fork — roughly a day’s travel from Columbia Falls — and operated as a district headquarters through 1964.
Permanent building construction began in 1927, and many of the original structures remain today, including the ranger’s house, mess hall, and bunkhouses. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps added several buildings and supported campgrounds, trails, and fire readiness. Historically, Big Creek also played a critical role in timber production, especially in response to a 1950s spruce bark beetle epidemic. As communication systems expanded, Big Creek became a hub linking Glacier National Park and fire lookouts across the Flathead region. In 1966, the site became home to a Flathead Interregional Fire Crew — one of the first Hot Shot crews in the region — solidifying its importance to fire suppression in northwest Montana.
By the mid-1980s, technological improvements and centralized operations reduced the need for remote work centers like Big Creek. The site was largely unused until 1989 when the Glacier Institute was granted a special use permit to operate youth educational programs. Since then, Big Creek has become a hub of environmental education. It officially earned its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 while adapting it to meet the needs of modern outdoor learning.
The restoration project was completed with contributions from more than 300 donors, with key supporters including Freedom Bank, The J.W Couch Foundation, The KOA Foundation, The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, The Pisces Foundation, Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery, Whitefish Community Foundation, and Whitefish Credit Union.
“The Glacier Institute is grateful beyond words to the supporters who made this campaign a success and continue to fulfill their pledges,” Mady Rigg, director of development for the Glacier Institute, said in a prepared statement. “As a kid who attended Big Creek myself, I know how deeply this place sticks with you. Because of the generous partners who answered the call, Big Creek will remain a thriving hub for outdoor education, wonder, and connection to the natural world for decades.”
The Glacier Institute also leaned on its partners at Flathead National Forest to help navigate the complexities of a permitting process, with the federal agency providing guidance on structural upgrades and accessibility improvements. According to Rigg, the strength of this decades-long partnership made it possible to honor the site’s historic character while building a safer and more sustainable future for outdoor education.
Rob Davies, the Hungry Horse-Glacier District Ranger on the Flathead National Forest, said the Glacier Institute stands out as “more than just a special use permit holder that occupies the historic Big Creek Work Center — they are an important partner that delivers conservation education to thousands of kids every year.”
“Glacier Institute has invested in our facility at Big Creek to provide comfortable, safe, and efficient indoor space that sustains housing and classrooms, critical for youth education programs,” Davies said. “And without their hard work and partnership, this wonderful facility would face unyielding elements and a crumbling future. Their dedication continues and enhances the rich history of the Big Creek Work Center through preservation and interpretation. The Flathead National Forest highly values the partnership with Glacier Institute and hopes to maintain the relationship for many generation.”
The Restoration Big Creek Celebration
The public is invited to join the Glacier Institute on May 16 at Big Creek Outdoor Education Center for an immersive community celebration. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. To RSVP, email [email protected]. More details will also be shared on the Glacier Institute website and social media.
Throughout the evening, Glacier Institute outdoor education specialists will lead a sampling of the most loved camp programming, including hands-on stream ecology, skulls and pelts interpretation, and survival skills demonstrations. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the same educational experiences that spark a lifelong love of nature in thousands of local students each year. Guests are invited to enjoy a casual, first-come, first-served dinner by the campfire, roasting hotdogs and s’mores in true Big Creek style. While there is no set mealtime, food will be available throughout the evening on a grab-and-go basis.