Page 17 - Flathead Beacon // 3.30.16

At noon on Oct. 1, 2013, Larry Ladd parked his pickup at the west entrance of Glacier National Park and reset the trip odometer, clocking a 2,589-mile cross-country journey from his home in Arkansas.
Stepping out of his truck, the retired federal employee shook his head in dis- belief – not at the astronomical dis- tance he and his wife had covered, but at the gated barricade informing them that, “because of the federal govern- ment shutdown, this National Park Service facility is closed.”
In light of the closure, the Ladds did what nearly 2,000 other prospective visitors were forced to do that crisp autumn day at Glacier Park – they turned around.
The Ladds’ vacation plans had been waylaid by a government shutdown that brought most federal agencies, including the National Park Service, to a grinding halt because of Con- gress’ inability to reach a budget deal that year. The crestfallen couple’s dis- appointment underscored the centu- ry-long connection to what Wallace Stegner famously called “America’s Best Idea,” but it also highlighted the disconnect between the Park Service’s popularity and critical role in conser- vation and the government’s failure to adequately fund it.
“As an old man I have a bucket list, and seeing Glacier National Park and driving that road to the sun are on it,” said Ladd, 67. “Congress is shirking its duties, and lawmakers just aren’t doing their job. I have high hopes that I’ll get back to see that beautiful chunk of country before I’m too far gone, but I don’t have forever.”
As it enters its second century this summer, the National Park Service may not have forever, either. Park managers are preparing for another year of record-breaking crowds while relying on a funding structure that is signi cantly below what it was a decade ago when adjusted for in ation. Meanwhile, crumbling infrastructure and maintenance needs, coupled with daily operational costs, are stressing a base budget that is outmoded to meet the public’s needs.
Forever seems a long ways away. Yet as Glacier National Park Superin- tendent Je Mow is fond of saying, “We are in the forever business.”
Less than a month before the gov- ernment shutdown forced Mow to take
a 16-day furlough nearly three years ago, he arrived in the Flathead Valley and took the reins as Glacier Park’s new superintendent. Rather than let himself be discouraged by the fed- eral government’s shortcomings, he pledged to forge ahead and work within the constraints of a future character- ized by climate change, overcrowding and underfunding. He began mapping out a plan of collaboration, partner- ship and engagement.
But he acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead, and that many long-de- layed projects are going neglected.
In a stroke of serendipity, within three days of Mow’s arrival in North- west Montana, Mark Preiss landed as the fresh new face to helm the park’s largest private fundraising arm, the newly formed Glacier National Park Conservancy.
In 2013, the Glacier National Park Conservancy was born of a merger between the Glacier National Park Fund and Glacier Park Association, and the productivity of that merger is already evident.
Ever since, Mow and Preiss have worked closely as a leadership team to develop a blueprint to navigate a real- ity in which the National Park Service’s reliance on Congressional appropri- ations is o set by innovative strate- gies, including an evolving model for public-private partnerships, at a time when record numbers of visitors are converging on America’s parks.
In 2015, the conservancy fund sup- ported 23 projects in Glacier at a cost of $1.27 million. This year the fund has already pledged $1.12 million to sup- port 34 projects, including extending the boardwalk on the Hidden Lake Trail, preserving the historic Wheeler Cabin on Lake McDonald and rebuild- ing the historic double-helix staircase at the Many Glacier Hotel.
But those projects are icing on a multi-tiered cake that includes scores of badly needed infrastructure proj- ects – power, plumbing, roads and bridges – as well as unmet sta ng needs and day-to-day operations.
According to a recent National Park Service report, the agency is increas- ingly neglecting its trails, roads and visitor centers due to budget con- straints, delaying nearly $12 billion in needed maintenance projects.
And while there’s plenty to cele- brate at Glacier, thanks in large part
MARCH 30, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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