Page 13 - Flathead Beacon // 6.15.16

NEWS
Busiest May on Record in Glacier Park Visitation spiked 32 percent last month and is up 18 percent for the year
Mountain goats
near Logan Pass.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
co
Three Rivers Bank of Montana is a place where you can still get to know your banker, get personalized attention and quick answers because we are independently owned and locally operated.
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
May was the busiest on record in Gla-
cier National Park, according to the latest government statistics.
O to another record-breaking pace, visitation at Glacier National Park spiked 32 percent last month and is up 18 per- cent for 2016.
The National Park Service reported 178,218 people visited the Crown Jewel of the Continent in May, compared to 134,741 a year ago. The previous record for the month of May was 137,220 in 2007.
The ood of people began after plow crews cleared parts of Going-to-the-Sun Road for summer, increasing hiker and
biker access and allowing vehicles to cruise more of the iconic road.
On the west side, the Sun Road is open for vehicle tra c to Avalanche Creek, approximately 16 miles from the West Entrance. On the east side, the road is open to Jackson Glacier Overlook, approxi- mately 13 miles past the St. Mary Entrance.
On the eve of the summer in ux of peo- ple, overall visitation is already up 18 per- cent in 2016. An estimated 268,596 people have visited Glacier in the rst ve months of the year, which is on pace to shatter last year’s annual record of 2.36 million.
The next four months are poised to be the busiest in Glacier’s history, fueled by favorable fuel prices and the added
attraction of the National Park Service centennial.
Last year, from June through Septem- ber, over 2 million people visited Glacier. A National Park Service report showed 4.9 million visitors to national parks in Montana in 2015 spent $478.3 million in the state. That spending supported 8,338 jobs and had a cumulative bene t to the state economy of $664.5 million. It also represents a 10.6 percent increase in spending and an 8.2 percent rise in visi- tation over 2014.
Glacier Park has broken annual visita- tion records the last two years.
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
CHS Merging with Mountain West Co-op Businesses plan to begin operating together as CHS Mountain West Co-op on Sept. 1
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
BY BEACON STAFF & ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two agricultural retailers in western Montana are planning to merge.
The Missoulian reports that the boards of the Missoula-based CHS Mountain West Co-op and CHS Kalis- pell have agreed to consolidate.
Mountain West board chair Brien Weber says the combined size and scope of the retailers will help them be more e cient and have more leverage with chemical manufacturers.
Mountain West runs Valley Grocery in Alberton, the Ranch and Home Store in Missoula and a 24-hour fuel pump and feed store in Drummond. CHS Kalispell operates a feed store, a country store and a discount store in the Flathead Valley.
The two businesses plan to begin oper- ating together as CHS Mountain West Co-op on Sept. 1. CHS Kalispell board chairman Doug Manning says customers should expect a smooth transition.
Mark Lalum, general manager of CHS Kalispell, said the merger will allow the new company to better serve farmers and producers in Western Montana. Lit- tle change will occur in the day-to-day operations, Lalum said.
“We’re excited. This will allow us to better serve our local patrons and pro- vide a bigger footprint in Western Mon- tana,” Lalum said.
CHS Kalispell is moving forward with plans to build a new facility at the industrial rail park o White sh Stage Road and is awaiting the completion of
an environmental assessment of the site before breaking ground.
Lalum will serve as assistant general manager of the new consolidated com- pany and Chuck Thompson, the current general manager at Mountain West, will serve as general manager.
“This will be a good thing for all of our local producers and really position us well going forward,” Lalum said.
Both businesses serve farmers and ranchers in 10 counties in Montana from the Canadian border to Idaho. They are part of CHS Inc., a global agribusiness owned collectively by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the country.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
www.T
JUNE 15, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
13
b p
h