Page 57 - Flathead Beacon // 6.15.16

MOUNTAIN EXPOSURE
OUTDOORS IN BRIEF
GLACIER CONSERVANCY CEO STEPS DOWN
Mark Preiss, the president and CEO of Glacier National Park Con- servancy, has resigned, according to sta .
Amy Dempster, director of marketing and communications for the Conservancy, said Pre- iss has moved on for personal reasons.
“After three successful years as our rst President/CEO, Mark Preiss has left the Conservancy to take some time o and pursue other opportunities,” Dempster stated. “The Conservancy has made great strides during Mark’s tenure. We thank him for his many contributions to the Con- servancy and to the park and we wish him continued success.”
The CEO position will remain vacant until the Conservan- cy’s board of directors hires a replacement.
“They will be guring out the details in the coming weeks and months,” Dempster said.
The Conservancy is the o - cial fundraising partner for Gla- cier National Park and has raised support for various improvements
and services in the park, including the recent hiker/biker shuttle.
Preiss was hired as CEO in the summer of 2013. The Glacier National Park Conservancy was formed in January of that year as the result of a merger between Glacier Natural History Associa- tion and the Glacier National Park Fund.
“Mark ably led the Conser- vancy through the early days fol- lowing the merger of the Glacier Fund and the Glacier Associa- tion,” Mo Stein, Glacier Conser- vancy chair of the board of direc- tors, stated. “During his success- ful tenure, the Conservancy’s sup- port for Glacier projects grew sub- stantially, and we have built the foundation for the public-private partnership between the National Park Service and the Conservancy that gives the park tools to achieve a margin of excellence beyond what could be achieved from its normal budgetary process. Mark has been and remains a great friend of the park and the Conser- vancy and we know he will achieve continued success.”
OUT OF BOUNDS ROB BREEDING HECK OR HIGH WATER
SOMEONE POSTED A PHOTO ON Facebook the other day of a tree blocking the Middle Fork at the head of Tunnel Rapid. The next day another photo showed that the river had cleared and comments suggested the displaced woody debris had taken up residence near Bonecrusher, this time thankfully out of the way of rafters.
A log blocking the river one day and gone the next isn’t unusual this time of year. The day after the log cleared, the Middle Fork was running at right around 10,000 cfs, average for mid-June. That’s plenty powerful to move things all around the channel and a reminder that normal can be dangerous. A little pre- oat recon is in order.
Rafting tragedies are a rite of spring in western Montana. The weather warms, the snow melts and those rapids look like fabulous fun. They are. But they’re also potentially deadly for the inexperienced or unprepared. So if it’s early in the sea- son and you’re a private citizen that isn’t on the river regularly as guides are, check ows online, call guide shops or the For- est Service, and nd out the latest river conditions.
Wood, like the tree that brie y guarded Tunnel, scares me the most. Logs laid down over the surface of a river like that can be deadly. A young woman lost her life on the Clark Fork in the Alberton Gorge a few years back in just this type of situation. A log created a new obstacle on the river and after a spill the current carried the young college student into the wood and pinned her there.
I’ve had my share of mishaps on the river, but just one with wood and fortu- nately a broken y rod was the only sig- ni cant loss. Well, there was my pride too, but I got over that. The incident had the added bene t of instilling in me a deep fear of woody debris that contin- ues to this day. That’s a good thing, as I always get sweaty palms around an up
turned root wad, even if I’m miles from the water on a mountain hike.
That incident occurred the rst time I ever took the oars. My companions were only slightly more experienced. I don’t know if it’s clueless beginners or inter- mediates, who don’t know quite as much as they think they do, who get themselves in the most trouble this time of year.
Most beginners stick to frog water becoming familiar with rafts and river before they try more challenging water, unless they’re just simply clueless like we were on that broken y rod expedi- tion decades ago.
Intermediates, however, have just enough skill and experience to some- times think they’re a lot better than they are. This leads to questionable decisions about where and when to oat, and fatal decisions out on the water.
This phenomena often rears itself on rivers otherwise not known for tough conditions. The Bitterroot, by some stan- dards, might be the deadliest river in western Montana, but it’s not because of whitewater. There isn’t any. Instead, folks who oat there regularly can be lulled into a false sense of security. Other than wood (the Bitterroot is root wad heaven), and a handful of portages around irriga- tion dams, oating is a pretty tame a air.
Do it frequently and it’s easy to think you’ve got the Bitterroot down. But there are a pair of guides, experienced river users including an old friend, who have died on this river in the years since I rst got on the water. In both cases they pushed that river, oating in water too high to be safe and paid with their lives.
So remember, while that tree block- ing Tunnel Rapid may have washed out, there’s another hazard looming some- where downstream. Be careful, stay alert, and save the heavy drinking until you’re back in the safety of your abode.
There’s more water to oat tomorrow. Live to be on it.
*Sat. June 18th and Sun. June 19th Only
Father's Day Weekend Sale
Buy 2 Perennials get 1 Perennial Free!*
Rob Breeding writes and teaches when he’s not shing or hunting.
FUNGAL TOENAILS?
Proven Technology!
New comprehensive treatment program available now.
ERIK PLOOT, D.P.M.
Podiatric Physician and Surgeon
PAIN WON’T WAIT. WHY SHOULD YOU?
SAME-DAY APPOINTMENTS OFTEN AVAILABLE
Certi ed by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery
95 INDIAN TRAIL RD. KALISPELL 755-1300 • www.glacierfootandankle.com
Foot And Ankle Surgery, Custom Orthotics - Erik Ploot, DPM
Certi ed by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery
Plants, Garden Advice, Design and Superior Garden Service
Mon-Sat 9am-5:30pm • Sun 10-4 175 Swan River Road • NEXT TO ECHO LAKE CAFÉ • Bigfork MT, 59911
JUNE 15, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
57