Page 62 - Flathead Beacon // 9.24.14

62 | SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 FLATHEADBEACON.COM
OUTDOORS
Telling Glacier’s Story, One Sign at a Time
Bill Hayden has helped interpret and craft the message at Glacier National Park for more than two decades
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
EST GLACIER – Sitting be- hind a computer and sport- ing a light blue button-down shirt and khaki pants, Bill
Hayden doesn’t look like his coworkers at Glacier National Park, with their dark canvas uniforms and flat-brim hats.
But Hayden’s assignment isn’t like many of their jobs either. He’s not cross- ing rivers to rescue stranded hikers or leading tours about berries and bears. His job is away from public view. Yet any- one who has ventured into Glacier’s 1 million square acres has certainly seen Hayden’s work.
From a small office at park headquar- ters in West Glacier, Hayden creates all of the signs and interpretive wayside ex- hibits inside the park. The signs can be found at about 130 locations from East Glacier Park to Polebridge.
Hayden, who is acting chief of inter- pretation, was recognized recently for his work on a display at Logan Pass that earned a third-place award from the National Association of Interpretation.
“Wayside exhibits are super helpful to visitors because it helps them connect with the resources,” Hayden said.
Hayden also produces the park’s pub- lications and brochures, runs its social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and its website.
Although Hayden spends most of his days designing interpretive signs and running social media accounts, he doesn’t have a degree in marketing, de- sign or communications. Hayden studied biology at Washington State University and landed his first job with the National Park Service in 1980. In the mid-1980s he was working at Grand Teton National Park when one of his co-workers pur- chased one of the first Apple comput- ers. Hayden was initially uninterested in the machine, but he soon began using it to draw pictures and create interpretive pamphlets for the park.
In 1990, Hayden got a job in Many Glacier as an interpretation supervisor in the summer. During the winter he would stay on the west side of the park and work on media projects and publications, in- cluding the ranger-led activities pam- phlets and park newsletters that are pub- lished every month in the summer.
The media work eventually led to a fulltime job. Among his duties was work- ing with National Park Service designers in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to make wayside signs. Back then it would take up to 18-months to finish a sign and would cost about $3,000.
Bill Hayden, interpretive specialist and acting chief of interpretation at Glacier National Park.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
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