Week One

I arrived in West Glacier late on May 16th in pure amazement.  The few hour back road drive from Butte through Swan Lake to W. Glacier was beautiful, filled with numerous lakes and millions of pine trees. Thankfully I did not hit any deer as was a likely possibility, especially when the speed limit is 70mph. 

West Glacier consists of a restaurant, bar, 18 hole golf course, a few houses, and a gas station. Thankfully I get to stay in one of the houses (most are Forest Service or USGS offices) for the summer. I spent the next day exploring the town and taking a few pictures (coming soon). 

Met with a few project members, including the project leader Jeff, on the morning of the 18th, then we were off to Dupuyer, MT, 2 hours east, for training. We met the rest of the team at the Boone and Crockett Club and sat through powerpoint after powerpoint of the previous years projects. The purpose of the study is to determine Grizzly Bear population in MT by setting up barbwire strips on bear rub (places where bears scratch themselves) trees, fence posts and telephone poles. The barbwire is a non-invasive way to collect hair that is then sent to a lab for genetic research. This study has been going on since 1998, off and on. The rest of the training consisted of hiking around the 5,000 acre club identifying bear rubs and the proper set-up to obtain the most hair. We were really roughing it, having to eat prepared meals and lounging on couches for three days.

Today, May 20th, we left Dupuyer heading to Mozzoula to pick up trucks for the different crews that are now spread across most of MT. Arriving at the Fish and Wildlife headquarters, no trucks to be found. A quick call determined that the rented trucks where giving to someone else. Needless to say, we were all pissed off, because crews were trying to get started on their respected study areas and some crews are now stranded in the field without trucks. It's a long story, but we should be getting trucks in the morning. In the meantime, I am staying at one of the crews house in the Zoo, using his computer.

As for my part in this whole study: I will be working in Glacier NP setting up bear rubs with my crew member Eric, who has been doing this since '98. Set-up will take a month or so, then we go back and collect hair two different times throughout the summer. I'll be posting a map or something showing how much ground we have to cover, it's overwhelming, but should be rewarding.

I'll post pictures and other stuff soon.