Montana Jones

Glaciers

Those of you with a penchant for Glacier National Park might be interested in this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11996943/from/RS.4/

The article itself is a little weak, what I hope to point out are the cool photos in the gallery.

The photos are some excellent before and after photos of the glaciers in GNP. Some very cool historic photos and their modern equivalents re-shot from the same location. A little historic perspective on the geologic history of the park.

Conventional wisdom says this is evidence of big bad global warming in action. Could be true. I do recall is hearing that Dr. Lyman B. Sperry upon the discovery of his namesake glacier⁽¹⁾ back in 1896 had declared it a dying glacier and it would probably not last more than another century⁽²⁾. The glaciers have been dying since before 'global warming' was a buzzword. So as for that silly petition to have the Park declared endangered. It's a bunch of bunkum in my mind. Using dubious science for political gain. I am not trying to suggest that there is no global warming. I believe that the scientific evidence backs that up pretty well. I'm just saying that using the hundred year old knowledge of dying glaciers to make a 20 year old claim is faulty logic. The park is in no danger and should not be declared "endangered" just because Bush won't sign onto Kyoto. Please keep our Park out of the crossfire in this debate.

For those of us who have spent lots of time in the Park the dying glaciers are nothing new. Not only will the glaciers be gone in our lifetimes; the park is evolving before our very eyes into something much different than what will be remembered from childhood.

Another point that the article gets completely and spectacularly wrong is the very first sentence. The suggestion that the park should be renamed when the glaciers melt. Glacier National Park was not named because it has glaciers. It was named because glaciers created it. It has long been said that a much better name for the park would have been "Glacial Lakes National Park". Rename the park? Gimmie a break. Even after every last river of ice has melted into old timey photographs only the ignorant would suggest taking "glacier" out of Glacier National Park.

1.
Kudos to naturalbornhikers.com for the great Sperry Glacier photo link

2.
Sorry, can't source this, it is from some personal memories of old naturalist talks in Glacier Park. Look here for some fun stories about Dr. Sperry though.

Posted by: Montana Jones / 9:22 AM