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Jan
23
Monday
Jan
23
Mon
Education :: Lecture
Winter Speaker Series
7:00 PM
The Museum at Central School
Description:
Every winter on the fourth Monday of January, February and March, the Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates sponsors the Winter Speaker Series at the Central School in Kalispell at 7:00 pm. The talks are open to the general public and admission is free.

On January 23, 2017, Mark Biel, the Natural Resource Program Manager for Glacier National Park will talk about using Gracie, an Australian Shepherd, to encourage mountain goats and bighorn sheep that have become too used to humans to stay away from high-use areas like Logan Pass. In the winter Gracie works to keep deer out of the Headquarters developed area to keep both the visitors and the wildlife safer.
Gracie is also an ambassador dog. When Mark and Gracie meet people in the park, Mark explains how to view and photograph wildlife safely, and why wildlife habituation to humans is bad for both.

On February 27, 2017, John Ashley, a local photographer, biologist and educator who holds an M.A. in Biology from U of MT will talk about the "The Nature of Night, What's Been Lost and What's Been Found". The talk celebrates Montana's naturally-dark night skies while also looking at the growth of artificial light at night, back to 1880 when Montana's first light bulb began to glow in a Butte mine shaft. Ashley is the author of "Glacier National Park After Dark," the culmination of nearly three decades of night time photography in Montana's most famous wilderness.

On March 27, 2017, Jim Pierce of Two Bear Air will discuss the use of helicopters for Search and Rescue in Glacier National Park and the surrounding area." (Mr. Pierce's bio and a more detailed summary of his talk will be sent when it's received.)

Mark J. Biel, Natural Resources Program Manager, Glacier National Park
I have been a biologist with the National Park Service for 23 years, working with everything from grizzly bears and bison to prairie dogs, bats, and ringtail cats. My career has taken me from Yellowstone and Bryce Canyon national parks, to Padre Island National Seashore and Devils Tower National Monument, and now Glacier National Park. I worked my way from a volunteer in Yellowstone to program manager in several parks. I earned my Bachelor's degree in Animal Science/Animal Nutrition from Michigan State University in 1989, and obtained a Master's degree in Equine Exercise Physiology/Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) in 1992. I have lived in Montana for 19 years. My wife and I try to get our 10-year old daughter out to hike, camp, boat, and fish as often as possible, and to foster in her an appreciation for this special place that we share. I am also a wildland and structural firefighter for the park.

Gracie Biel, Wildlife Service Dog, Glacier National Park
I was born in Michigan a little over two years ago -- April 29, 2014, which makes me about 15 in human years. I'm from a litter of eight (I have four brothers and three sisters). When I was about 10 weeks old, I boarded a big, noisy, metal bird that flew west (I slept under a seat most of the way) until we landed in Montana. This is where I met my new human family -- Mark, Alice, and Abbey, and my cat, Bob.
My summer job is to encourage mountain goats and bighorn sheep that have become too used to humans to stay away from high-use areas like Logan Pass. In the winter I work to keep deer out of the Headquarters developed area. It makes both the visitors and the wildlife safer.
I am also an ambassador dog. When my owner-handler Mark and I meet people in the park, I help him explain how to view and photograph wildlife safely, and why wildlife habituation to humans is bad for both.


John Ashley
Photographer, biologist, educator
M.A. in Biology from U of MT

In 1977, John's grandmother gave him $200 to start his college fund. Instead, John used the money to buy his first 35mm camera, and then he used the camera to put himself through college. He earned a biology degree from the University of Montana, and became an award-winning photojournalist at newspapers in Florida and Montana. But the frantic, deadline-driven lifestyle lost out to the more humble call of the natural world. Along this path, John worked as a field biologist for many years, working to conserve California Condors, Bald Eagles, and his favorite -- Harlequin Ducks.

John completed the circle by combining both of his passions -- photography and conservation -- in the form of fine art photography. Through his lens, John hopes to remind you of the natural beauty and humor that is inherent in wild places and wild critters. He lives with his wife and business partner, Tracy, and their two dogs at the end of the road, just a little ways past the "town" of Kila, in northwestern Montana.

"The Nature of Night"

Join professional photographer John Ashley for a visual feast of film and video as he time travels with Charlie Russell through the past 135 years. "The Nature of Night, What's Been Lost and What's Been Found" celebrates Montana's naturally-dark night skies while looking at the growth of artificial light at night, back to 1880 when Montana's first light bulb began to glow in a Butte mine shaft. Ashley is the author of "Glacier National Park After Dark," the culmination of nearly three decades of night time photography in Montana's most famous wilderness.

Our natural day/night relationship with light has shifted dramatically due to the growth of artificial lighting at night. Today three out of four of the world's children cannot see the Milky Way from where they live due to light pollution. Fortunately, people took notice and the night sky preservation movement was born. The first step towards bringing back the night sky is realizing what's been lost. Much of Montana still harbors dark, star-filled skies, and John Ashley's nighttime photographs remind us of what's at stake. Dancing northern lights, awe-inspiring comets, the shimmering arc of the Milky Way, and much more. Natural darkness is our shared heritage that our children's children deserve to inherit.
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Age Group: All Ages
Venue: The Museum at Central School
Address: 124 2nd Avenue East Kalispell, MT 59901
Phone: (406) 756-8381

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