National Park Service Glacier U.S. Department of the Interior The official newspaper of Glacier National Park Summer 2020 Glacier Safety Guide Welcome to Glacier National Park, one of the crown jewels of the National Park System. The combination of natural wonders, cultural history, and our shared border with Waterton Lakes National Park, in Canada, contributed to Glacier being recognized, world-wide, as a World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, the World’s first International Peace Park, and the World’s first International Dark Sky Park. We hope you discover your own special aspect of this spectacular landscape. COVID-19 Glacier is modifying visitor services to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Some facilities and events will be closed or canceled. Please check locally and on the park website for current information and continue to follow CDC guidelines. As circumstances continue to change and we modify our operations as necessary, we thank you for your patience and cooperation. Follow local, state, and national health guidance. COVID-19 Precautions Come Prepared Face Coverings Social Distancing Wash Your Hands Sneezes & Coughs Face Touching Self-isolate Visitor services are Wearing a face Maintain a safe Frequent hand Sneeze and cough Touching your If you are sick, do very limited. Expect mask or covering distance of six feet washing with soap into a tissue, or face is a hard habit not visit the park. wait times at the is advised in high- (1.8m), especially and water and the inside of your to break. Avoid Self-isolate to park entrances and visitation areas in high-visitation the use of hand elbow. touching your face avoid exposing parking lots. and inside visitor areas like visitor sanitizer is highly and help curb the others. facilities. facilities, popular recommended. spread of the virus trails, scenic to your eyes, nose, turnouts, and while and mouth. viewing wildlife. Help Stop Aquatic All watercraft must be inspected before launching. Motorized boats are subject to a 30-day drying time before launching. Invasive Species When the park reopens in June, Lake McDonald will be the only waters available for motorized or trailered watercraft. Boat Inspection Locations & Hours Getting an Inspection having to touch people’s personal Initially, Lake McDonald will be the only All water craft must be thoroughly items. Minimal cleaning of boats may waters available for boating in the park. cleaned before coming to the inspection be permitted, but any boats that need Later in the summer others lakes may station, this includes, canoes, kayaks, significant cleaning will be denied. become available for recreational use. sailboats, paddleboards, and float tubes. Physical distancing guidelines of 6 feet The Aquatic Invasive Species Inspection As we will not have full staffing this will be maintained. Station is across the street from the Apgar summer, you can expect some delays. We boat ramp and will be open from 9 am to greatly appreciate your patience. In Waterton Lakes National Park 7 pm. For information on boat inspection Boaters will be expected to unload and requirements in Waterton Lakes National Inspections are not available this year at clean their boats without help from Park, visit https://id4waterton.ca/. We need your help to keep Zebra Many Glacier, St. Mary, or Polebridge. park employees. Boaters will remove Mussels and Quagga Mussels out any personal items they store in the of Glacier National Park’s waters. watercraft to prevent inspectors from A Fed Bear is a Grizzlies occupy a mere 2% of their former bears. To protect human life and property, Place all trash in designated bear-resistant range and wilderness areas like Glacier bears that seek human food must be garbage containers. Following park Dead Bear National Park are essential refuges for removed from the park. Please keep all regulations will help keep the “wild” in their survival. For black and grizzly bears, food and garbage stored out of reach of wildlife and ensure your safety, as well. this is home and we are guests. bears at all times. Report all bear sightings immediately. To be a good guest in bear country, you Our campgrounds and developed areas For more information, stop by any visitor must never let bears access human food can remain unattractive to bears if each center, attend a ranger-led program, or and always stay the proper distance from visitor manages food and trash properly. visit online at go.nps.gov/bearcountry. What Type of Bear Grizzly Bear • Prominent shoulder hump is That? • Shorter rounded ears • Face has dished profile • Front claws ~ 2 to 4” and light in color Size and color are not reliable indicators for either species. Black Black Bear • No shoulder hump bears may be black, blond, brown, • Taller ears or cinnamon. Grizzlies can be very • Straight facial profile dark or very light as well. • Front claws ~ 1.5” and dark in color grizzly black Protect Yourself, What if You Encounter a Bear? Make Noise If a bear is moving in your direction Bears will usually move out of the way Protect the Bears on a trail, get out of its way and let it if they hear people approaching. Most pass. Move away from the bear without bells are not enough. Call out and clap at running. If moving away appears to regular intervals as a better way to make agitate the bear, stop and talk quietly to your presence known. If you cannot see the bear. Continue to move away as the around a corner, then neither can a bear, situation allows. Do not drop food or gear so make noise to avoid surprising a bear. to distract the bear. Secure Food & Garbage Hike in Groups Never leave food, garbage, or anything Hiking in groups significantly decreases used to prepare, consume, store, or your chances of having a bear encounter. transport food unattended. Other items Check at one of the park visitor centers to secure include: toiletries, cosmetics, and to see if there are any ranger-led hikes pet food. Anything with a strong odor available for you to join. Trail running is must be stored in a vehicle, hard-sided highly discouraged. camper, food locker, or hung when not in use, day or night. Carry Bear Spray And know how to use it! This aerosol Be Bear Aware pepper spray temporarily incapacitates Environmental factors like wind speed and Berries (like service berries Glacier is one of the few places left bears and is the most effective deterrent. direction may prevent a bear from being and huckleberries) are a major to see grizzly bears in their natural, Bear spray should not create a false sense aware of your presence. Look for scat or component of a bear’s diet. If you of security or serve as a substitute for tracks. Take notice if you are hiking near wild habitat. Please help us protect practicing standard safety precautions in an abundance of bear foods, near running are hiking in areas with good bear bears by being a good steward of bear country. water, through thick vegetation, etc. food be sure to make noise and the land. make your presence known. 2 Glacier Safety Guide How Close is Approaching, viewing, or engaging in the animal’s line of travel clear, and move travel at least 100 yards and pull over in any activity within 100 yards of bears or away if wildlife approaches. a safe location. Roadside bears quickly Too Close? wolves, or within 25 yards of any other become habituated to traffic and people, wildlife is prohibited. Use binoculars or a If you see a bear along the road, do not increasing their chances of being hit by telephoto lens to improve your view. Keep stop near it. If you wish to view the bear, vehicles. 25 YARDS (23 METERS) 100 YARDS (91 METERS) A good pair of binoculars can greatly enhance your wildlife viewing opportunities. Top Strategies for Let Wildlife be Wild If your thumb does not completely cover photographing wildlife at all and simply Please take the time to learn about wildlife the wildlife you are observing then you savoring their views with binoculars. Viewing Wildlife and respect their need for undisturbed need to move farther away. If an animal is space. While some animals appear to ever in distress or changing their behavior Avoid Traffic Jams tolerate people, approaching too close can in any way because of you, then you need Have you ever been jammed up in traffic? disturb them from feeding areas or travel to give it more space. Results may vary “Animal jams” occur when many people routes. Keep the animal’s line of travel and the regulation is always 25 yards from stop along the road to view wildlife. In or escape route clear and move away if most wildlife and 100 yards from bears and their excitement, some folks forget they wildlife approaches you. wolves. need to be aware not only of safety concerns related to wildlife but also traffic Because park animals are wild, they remain Bring Your Binoculars hazards. unpredictable and may strike out without Binoculars, telephoto lenses, and spotting warning. Animals may be hit by cars if scopes are the secret strategy to great Don’t contribute to the jam! Slow they hang around parking lots and roads, wildlife watching. Giving your eyes a down and pull over safely, and only in Approaching bears and wolves and habituated animals often have to be boost will take your wildlife viewing designated areas. Remain in your vehicle, within 100 yards and all other relocated or killed. opportunities from good to great. safe from wildlife and traffic, and move on in a short time so others can watch.