National Park Friends Alliance Meeting Fall 2018 Glacier National Park Hosted by: Glacier National Park Conservancy Glacier National Park National Park Foundation October 8-12, 2018 Cedar Creek Lodge 930 Second Avenue West Columbia Falls, Montana DAY ONE | Monday, October 8 OPTIONAL TRAVEL DAY Country Inn & Suites, Marriott TownePlace in Whitefish, and Meadow Lake Resort all offer complimentary pick up and drop off shuttles to and from Glacier International Airport. Please call your hotel at least 48 hours in advance to schedule your pick up/drop off from the airport as needed. Cedar Creek Lodge will not provide shuttle service to and from the Glacier International Airport. DAY TWO | Tuesday, October 9 Country Inn & Suites, Marriott TownePlace in Whitefish, and Meadow Lake Resort all offer complimentary pick up and drop off shuttles to and from Cedar Creek Lodge for the duration of the meeting. Please contact your hotel for individual hotel shuttle schedules. 7:00 am- 4:00 pm Conference Registration Cedar Creek Lodge Friends Alliance participants are invited to check-in and pick up their registration packets, name badges, and other materials in the lobby of Cedar Creek Lodge. 7:00 am- 8:00 am Breakfast/Field Trip Check-In Cedar Creek Lodge 7:15 am- 3:30 pm Bike Ride Going the Sun Road Field Trip: Experience the road as a growing number of shoulder season enthusiasts do and hear about the growing impact of the Glacier Climate Ride and Glacier Conservancy funded Hiker-Biker shuttle service. This ride is strenuous and is for experienced bikers. (Limit 25) 7:15 am: Depart Cedar Creek Lodge 1 8:45 am: Bike Going to the Sun Road 11:45 am: Lunch at Logan Pass (weather dependent) 3:30 pm: Arrive Cedar Creek Lodge 8:00 am- 2:00 pm Iinnii Initiative Field: See first-hand the innovative collaboration between Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Tribe to reintroduce bison ("iinnii" in Blackfeet) into the park and learn about the award-winning "Native America Speaks" program funded by the Conservancy and supported by the park and the park's concessionaires. 8:00 am: Depart Cedar Creek Lodge for Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana (Travel time roughly two hours) 12:00 pm Noon: Depart Browning - Lunch on Bus 2:00 pm: Returns to Cedar Creek Lodge 8:00 am- 2:45 pm Half the Park Happens After Dark: See the recently installed scientific telescope at St. Mary Visitor Center and learn about how Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park became the first designated cross boundary "Dark Skies" park in the world. 8:00 am: Depart Cedar Creek Lodge for St. Mary Visitor Center via Logan Pass (Travel time roughly two hours and thirty minutes) 12:00 pm Noon: Lunch at GNPC Board Chair John and Dana Donovan's home in Essex, Montana 1:30 pm: Depart Essex 2:45 pm: Arrive Cedar Creek Lodge 9:00 am- 1:00 pm HQ Behind the Scenes: Spend the day in an interactive workshop at park headquarters including visits to the Native Plant Nursery, the Archives, and the Maintenance Shed to see the now famous "Durapatcher." 9:00 am: Depart Cedar Creek Lodge for Glacier National Park Headquarters 11:45 am: Lunch and Grants Discussion at Community Building 12:30 pm: Depart Park Headquarters 1:00 pm: Arrive Cedar Creek Lodge 9:00 am- 1:45 pm Fire Science after the 2017 Season: For the second year in a row, and for the third year in the last four, Glacier Park had significant fire events, raising the question "Is this the new normal?" Visit the aftermath of this year's Howe Ridge Fire and hear about the dramatic 2017 Sprague Fire that destroyed the iconic Sperry Chalet, including the public-private partnership effort currently underway to rebuild this historic structure. 9:00 am: Depart Cedar Creek Lodge for Park Headquarters 11:30 am: Lunch at Wheeler Cabin 1:00 pm: Depart Lake McDonald 1:45 pm: Arrive Cedar Creek Lodge 4:00 pm- 4:15 pm Newcomer Welcome Cedar Creek Lodge The Friends Alliance steering committee would like to meet and talk with first time conference attendees and move to the opening reception as a group. Newcomers should plan to arrive to Cedar Creek Lodge by 3:45 pm. 4:15 pm Begin Loading Bus to Reception Bus transportation to train depot begins loading at Cedar Creek lodge and departs at 4:30 pm sharp, for opening reception. 2 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm Opening Reception… “All Aboard!” Reception tickets for attendees and their pre-registered guests should be picked up at registration. Tickets are required for the reception. As is the case in many national parks, no telling of the history of Glacier National Park is complete without a discussion of the role of the railroads. Enjoy an evening of refreshments, welcoming remarks and conversation while aboard the BNSF Executive Train on an exclusive ride through Glacier National Park. Shuttles from Country Inn & Suites, Marriott TownePlace in Whitefish, and Meadow Lake Resort are available for guests to and from Cedar Creek Lodge before and after the train ride. DAY THREE | Wednesday, October 10 7:30 am BREAKFAST Light continental breakfast provided at the Cedar Creek Lodge 8:30 am Welcome and Introductions Cedar Creek Lodge Grand Ballroom Deb Yandala, CEO, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park and President, National Park Friends Alliance Doug Mitchell, President, Glacier National Park Conservancy 9:00 am Round Robin Participants will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and their organization. 9:45 am National Park Foundation: Updates & Opportunities Chrystal Morris Murphy, Senior Vice President, Community Partnerships, National Park Foundation 10:15 am BREAK 10:30 am Presentation from Glacier National Park & Conservancy Doug Mitchell, President Glacier National Park Conservancy Jeff Mow, Superintendent Glacier National Park 11:15 am Updates from the National Park Service & Ethics Discussion Jeff Reinbold, Assistant Director for Partnerships and Civic Engagement, National Park Service Reggie Chapple, Division Chief, Office of Partnerships and Philanthropic Stewardship, National Park Service 12:30 pm LUNCH ON YOUR OWN (list of restaurants provided in program booklet) 1:30 pm Panel Discussion: Disaster Recovery Greg Moore, President & CEO, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (facilitator) Cindy Orlando, Superintendent, Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park 3 Elizabeth Fien, Executive Director, Friends of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Joe Kessler, President, Friends of Virgin Islands National Park Jeff Mow, Superintendent Glacier National Park Doug Mitchell, President Glacier National Park Conservancy Panel discussion led by partners and parks who have experienced and are recovering from natural disasters. What a park closure, for any reason, can mean for a park and partner. Q&A to follow. 2:30 pm Strong Parks, Strong Communities Madeleine Balkonis, Manager, Community Partnerships, NPF Allison Handler, Solid Ground Consulting (facilitator) Mike Shymanski, President, Historic Pullman Foundation Michael Warfield, Board Member, Friends of Stones River National Battlefield Bess Averett, Executive Director, Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign Presentation on NPF’s capacity building work for Friends Groups and park partners. Lessons learned from needs assessments and stakeholder interviews and how they can inform the broader community. 3:15 pm BREAK 3:30 pm Small Group Discussions (see insert for offerings and room location) Facilitation provided by Friends Group participants, leaders, and guests. Choose a session from a list of requested topics; attendees will sign up for session choice at registration. 5:00 pm Adjourn DINNER ON YOUR OWN (list of restaurants provided in program booklet) 8:30 pm- 11:30 pm NIGHT SKY VIEWING (Optional—guests will sign up at registration) Join the Big Sky Astronomy Club and the Glacier Conservancy for a viewing of Glacier's night sky. Through a landmark collaboration between the park and the Conservancy in 2017, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park became the first cross-boundary "Dark Skies" designated park in the world. Our group will depart for Apgar Visitor Center from Cedar Creek Lodge at 8:30 pm and return by 11:30 pm. This event is dependent on weather and sky conditions. DAY FOUR | Thursday, October 11 7:30 am BREAKFAST Light continental breakfast provided at the Cedar Creek Lodge 4 8:30 am Opening Remarks Deb Yandala, President, National Park Friends Alliance Steering Committee 8:45 am Love Your Park & Emerging Opportunities Marya Skotte, Community Partnerships, National Park Foundation (facilitator) Joanne Van Coevern, Manager, Santa Fe Trail Association Leanna Joyner, Program Director & Volunteer Relations, Appalachian Trail Conservancy Deb Ryun Executive Director, St. Croix River Association; 9:15 am Small Group Discussions (see insert for offerings and room location) Facilitation provided by Friends Group participants, leaders, and guests. Choose a session from a list of requested topics; attendees will sign up for session choice at registration. 10:30 am BREAK 11:00 am Topical Discussions: Key Follow-up and Planning Friends Alliance Steering Committee (facilitators) Throughout the meeting, we will have a white-board where participants can list ideas for further discussion with small groups of your peers. This is an opportunity to resolve any unfinished conversations and help us to look ahead to the future work of the Alliance. 11:45 am Closing Remarks & Announcements Deb Yandala, President, National Park Friends Alliance Steering Committee 12:00 pm LUNCH ON YOUR OWN DAY FIVE | Friday, October 12 OPTIONAL TRAVEL DAY 5 .