NAME: Rob Domenech VOCATION: founder and lead biologist for Raptor View Research Institute HOME BASE: Missoula, Montana KNOWN FOR: banding more golden eagles in the U.S. than all other banding stations combined SPARE-TIME SPORT: grappling jujitsu On an exposed ridge in Montana’s Helena National Forest, high on the blustery Rocky Mountain Front, Rob Domenech recoils […]
Becky Lomax
Posted inOctober 2, 2006: From the ground up
Leave only footprints, and turn the darn phone off
The other day on a national forest trail, we passed a lone hiker. Cell phone glued to her ear, chattering away, she stomped by us without the usual trail civility of at least a smile. Engrossed in the world at her ear, I doubt she even registered the beargrass blooming at her feet. Since cell […]
Posted inWotr
Leave only footprints, and turn the darn phone off
Hiking the other day on a national forest trail, we passed a lone woman. Cell phone glued to her ear, chattering away, she stomped by us without the usual trail civilities of at least a smile. Engrossed in the world at her ear, I doubt she even registered the beargrass blooming at her feet. Since […]
Posted inWotr
Requiem for a messy small town
I live in one of those Western towns that’s booming. Fast and furious. Set near a national park, surrounded by 2.3 million acres of national forest, and right at the base of a ski resort, Whitefish, Mont., lures not only visitors but also the affluent who want to buy into the Montana lifestyle. Ironically, newcomers […]
Posted inWotr
The last I looked, national parks weren’t zoos
“Yellowstone is a better park than Glacier because you can see more animals,” so announced one hiking client as I guided us through dense old-growth cedars. I didn’t know how to respond. Was I puzzled by the implication that our national parks should be rated on the same scale, even though each was set aside […]
Posted inWotr
Bears in the backyard, oh my
A grizzly bear lumbered through my herb garden before winter set in. It was a striking visual experience. His muscles powered under his fur like an overloaded freight train, and his eyes swung to take me into his scrutiny. Northwest Montana is bear country — grizzly bear country, to be precise. Unimpeded by fences, unaware […]
Posted inWotr
When does our garbage become archaeology?
A rusted cooking pot, an old stove top, bits of china and pottery. Exploring in the woods around a backcountry chalet in Montana’s Glacier National Park, we poked through the remains of garbage–everything from glass chips to bed springs. We prodded these remnants of the past: Historic rubbish. Knowing the National Park Service classifies these […]
Posted inWotr
Surprise: Snowmobiles aren’t completely evil
There’s no question: They stink, they’re noisy, and they scare wildlife. Snowmobiles are truly obnoxious. But while I applaud Yellowstone’s contested ban on snowmobiles, I’ve had to rethink my own stance. For as much as I dislike the smelly machines, snowmobiles have their place. As a cross-country skier, I’ve never really cared for snowmobiling, especially […]
Posted inAugust 18, 2003: Where the Antelope (and the Oil Companies) Play
More helicopters to buzz Glacier Park
The skies over Glacier National Park will be noisier this summer, and helicopters lugging seat-belted tourists don’t deserve all the blame. Park managers are increasing their own helicopter and airplane traffic to do backcountry chores, adding 52 flights to their recent average of 50 per summer. According to an environmental assessment, the park’s air force […]
Posted inWotr
Peace and quiet count in Glacier National Park
Last summer, while backpacking with friends in Glacier National Park, Mont., a familiar “whup, whup, whup” filled the air. The helicopter dropped over Kipp Peak towards us, its make and color belonging to a local — and booming — helicopter-tour company. Our solitude was disrupted; helicopter noise drowned out nature’s sounds. Despite being closer to […]