Join Ranger Melissa, from the Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center, as she brings you along to explore, discover, and learn with scientists and resource managers in Glacier National Park! Originally premiered on Glacier National Park's Facebook channel, these videos are here for you to watch and share at your convenience. Let us know what you think!
Season 1
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Glacier's Bears with John Waller
This week, Melissa goes out with John Waller, Glacier National Park's bear biologist, to explore the trail for signs of bears, discover differences between bears in Glacier and elsewhere, and learn about how bears live at different times of year.
- Duration:
- 14 minutes, 5 seconds
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Archeology with Brent Rowley
This week, we are bringing you a VERY special Glacier Science Video. Ranger Melissa travels to an active archaeological site on the east side of the park to meet with archeologist Brent Rowley. A river has been eroding away the bank, revealing some incredible things about the history of this place.
- Duration:
- 11 minutes, 38 seconds
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Social Science and Visitor Use Patterns with Iree Wheeler
In this week's Glacier Science Video, Ranger Melissa talks to social science researcher Iree Wheeler from the University of Montana about how she studies visitor use patterns in Glacier National Park, and how that information is shared with park staff to help in managing the park.
- Duration:
- 12 minutes, 23 seconds
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Restoring Glacier's Native Fish
In this week's Glacier Science Video, Ranger Melissa learns about species of fish that are native to Glacier National Park, and the different challenges they face. First, she visits the Creston National Fish Hatchery, Glacier's partner in raising and restoring native fish, to talk with the hatchery manager about how native fish are collected, raised, and eventually transported back to the park. Next, she returns to Glacier with fish biologist Chris Downs to hear about why native fish are important.
- Duration:
- 15 minutes, 21 seconds
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Pikas with Jami Belt
This week, Ranger Melissa hikes up toward Piegan Pass to a talus field--habitat of the pika! She meets up with biologist and Citizen Science Program Manager Jami Belt to learn about pikas, where they live in the park, and how they survive in this harsh environment. Spoiler alert--they find some pikas!
- Duration:
- 13 minutes, 14 seconds
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Glacier's Native Plant Nursery
Did you know that Glacier has its own plant nursery, where a variety of projects are carried out in order to restore native plants in the park? Why is the park doing this, and what does it look like? Watch as Ranger Melissa tours the nursery and talks to nursery managers to find out!
- Duration:
- 11 minutes, 7 seconds
Looking for audio described versions of these videos? You can find them on our Glacier Science Video Series-Audio Described page.
Season 2
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Connecting the Pieces - Glacier's Native Bighorn Sheep
Dr. Tabitha Graves of the United States Geological Survey and Dr. Elizabeth Flesch from the University of Montana join us to explain how and why they’re studying bighorn sheep in the park, and what makes Glacier’s bighorns special. This research was made possible through funding from the Glacier National Park Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, and National Geographic.
- Duration:
- 12 minutes, 34 seconds
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Toads, Frogs, Fungus, and...Beavers?
What is the connection between these things? PhD candidate Leah Joyce from the University of Montana is working to find out! On this week's science video, we go to Two Medicine on the east side of the park to meet up with Leah and look at some wetlands where she's been conducting research. We may even catch a frog or toad...
- Duration:
- 11 minutes, 56 seconds
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Taking the Pulse of the Landscape, Part 2
In Part 1, we explored the icy streams at the top of the continent, the creatures that depend on them for survival, and how the effects of warming temperatures trickle down stream. In Part 2, we’re much lower down, in McGee Creek in the North Fork part of the park. Researchers here are looking at native westslope cutthroat trout. They are trying to determine how the changes in stream flow and stream temperature that we’ve been seeing are affecting these cold-water adapted fish.
- Duration:
- 10 minutes, 59 seconds
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Taking the Pulse of the Landscape, Part 1
What does it mean to be cold-blooded in Glacier? Does anything really live in the most frigid waters in the park? Join us for the first of a special two-part series exploring the park’s aquatic ecosystems and how they’re changing–starting with the icy streams at the very top of the continent.
- Duration:
- 12 minutes, 18 seconds
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Astronomy in Glacier
To celebrate our certification as an International Dark Sky Park from the International Dark Sky Association, we went to talk to Glacier’s lead astronomy educator and east side interpreter, Lee Rademaker. Lee has been instrumental in bringing astronomy programs to park visitors, both in-person and online. We went over to the Dusty Star Observatory in St. Mary to learn about how the observatory works, why dark skies are important, and how we can stay connected to Glacier’s night skies from near and far.
- Duration:
- 11 minutes, 59 seconds
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Loon Banding
Did you know that Common Loons are actually not so common in Glacier? There are only about 72 pairs of breeding loons in Montana – 20% of which live in Glacier National Park. This week on Glacier's Science Video Series, we talk to two researchers involved in a project to capture loons in Northwest Montana and fit them with leg bands as part of a long-term monitoring study. We then get to go out—at night—to bring you a firsthand look at what it takes to capture and band loons in the dark!
- Duration:
- 9 minutes, 51 seconds
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Grassland Ecology
Prior to the establishment of the park, Native Americans used traditional ecological knowledge to maintain highly diverse grasslands. Over the past century, the park’s grasslands have been impacted by livestock grazing, park development, and many other factors. For this week's video, we talk with botanists surveying some of the 155 plots established in 1999, to evaluate how things have changed over 20 years. This research project is supported in part by donations to the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
- Duration:
- 10 minutes, 15 seconds
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Air Quality Monitoring
Glacier National Park is classified as a Class 1 airshed under the Clean Air Act, which affords the highest level of air quality protection. Air quality impacts visibility, water quality, forest composition and ecosystem function. Glacier has had a permanent air quality monitoring site since 1980 that measures different components of the atmosphere. Join us for this Glacier Science Video, as the park's Physical Scientist shows us around the site and explains how we measure air quality in Glacier!
- Duration:
- 12 minutes, 31 seconds
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Historic Buildings of Glacier
You probably expect that Glacier protects things like bears and rivers. Did you know, though, that the park also protects and preserves over 700 historic structures? To kick off Season Two of our Glacier Science Video Series, Ranger Melissa joins the park's historical architect Kim Hyatt to learn about historic buildings in Glacier.
- Duration:
- 10 minutes, 12 seconds
Looking for audio described versions of these videos? You can find them on our Glacier Science Video Series-Audio Described page.
Last updated: October 7, 2022