Photo courtesy Jane Ratzlaff.

Winter Outings in Glacier National Park!  

The Glacier National Park Fund will offer snowshoeing and cross-country skiing outings in Glacier National Park this winter.

Dates are....

February 10th - snowshoeing

February 24th - snowshoeing

March 9th - cross-country skiing

March 16th - snowshoeing

March 23rd -cross-country skiing 

To sign up and to find out when and where to meet, please contact the Fund at 892-3250 or go to our website for more info   http://www.glacierfund.org

The Glacier National Park Fund supports the preservation of the outstanding

natural beauty and cultural heritage of Glacier National Park for the use and

enjoyment of present and future generations by fostering public awareness

and encouraging private philanthropy. 

Photo courtesy Chris Peterson

GNPF Announces 14 Grants to Glacier National Park for 2012 

The Glacier National Park Fund (GNPF) is very pleased to announce that they have awarded funding for 14 of the recently requested critical projects to Glacier National Park.  The funding comes from the sale of the Montana Glacier National Park specialty license plate along with support from annual donors.  The Fund’s Trustees have worked with the Park to allocate these donations.  A special thanks to all who have contributed! 

The news of National Park budgets being cut has left all of us concerned about our National Parks being “cash-strapped.”  A cut to Glacier National Park’s budget is challenging and has encouraged the Park to depend even more on their official fundraising partner, the Glacier National Park Fund, to increase support related to education, research, visitor experience and preservation. 

In their effort to enhance visitor experiences for current and future generations and preserve Glacier’s pristine beauty and unspoiled wilderness, the Fund receives private philanthropic donations from individuals and businesses throughout the Flathead Valley, across Montana and the entire country and even from some foreign visitors to Glacier.   While the Fund was created in 1999 as the Park’s designated philanthropic partner, the history of private/public partnerships has a long history in Glacier National Park.   “We are fortunate to have so many donors who love Glacier National Park and understand the importance of giving back to ensure that we can enjoy into the future what we have enjoyed in the past.” says Jane Ratzlaff, Executive Director of the Fund. 

The funding for this year’s 14 grants has all come from private philanthropic donations.    

• Avalanche Lake Trail Rehabilitation
• Promote Youth and Adult Citizen Science
• Wireless Water Tank Monitoring System
• Bear-Proof Food Storage Boxes
• Roadway Sign Inventory Management
• Ptarmigan Trail Rock Walls and Trail Rehabilitation
• A Fisher Survey
• Winter Ecology School Program Interns
• Girl Scouts of the USA Centennial Service Program
• An On-Line Citizen Science Program
• Half the Park Happens after Dark – Astronomy Program
• Discovery Cabin and Teacher-Ranger-Teacher Program
• Going-to-the-Sun Road Podcasts
• A Wildlife Sighting Notebook 

Jane Ratzlaff also commented, “Those of us who cherish Glacier National Park or benefit from having the Park in our back yard have a choice to leave it in the hands of what the National Park Service can afford or step-up to the plate to help keep our Park accessible and protected.  We invite you to go to our website - www.glacierfund.org - to read about $3 plus million in projects that private donations have helped us accomplish….as well as projects planned for the future.” 

 Winter Intern, Megan and snowshoe group

Join a park ranger for a two-hour snowshoe exploration of the winter environment in Glacier National Park!

When:  Saturdays and Sundays   January 7th to March 18th

Time:  10:30 am and 1:30 am

Where:  Apgar Visitor Center

Snowshoes are available to rent for a nominal fee at the Apgar Visitor Center or you can bring your own.  Please come about 15 minutes early, dress in layers for a variety of winter condititons and bring your own water and snacks.  For more information or to confirm that day's program, call 406-888-7939 on Saturdays and Sundays between 9 am and 4:30 pm. 

Please note that each day's walks are dependant on snow and weather conditions.

Ben Eisinger and Jane Ratzlaff

Eisinger Motors of Kalispell, MT has been making sure Jane and her staff get around in style.  This gorgeous 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid is their newest donation to GNPF.  Be sure to wave when you see us!  Many thanks to you, Eisinger!  

Billy at Lake McDonald

On behalf of the board and staff at Glacier National Park Fund, I would like to wish each of you a very happy holiday season.  May love light your days and Glacier's peace fill your lives.

Did you know that when you purchase or renew this GNP specialty license plate, the $20 plate fee goes directly to the Glacier National Park Fund to help support Glacier National Park?

The funds from the sale of this plate make a significant contribution to special grant requests from Glacier each year - for special projects related to education, research and preservation - projects that would not be funded without your help.

Just ask for this plate at your local State of Montana Motor Vehicle Office. 

For those of you who are out of state, you can purchase a sample plate for your collection from GNPF for $30.00.  These plates can be personalized with up to 6 letters/numbers or a combination of letter/numbers.  Please allow 3-6 weeks for delivery.  If you would like a non-personalized plate, we do have those in stock and they would ship out the next day.  Check with your state before putting them on your vehicle as laws vary from state to state.  All non-personalized sample plates have "AAA 000" on them.

Thanks so much to all of our current GNP plate supporters!

My favorite Glacier artists (I have actually hiked with 2 of them!) will be there with their favorite creations for your shopping pleasure.  A portion of their sales that evening will go to GNPF to help support my favorite park - which is of course, Glacier National Park!

Come join me and meet Mark Ogle, Allen Jimmerson, Chris Peterson, Lucia Holt and Jake Bramante.  Besides special shopping options from these awesome artists, other cool Glacier gifts will also be available - such as GNPF's Glacier DVD, the Chip Davis True Wilderness CD, a mountain goat Christmas ornament, beautiful Glacier Goddess note cards, three different "Adopt the Animals" options and of course, ME.  Yes - you can purchase your very own ME!

Happy Holidays!!!

                 

The Glacier National Park Fund is delighted to announce that they received a generous donation from Don “K” Subaru on October 27^th at the Grand Opening of the new Subaru showroom.  Don “K” committed to make a donation to the Fund based on the number of Subaru cars sold during the month of September. This donation will support GNPF’s Transporting Children to Glacier program.  

Bob and Kim Nystuen, Glacier National Park Fund board members, were on hand at the Grand Opening that evening to receive the check from Don and his wife Debbie.  

Don Kaltschmidt, owner of Don “K” commented, “Glacier is very special to all of us who live here and we want to do all we can to ensure that our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to experience Glacier and to learn from this amazing outdoor classroom. The Glacier National Park Fund is critical to that effort and we are happy to help any way we can.”

Jane Ratzlaff, Executive Director of the Fund, said “We are grateful for local business leaders like Don and his team who are so generous in helping preserve Glacier National Park for current and future generations.  Thanks so much for your support again this year!”

We are getting very busy here at GNPF as the year starts closing down.  (No, that does NOT mean we are loafing around the rest of the time!)  Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks from today and then you know what happens after that.  So here's my contribution to assist you in staying calm for the next couple of months...

1.  Find a nice quiet place to hang out and enjoy all your happy memories of Glacier.

2.  Take a few minutes every day to be grateful for your blessings and for Glacier.

3.  Get to bed earlier so you can be more rested and have longer periods of time to dream of Glacier.

You are probably getting the idea, right?  It is really all about Glacier and no one knows that better than we do here at GNPF.  The Fund does some pretty darn wonderful work because we are blessed with very generous donors.  To help us make sure that work continues to get done, please consider the following ideas from GuideStar as you start your holiday shopping:

1.Shop online: As the holiday season approaches and people get set to spend significant funds on gifts, ask them to start their shopping at GoodShop. GoodShop is a shopping portal that donates a percentage of almost every purchase from more than 2,500 stores (including Gap, Target, Staples, and Macy's) to your organization. In addition, GoodShop lists more than 100,000 coupons, so your supporters can save money at the same time as they are earning money for your nonprofit!

3.Redeem credit card points. Ask members to turn their unused credit card points into a charitable donation to your cause. Both American Express and Citi Card offer this program.

4.Search the Internet: GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo!-powered search engine that donates about a penny per search to your cause. You use it exactly as you would any other search engine, but each time someone does a search, a donation is made! The ASPCA, for example, has already earned over $34,000 from its supporters' searches!

6.Donate airline and hotel miles: Although airlines and hotels do not have specific programs that allow flyers to donate miles to any organization they choose, most airlines allow people to use their frequent flier miles to buy tickets or office items for other people.

7.Dine Out: GoodDining.com is scheduled to launch soon. Once it does, up to 6 percent of the money spent on a meal at 10,000 restaurants across the country will be donated to your cause. Watch www.goodsearch.com for the announcement that GoodDining has launched.

8.Volunteer: There are a handful of companies that match volunteer hours with funds. For example, Microsoft will match volunteer time at $17 an hour through its Volunteer Time Matching program. Boeing, Exxon, Intel, Chevron, and Bank of America have similar programs.

After traveling all week, I think I'll take some time out to enjoy the beauty of my home.  This week's posting-courtesy of GNPF staff-is Bowman Lake.  Be sure to get out and enjoy the scenery before the wind blows the leaves and needles over to North Dakota!