National Parks as Research Areas, with a Focus on Glacier National Park, Montana
Wright RG and Heyward P. 1985. National Parks as Research Areas, with a Focus on Glacier National Park, Montana. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 66(3):354-357
Characterizes research projects that have occurred in Glacier.- The unique biological, physical, and cultural resources of national parks combined with a management policy of resource protection, and the availability of large expanses of undisturbed environments, make parks attractive research areas for scientists of all disciplines. The role of research in parks has long been recognized. Early in the history of national parks, research was conducted primarily to provide information for interpretative talks and displays, as a result of visitor demands to know more about the interesting phenomena they encountered in the parks. Research was also deemed necessary to protect the natural features of the newly established parks (Albright 1933). More recently, research has been directed towards documenting conditions within parks, and developing management procedures to maintain or restore altered ecosystems (Houston 1971). There has, however, been little documentation or assessment of the kinds of research studies that have taken place in a typical park.This paper summarizes the scientific studies undertaken at Glacier National Park (Hayward et al. 1984). It looks at the historical characteristics and trends of this research, and discusses ways the research effort and its utility in Glacier and other parks can be improved. Glacier National Park, located in northwestern Montana, encompasses a spectacular region of high mountains, glaciers, deep lakes, swift rivers, and a diversity of vegetation types which support a variety of animal species. The scenic and geologic uniqueness of the area was recognized at an early date, and it was established as a National Park in 1910. Glacier is in many ways a prototype of the national park. This paper assumes that the characteristics of the research at Glacier are also typical of other large parks.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Wright, R; Heyward, Patricia
- Units
- GLAC
- Keywords
- Management, National Parks & Reserves, Research & Studies