Record Breaking Snowfall for East Glacier Park, Montana!

It's not widely known that East Glacier Park just dug out from over 60" of snow. Little is know broadly about winters in East Glacier Park - until now.

I want to share with you a short, time-lapse I created. You'll see me move a mountain of snow after the epic winter snowstorm of February 2017.

Enjoy

Glacier National Park Storm Cell Photographs

Glacier National Park Storm Cell Photographs 

Storm cell over Glacier National Park, Montana. ©tonybynum.com 

Two nights ago I was on my way to find something to photograph. As I contemplated which direction to go I noticed the light was flat and not really worth spending a lot of time on. I decided to drive out onto the prairie, a shot distance from my home and see if I could find anything interesting. 

Well, as luck, or fate would have it, from out of nowhere it seamed, this storm developed over the southern end of Glacier National Park. These are a few photographs of the storm cell that developed over Summit and Little Dog Mountains and progressed north along the front range of Glacier National Park, Montana.

The Glacier National Park storm cell building and dumping rain on the Park. ©tonybynum.com 

The Photographs

The first photos is of the storm cell developing and letting go of it’s moisture. The following images are the cell developing, beginning to collapse and then moving though the area dropping heavy rain and creating high winds. I’d say the winds locally were 50 miles per hour as the storm moved though. I eventually had to quit shooting because the wind and rain became unbearable.  What’s interesting about these photographs of the Glacier National Park storm cell, is how uncommon and rare it is to see this kind of cell develop, almost out of know where, over the mountains, and this late in the season.  We see them more often on the prairie.

The storm cell breaking apart and elongating as it moves north along the front of Glacier National Park, Montana. ©tonybynum

The middle of the cell opening up and dispersing. ©tonybynum.com 

The storm cell over Glacier National Park, passing though northward with clearing sky's behind it. ©tonybynym.com 

How the photographs were made and the photography equipment I used

All of the Glacier National Park storm cell photographs were taken with a Nikon D810, Nikon 17-35 f2.8 lens (Because I left my 14-24 in another Pelican case back home), mounted atop of a Really Right Stuff tripod / ball head combination with a bag of rocks hanging from the center support. The shooting data indicates that I was all over the place with my settings and for good reason, because I was. I created these images at various ISO’s from 31 (yes iso 31, the D810 goes that low) to 400 with shutter speeds ranging from a fraction of a second to up to 10 seconds and apertures from 3.2 to f22. What you cant really see in these Glacier National Park storm cell photographs is the lighting. There was lighting in the clouds, which is why there are lighter spots in the clouds.  But what I did not capture were any of the lighting bolts. . .  Unfortunately, my lighting trigger failed to pick up on the strikes (on the bright side, I got home and fiddled with it and got it working again, so now I’m ready for the next storm – which means the lightning storms are over for the year. . .  Ha, Ha, Ha.

Please leave a comment and share to your Glacier National Park Friends! Happy Shooting!  Tony Bynum

Glacier National Park - it's really open now!

Glacier National Park has "officially" opened. I know the Park Service will tell you, "we are always open," and technically, they'd be correct. What I'm talking about are the Two Medicine, Chief Mountain, and Many Glacier Roads. Those three roads are what allow access into the Park on the east side (Cut Bank Road too). 

Saint Mary is the beginning of the Going to the Sun Road, and it's been open to the Rising Sun campground and boat launch for a couple of weeks now. On the west side the road is open to cars until Avalanche Creek. Some hiker biker access is allowed, consult the National Park Service, Glacier National Park for more specific road and access information.  

I'm happy to say that not much has changed. Glacier National Park is still, in my opinion, the most remarkable place in the lower 48 states! Maybe that's because I've been a year around resident here for the past dozen years.  

Tony Bynum skipping rocks across Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park, Montana. The lake was so calm it's reflection looked like a mirror.  ©tonybynum All rights reserved. Please contact me for licensing. 

Just in case any of you are wondering, I can verify also that the smell of the alpine, the cool breeze blowing off the Two Medicine Lake, the birds chirping, and the often loud crashing of cornices busting off Rising Wolf Mountain are also still happening! 

On a recent trip to the "lake" (Two Medicine Lake) as the locals call it, I found Wolverine tracks, Grizzly tracks, Wolf Tracks, Lynx scat. I photographed myself at the lake skipping rocks, a scruffy little snowshoe hare, and a mature male Spruce grouse - my favorite grouse species.

Fresh Wolverine Track in the snow. ©tonybynum 

Male Spruce Grouse in a fir tree. ©tonybynum All rights reserved. Please contact me for licensing.

A snowshoe hare molting it's winter coat . . .  ©tonybynum All rights reserved. Please contact me for licensing.

Glacier Park is officially open. Few if any local resources are operating on the east side, but the park is open. 

For those that like Mexican food, Serranos in East Glacier opened for business on May 1. 

If you're on facebook, I started a "Glacier National Park Art" page a place where people can go to share their own art of the park. . .  Please, if you're on Facebook, and you have something to share, by all means, post it! 

I'm also looking for partners to work with me on this blog.  Photographers, writers, painters media, etc.  My idea is to open this platform up to some of my friends.  I've had this page for 10 years I think and It's time to show the world more than just my words, and photographs . . .  I'd like this to become a community supported page.   

If you're interested please send me a short description of who you are, what you do, and why you'd like to partner with me to produce, the "glacier park photographer."  

Sincerely, 

Tony Bynum 

Tony Bynum 

Glacier National Park - Summer 2015

Glacier is, well, Glacier! How can you beat this place? I don't want to sound like a worried farmer, but it is dry this year. We should expect quite a fire year in Glacier Park. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't wind up with a catastrophic fire!

Here's a quick photo I grabbed this morning (June 28, 2015). What a pleasure it is to live and work in such an amazing place. #blessed  Tony Bynum

Sinopah Mountain, Two Medicine Valley, Glacier National Park, Montana. ©tonybynum.com 

Going to the Sun Road is OPEN for the Season 2014

It's official, at least for now, the Going to the Sun Road is open! Access to Logan Pass opened on July 2, 2014.  Enjoy the snowy, alpine sights of Logan Pass, but don't go up thinking you'll find the board walk to Hidden Lake or be taking a long stroll down the Hi-line trail - NOPE, it wont happen, too much snow.

Stacy Dolderer Skiing on Logan Pass, in Glacier National Park. © Tony Bynum Photography 

It will be awhile before you'll see colorful flowers on Logan Pass, but the drive will make up for it! There's plenty of snow, but not much for green once you arrive at the parking lot on Logan Pass!

Bring your jackets, skis and some lunch and have a fun time.

Tony Bynum
Glacier Park Photographer

Grizzly Bears are out - crown of the continent - you're not the top of the food chain!

Grizzly bears are out and scouring the hillsides for food and looking for love . . .  Make sure you're packing your bear spray, and more importantly, make sure you are always "bear aware."  I always tell people, grizzly bears are where you find them. If you are in the part of the country, and you ask, "where are the grizzly bears," just remember, "grizzly bears are where you find them," which means, grizzly bears are anywhere at anytime!

This boar grizzly bear proceeded to shred this small fir tree. I took this as a clear indication that he was unhappy with my presence - even though I was about 100 yards, maybe more, away. I left the area imidiatly and allowed the bear to proceed on his own. If you see a grizzly bear, be cautious and read their signals. Boar grizzly bears are out searching for sow's this time of year! © Tony Bynum Nikon d300, nikon 500mm f4 vr. 1/250 sec @f5 iso 800. 

NEVER let your guard down! Keeping on your toes is one of the reasons going into wild country is so much fun and why it often changes people's lives and perspectives. If you're out in the bush in these parts, you're not at the top of the food chain. That alone should make you think a bit different about the world. . .

Cheers, and be safe out there!

Montana Based Photographer, Tony Bynum 

Deep Snow still in the Two Medicine Camp Ground - Glacier National Park

The Two Medicine Road in Glacier National Park, is open all the way to the Two Medicine Lake. However, the snow is still deep, up to 25 or more feet deep in the deepest drifts!  There a small area to park - right next to the lake and the boat ramp, but don't plan on camping in the Two Medicine Campground any time soon. The snow is still so deep, I doubt we'll be seeing soil in the campground anytime soon!

Sinopah Mountain in Glacier National Park, is at the west end of Two Medicine Lake. Two Medicine Lake is at the end of the Two Medicine Road from East Glacier Park, Montana. The snow still is very deep along either side of the road leading to the Two Medicine Lake. The Two Medicine Lake is still completely frozen. © Tony Bynum

A deep trench in the snow, Two Medicine Campground.
The trench will help the snow melt. © Tony Bynum 

In this photograph you'll see a deep, narrow trench cut by the Park Service to help open the road. At the bottom of this 30 foot deep trench, the road is wide enough to drive a car down! Right now there's no driving on this area of the Two Medicine camp ground, but the area does offer some fun snow shoeing or bike riding!

Be careful not to slip off and fall into one of these man made crevasse's, you'd be hurt for sure!

The Many Glacier Road too is open, and things in East Glacier Park are starting to buzz! In fact a local favorite restaurant Serrano's just opened, and a the new Rock-n-Roll Bakery is now open for the season. Brownies opens Friday, May 9, 2014, just in time for Mother's day.

Have a great spring!

Glacier Park Photographer!

Glacier Park Winter Photography - What Polar Vortex - in Montana we call it life!

We have been blessed this winter in Glacier National Park with moderate temperatures, and a modest amount of snow. The wind has been mostly relentless however, with gust's to over 100 mph several times this winter. But, what the wind brings, the wind take-ith away!  This is a photograph of what Glacier National Park, and Highway 2 looks like when the wind is blowing 80 miles per hour.

Driving west, toward Glacier National Park following a snow storm. The wind is blowing 80 miles per hour across Highway 2 west of Browning, Montana. Summit Mountain is in the far left frame. © Tony Bynum Photography A few years ago i posted this video showing how I drove though a ground blizzard much worse than this - check out the video of a ground blizzard near Glacier National Park. 

After living and photographing Glacier National Park, year around, for the past 10 years, I have learned a lot about when and where to be to capture unique Glacier Park Photographs. Photographing Glacier National Park in the winter is, it's highly variable, from day-to-day. You can count on things being different almost anytime you go!  

For example, if you want great snow covered peaks, arrive the day after a fresh snow fall. . .  Sometimes it's the afternoon after the significant snow event, but most of the time it's the following day that's best for snow covered mountains and trees. Seems like a no-brainier right, we'll there's more. . .   

Glacier National Park winter photograph. This cabin is located just west of the Glacier Park Boundary. Notice the snow covered roof, and mountains in the background. This is before the wind blows. © Tony Bynum Photography

More often, you'll find that the wind blows the snow off the mountains and as it settles it forms deep drifts and fills in the crevices and ravines. In this photograph of the south end of Glacier National Park, taken a couple days after a significant snow fall (the week of January 15, 2014) shows how the snow blows off the mountains and the adjacent prairie. 

This photograph of Summit Mountain, Little Dog Mountain, and the entire south end of Glacier National Park was taken after the snow was blown off the mountains.

Glacier National Park Winter Photograph. Colorful sky over the south end of Glacier National Park, Summit Mountain in the far left.  Notice the snow has blown off the open faces and into the ravines.  ©Tony Bynum Photography

In this image you see what the mountains and trees look like when you catch a new snow fall the day after it snows. Within two or three days, if you get a snow fall, you can capture completely different looking winter photographs of Glacier National Park.

Glacier National Park Winter Photograph. Horses graze on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation with the snow covered prairie and mountains of Glacier National Park in the background. © Tony Bynum Photography

The forecast is for 10 inches of new snow in the mountains starting tomorrow. I'm ready to get out there and photograph winter scenes in Glacier National Park, are you? 

Thank you for taking the time to read my Glacier Park Photographer blog. If you're interested in photography more broadly, or the business of photography, follow my (Tony Bynum) photography blog, or head over to the Tony Bynum Photography facebook page.  

Cheers, 

Tony Bynum 

Montana Photography

This is slight departure for the Glacier Park Photography blog. Although there are many photographs of Glacier National Park in this slideshow, it's really a compilation of photographs from around the big sky state coupled with a sound track provided by Montana musician David Walburn.

I though since the wind is blowing, and the snow is piling up, it would be nice to share the rest of Montana with all of you and share some insights into what is a Montana Photographer.

If you choose to watch this slideshow of photographs of big sky's in Montana you can click on this link. If you'd prefer to watch it on directly on youtube, it's here at: Montana under the big sky.


Keep warm out there!


Tony Bynum

Glacier National Park Winter Photographs

Glacier National Park winter photography. This glacier park winter photograph is an example of the type of image you can expect to capture during the winter months. This image of Lake McDonald, is from Glacier Parks West side. Lake McDonald is a few miles north of the town of West Glacier, and about 20 miles north of Kalispell, Montana.

In the photograph of Lake Mcdonald, in Glacier National Park, steam gently rises off the lake indicating very cold air and relatively warm water. In the distance, the mountains are snow capped and reflecting afternoon light. During the winter months very low sun angle makes for fantastic afternoon and evening sunset images.

Glacier National Park - Lake Mcdonald. Steam rises off Lake McDonald with snow covered peaks in the background. ©tonybynum.com - Tony Bynum  

Lake McDonald, on Glacier Parks west side, is one of the few locations that can easily be photographed. The west side of the park has far less direct access in the winter than the east side of Glacier Park.

That said, if you plan to access Glacier National Park in the winter, be sure to contact glacier park to check on area and seasonal closures.  In the last few years, Glacier Park administrators have close several very popular winter access areas in response to resource concerns.

In particular the entire area around Saint Mary's Lake, on Glacier National Park's east side has been closed to protect wintering elk. This closure was in response to an elk poaching incident.

It's too bad the Park keeps closing more and more of the Park to visitors.  Glacier National Park is wonderful area to visit during the winter. I hope that if you want to visit the park in the winter you do it!  Contact +Tony Bynum , or @tonybynum or find him on facebook at Tony Bynum Photography on Facebook.

  

Logan Pass East Side Access from Going to the Sun Road Closes on September 23

This is directly from the National Park Service - Glacier National Park. 

Going-to-the-Sun Road Construction Notice – Beginning September 23, 7 a.m. the road will be closed to vehicular traffic between Logan Pass and the foot of St. Mary Lake (adjacent the St. Mary Campground entrance) for the remainder of the season to facilitate accelerated road rehabilitation. Logan Pass will only be accessible from the west side beginning September 23.

 

Fall hiker-biker access will be allowed between the vehicular closure at St. Mary and Rising Sun and between Logan Pass and Siyeh Bend. There is no pedestrian or biking beyond Siyeh Bend or Rising Sun. Restroom facilities are only available at Logan Pass and the Rising Sun Picnic Area. There are no facilities at Siyeh Bend.

 

Backcountry trail users should be aware that the east-side road work precludes roadway access and specific trail segments may be closed.

 

Please visit http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm or contact (406) 888 7800 for trail access information.

 

View the latest travel and construction information and mapping on the Western Federal Lands Highway website at http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/gtsr/

 

Glacier National Park - New Wildlife Viewing Rules

They say the rules are the same as in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National park.  . .  I can't confirm that as I never checked. But, after reading Tony Bynum's article about the new Wildlife Viewing Regulations in Glacier National Park, I'm not sure it makes any difference.

If you plan to visit Glacier National Park you should read: Montana Photographer, Tony Bynum - Glacier Park New Wildlife Viewing Policy .

Tony lists the new policy and explains why in his view it's unrealistic and could even contribute to additional wildlife human issues . . .

Fireworks and Glacier National Park - Independence Day in East Glacier Park, Montana

©TonyBynum.com - Fireworks over East Glacier Park Village, Glacier National Park, Montana. July 4, 2013. 

Great summer on hand in Glacier National Park. The fireworks were as good as ever over East Glacier Park, Montana.

Glacier National Park, A Unique Photographic Perspective

Perspective means one thing, the way we see something. In photography, perspective is controlled in a few ways, first by viewing distance and angle, and second by lens selection. This unique perspective of the south eastern portion of Glacier National Park, and the south west portion of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was shot with a Nikon 500mm f/4.0G ED VR AF-S SWM Super Telephoto Lens for Nikon on a Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera.

This is a unique perspective because few people ever see Glacier National Park in this way. It was shot from about 20 miles away and from the top of a prairie hill, and with a long telephoto lens. It appears that the mountains and the hills are very close together, when it reality, they are much further apart. The light on the land, or lack there of, helps to isolate the snow covered mountain range and the wind blowing the snow off the peaks into the air helps give the winter time Glacier National Park photograph some added drama.

This photograph shows a unique perspective of the snow covered peaks of the south east portion of Glacier National Park in Northwest, Montana. Nikon d300, Nikon 500 f4 VR. ©tonybynum.com all right reserved. 

So the next time someone asks you, "what's a good landscape lens," you can answer, it depends. In this case, the answer would be "a 500mm."

Understanding compression, angles, lenses, and perspective can help you create unique images.

Good Shooting!

Sincerely,

Tony Bynum

Follow me on twitter @tonybynum or @outsidemontana and on facebook at Tony Bynum Photography and google plus +Tony Bynum

Glacier Park Time Lapse - Sunrise over Two Medicine Lake, Sinopah Mountain

Fall is one of my favorite times of year . . .   The colors are dramatic, the temperatures are cool, and the air is so crisp and refreshing you can taste it in your mouth.

Below is a time lapse I shot from the shore of Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park.  The clouds were beautiful and there was just enough breeze to offer a slight ripple, from time to time on the lake. I'd like to thank my good friend Jack Gladstone for the wonderful music that accompany's this time lapse video of the sun rise over Two Medicine lake in Glacier National Park.  To hear more of Jacks work visit his website @ http://jackgladstone.com .

Two Medicine Lake, is located at the end of the road up the Two Medicine Valley.  It's accessible from going through East Glacier, past the Glacier Impressions Gallery (it's open from June though August). That is Sinopah Mountain in the distance.  It took me about an hour and a half to shoot this time lapse, I used about 1800 individual frames to complete the video. . .

If you watch closely you might see two things that are not so obvious, one is more so than the other. Watch it one time first, then come back and read what I think are the two interesting things that happen in this time lapse that you may not have seen the first time you watched it. Why not post your guess if you found something you think is interesting or unusual. . .

Okay, so I hope you watched it.  What did you see?  Anything special? Let me know! Take a guess and I'll be back in a few days to tell you the two things that I'll bet you missed . . .

In the meant time, don't forget to get outside and smell the freshness of fall!   Follow us on twitter @tonybynum or facebook @ tonybynumphotography . . .  

Cheers, Tony Bynum

Glacier National Park Fall Photography Forecast

After living here for more than a decade I've learned a few things about this place.  First and foremost is to never predict the weather. Second is to never make plans without making backup plans. Third, never predict the weather. . .

That said, I'll make a forecast. This fall, 2012 on Glacier National Park's east side (photograph of the Empire builder clipping along the tracks just outside of East Glacier Park, Montana), should be stellar! By all accounts this is shaping up to be one for the record books. We had good moisture, warm summer days, and now the evenings are cold but the days are warm, the perfect combination for fall photography! The unknowns are the weather. At this point the leaf's are already changing but since I cant predict the weather, I cant tell you what's going to happen. 

Fall colors and fresh snow in Glacier National Park. © Tony Bynum, contact me for licensing. 

That said, if we stay on this warm day, cool night pattern, in two more weeks the color is going to explode out here! If you're going to plan a trip, just watch the weather. If you see conditions on the east side around East Glacier Park, Babb, or Saint Mary dip much below 20 degrees for a day or two, and it snows more than a few inches, you should plan to hit the west side of the park. Those conditions usually are followed by a strong Chinook wind that will strip the leaves so fast you'd swear the trees never had any in the first place. 

The sharp ridge in the Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park, rises above the quickly change colors of the aspen.  ©Tony Bynum, contact me for licensing.

The outlook is fantastic this year!  Plan a trip out here, but make sure you watch the weather and adjust accordingly. If you're coming no matter what, the west side around the North Fork, and the Lake Mcdonald area, along with Highway 2 are always fantastic but usually it ripens a little later than the east. . .   Look for more larch than deciduous trees on the west side, and be sure to bring a Tiffen 77mm Circular Polarizer.  

Have a great fall season in Glacier National Park! 

Travelers Rest in East Glacier Park is a fantastic setting and a great place to stay when your in Glacier National Park. ©Tony Bynum, contact me for licensing.

Happy Fall, Cheers! 

Tony Bynum 

Glacier National Park - a wonderland of beauty

What more can I say - this is the most beautiful place on earth . . .   Sometimes when you try too hard to find a photograph you overlook the obvious . . .  Try to focus less and laugh more . . .  you'll find it!

A warm, morning glow against the wild lands of Glacier National Park, Montana. ©tonybynum.com all rights reserved. 

Glacier Time - Time Lapse on the edge of Saint Mary Lake

On Saturday, June 9th, I finally made good on a conservation donation I made almost a year ago. Back in September I donated a day with me photographing nature to the Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance. The purpose of the donation was to help raise money for the organization and help it reach it's ultimate vision, "A child of future generations will recognize and can experience the same cultural and ecological richness that we find in the wild-lands of the Badger-Two Medicine today." Fitting!

Based on the request of the person who purchased the auction item - me for a day - we headed into Glacier National Park. Our first stop on that mostly cloudy and rainy day, as it turned out, was Saint Mary's Lake, and Wild Goose Island. That location is best photographed in the morning. As I was learning to photograph Glacier National Park, I once drove back and forth from Browning, MT where I was living at the time, to Saint Mary Lake 25 times over the course of 25 days just to photograph it. However, on this outing we have only one day to get it right!

As luck, or fate, since we've been good would have it, we got great light and great clouds. As I was working with my new friend, I set up another camera to capture the scene over the course of about an hour. This is a time lapse of the clouds blowing over Saint Mary Lake, and Wild Goose Island in Glacier National Park.

I like the look of time lapse, particularly when there's some motion. Notice the trees, the lake and the sky. If you want to change it up a bit, try some time lapse, it's really fun!

Remember if you're a Facebook user, you can find me Tony Bynum Photography on Facebook where I post new photos almost everyday!

Cheers!

Grizzly Bears Are Showing Along the Rocky Mountain Front

Two young grizzly bear cubs emerge from their winter slumber
along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Nikon D300, 500mm, 1.4x extender. © Tony Bynum. 

It's that time of year again when the grass greens up, the buds on the Aspen trees start to swell, and the grizzly bears become active after a long winter's rest.  Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks bear biologist recently flew the rocky mountain front front and found that there many active bears. I encourage anyone who's going out hiking, recreating or taking a stroll to be aware of the potential for a grizzly bear encounter. The best way to protect yourself is to make some noise - so a bear know's your around - and if you become the target of aggression, bear spray is the best, final defense.  Learn to use it, and pack it!

Click here for the full story by Carl Puckett who interviewed Mike Madel.

Tony

Oil Drilling on Glacier National Park's Eastern Boundary, the Blackfeet Indian Reservation

Oil exploration on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, bordering Glacier National Park's east side, is rapidly expanding. The decision to explore and drill for oil was made by the Blackfeet Nation and the Blackfeet Business Council. I respect the Tribe’s right to use its resources and earn income from selling them. I’m asking you to help support my documentary project. Let me explain, and show you what's going on through my project. I have been documenting the oil exploration on the Rocky Mountain Front for over two years now. I have photographs of oil drilling and videos of drilling mapped and online.

Drill rig drilling just above the Two Medicine River south of Browning, Montana. Glacier National Park is in the distance just left of the drill tower. © tony bynum, all rights reserved.

In the past two years over 30 new exploratory wells have been drilled on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. A few have been drilled within a few miles of Glacier National Park on the east side. I have heard estimates ranging from 80 to 100 wells along the western edge of the reservation, the area closest to Glacier Park, for full field development. Currently, each well undergoes an Environmental Assessment (EA) on a per well basis. There is no comprehensive analysis of the potential impacts to the social, economic, or environment from full field development. In other words, there is no Environmental Impact Statement in which to analyze cumulative impacts. Therefore, there is little information available to anyone about what the future might look like. Moreover, it’s only now, after more than 30 wells have been drilled that people are becoming engaged. To my knowledge, there has not been an industry or tribal sponsored public meeting or public hearing to discuss oil drilling on the Reservation. The only information we get is though EA's and a few public, and state sponsored discussions. The EA's are made available at a location in Browning, MT. No one is sure what full development will look like, or if it will even occur. We do know that there are about 40 more wells planned over the next year for a total of 70. We really are due a more comprehensive study of the potential impacts.

A few issues that an EIS could include:

• wildlife habitat, including impacts to threatened and endangered species like the grizzly bear; 
• water quality and quantity - a lot of water is required for hydraulic fracturing, which is the only economically viable processes for recovering light-tight oil from the Bakken Shale zone; 
• potential for groundwater pollution from fracking;
• other environmental concerns such as air pollution from dust, and emissions from diesel engines, and heavy truck traffic; 
• impacts to the federal class I area under the Clean Air Act (Glacier Park is a Federal Class I area - the highest level of protection from air pollution, Class one is a visibility standard, not a human health standard); 
• flaring, and off gassing from the well during and after fracking; 
• social and economic impacts associated with the numbers of new people and activities that will demand products, and services, and their impacts on the existing infrastructure, like roads;
• cultural resources and historical areas; 
• light and visual pollution.

Native american sculptures designed and crafted by Darrel Norman, owner of the Lodgepole Gallery and Tipi Village located just west of Browning,  MT, and a drill rig tower. © tony bynum, all rights reserved. 

Buffalo graze in a pasture, next to an active oil well, east of East Glacier Park Montana, about 4 miles from glacier National Park, the Badger Two Medicine is in the background. © tony bynum, all rights reserved. 

If the oil exploration involved only a few oil wells that would be one thing, but it's not. This is about a complete overhaul and industrialization of our landscape as we know it. An EIS would help us look at the potential impacts of full scale production and build out - which some have said could include as many as 800 wells in the next 10 years across the entire Blackfeet Reservation - with about 100 of those being within the grizzly bear recovery zone, (basically the area west of the Duck Lake Road) and the area closest to Glacier National Park.

Even with all of that in mind, I remain optimistic. The Blackfeet People have been here a long time. They also have a right to develop their resources, but what alarms me is that if history repeats itself, and I have no reason to believe it won't, this boom and bust cycle will once again play out along the Rocky Mountain Front, and the border of Glacier National Park, just as it has all over the world. The resources will be drained, the people will be left to deal with the legacy by people whose only goal was to make money. Let me be clear, money is not bad. However, the people who stand to make most of it, do not have a stake in the future of this landscape no more than a barber cares about the future of the hair he takes off the top of my balding head.

When the oil is gone, the industrialized landscape created, what will our future here be?

Are there Options?
Is there a chance that a more long term and economically sound decision could have been made? Well, lets see. All indications and proof are that the answer is most certainly “yes!” Wildlands are at a premium today, and rising, and as far as I can tell, we're not making more of it. Might it be a better for the long-term to embrace the land and the potential economic rewards associated with limited extractive use over drilling, roading, and polluting the things that people come here and spend money to see - the mountains, the wildlife, the fish, the culture, and the open spaces? If we foul this nest what's next? What is left on the table for an economy here in Blackfeet Country? We need to answer that question now because at the current rate of development, we will need to take action to implement that plan very soon.

The "Keep Your Options Open” Principle
A wise man once gave me sage advice. When thinking long term about resources management decisions, we should always consider the consequences of our actions and what they mean for future generations. There are limits to what we can do today. The principle goes like this, we should, in the very least consider alternatives that allow future generations at least as many options as we had. As far as I can tell, industrializing a landscape removes the one option that has, for this place, the biggest potential for long term economic rewards. Open spaces, wildlife, and recreation.

The fact is, everything is connected to everything else. What we do "here" impacts what happens over "there." Wise decision making should include thinking about, and acting upon the known needs of future generations. In a nutshell, we must be sure that we understand, as best we can, what impacts today's actions will have on the ability of future generations to chart their own future and the more options they have on the table, the more likely they will be to succeed and prosper. It’s as easy as saying, if we pollute our wild trout streams to the point that wild trout can no longer live in the water, there is no option for wild trout on the menu, or to catch for fun.

If we take options off the table, future generations are limited to what is available to them at the time. In a world of limited resources, some of which cannot be replaced in a lifetime or even 100, if we take away the opportunity to use the land for its wild character we eliminate the option to cater to those that demand and pay dearly to experience such settings. Open spaces, clean air, unobstructed vistas, and silence are among those that would be off the table. I am not talking about creating a wilderness. I am talking about using the landscape in its current state in order for it to continue to provide the same, and maybe more benefits for the next 500 years.

In closing I'd like you visit my website and look at the images, some of wide open areas and some of oil exploration, and watch the videos of the oil development on the Blackfeet Reservation. The goal of my project is first to educate, and second to build a visual record of the land before, during and after the dismantling of one of earth's most unique and coveted places. My hope is that this record can be used by future generations to help them put the land back together.

This is the third year of my documentary project on “Oil Drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front, Blackfeet Indian Reservation.” Please consider a donation, or a sponsorship. So far I've have raised, through donations, about 20% of the cost of this project to date. Any donation will go a long way to help offset the costs of documenting and reporting on the oil development along the Rocky Mountain Front and Blackfeet Reservation. You can make a secure, private donation below the oil drilling map of the reservation on this page. Or you can mail it to me, Tony Bynum @ PO Box 441 East Glacier Park, MT 59434.

Please share this blog post with anyone you think cares about the Blackfeet Reservation, the Northern Rocky Mountain Ecosystem in Montana, Glacier National Park, the Crown of the Continent, or trout streams and kids.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for commenting.

Tony