2023 - 2024 GNPVA Speakers Series
Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates Present:
SUMIO HARADA, Wildlife Photographer
7:00 pm Wednesday December 20, 2023
FVCC Arts and Technology Building
*Free and Open to the Public*
Anyone can come across a variety of animals in Glacier Park. However, it takes patience and time to see how park wildlife live their lives. In this presentation, Sumio will showcase breathtaking images of animals in their natural habitats, highlighting their beauty and the importance of preserving their ecosystems. You will see breeding, hunting, foraging, hibernating and birthing bears, goats, and mountain lions.
A Japanese television crew will join Sumio camping in Many Glacier in December to film Sumio at work for a 2024 TV program. You will see behind-the-scenes footage of the challenges and rewards of wildlife photography, as well as the dedication and commitment required to capture these extraordinary moments. Sumio will share his experiences of setting up camp in the snowy wilderness, battling freezing temperatures, and braving the elements to get the perfect shot. Prepare to be inspired, entertained, and captivated by the beauty and resilience of the animals that call this park their home.
Sumio was born in Japan. He studied biology at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. His research on the behavior of the Japanese serow, a close relative of the mountain goat, led to his wildlife photography career.
Sumio started to take photographs of mountain goats in the Canadian Rockies in 1987. In 1989 and 1991, Sumio stayed in Glacier National Park. Then he fell in love with the park. He moved to West Glacier from Japan with his wife and daughter. Since 1994 he has spent much of his time in the Rocky Mountains, especially Glacier National Park, where Sumio photographs and videos the lives, adventures, and antics of animals.
His images have been published in WILD HARMONY OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MOUNTAIN GOATS OF GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, NATIONAL WILDLIFE, Ranger Rick, GEO, MONTANA MAGAZINE, MONTANA OUTDOORS and many magazines, books across the world.
Glacier: State of the Park
By David M. Roemer, Glacier National Park Superintendent
January 22, 2024, at 7:00 pm
Northwest Montana History Museum at Central School Upstairs
124 Second Avenue East, Kalispell
Dave arrived in July 2022 as the new superintendent of Glacier National Park - part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and World Heritage Site - following Jeff Mow who retired after serving for more than eight years at Glacier. Dave started his NPS career when he was nineteen as an intern at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. He worked summer seasons as an interpreter while finishing a B.A. in Environmental Communications from Antioch College in Ohio (1991) and starting his M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana (1997, Go Griz!). After getting on permanently he moved into resource management where he worked on bats, birds, mountain lions, and GIS. Dave met his wife Amy in New Mexico, then they set off for Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, and Redwood National and State Parks in California. Dave and Amy live in Columbia Falls where Zoe and Vincent can walk to high school and middle school and have access to all the adventures and opportunities in Glacier and northwestern Montana.
Ancient Glacier: A Cultural and Environmental History of the Last 15,000 Years
By Brent Rowley, Archeologist
February 26, 2024, at 7:00 pm
Northwest Montana History Museum at Central School Upstairs
124 Second Avenue East, Kalispell
Since the end of the last Ice Age, what is now Glacier National Park has seen tremendous cultural and environmental change—the establishment of Indigenous peoples’ homelands, the die-off of the Pleistocene megafauna, the rise of the bison, the rise of bison hunting cultures, and the introduction of industrial resource extraction technologies in the 19th century. This talk will provide an overview of human and environmental interactions in the park for the last 15,000 years.
Brent is an archeologist at Glacier National Park where he has worked for 11 years. Prior to working in Glacier, Brent worked as an archeologist for the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the University of Montana. He studied Environmental Science at Shepherd University and received a Masters in Anthropology from the University of Montana with a focus on archeology. Brent’s current research project in Glacier looks at the interaction of bison and people in what is now Glacier National Park from the late Pleistocene to 1884 (when bison were extirpated) based on archeological data and paleo-environmental surveys of ice patches and sedimentary environments. He has conducted the study over the last four years. Brent lives in West Glacier with his wife Katie and their two-year old Hazel. He enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities and plays the banjo.
Grizzly Bears: Past, Present & Future
By Stephen Blados, Glacier Park Ranger
March 25, 2024, at 7:00 pm
Northwest Montana History Museum at Central School Upstairs
124 Second Avenue East, Kalispell
Steve Blados is a seasonal park ranger in the West Lakes District at Glacier National Park, a job he’s wanted to do since he was ten! Steve was born and raised in Cleveland, OH and moved to Boise, ID in 1999. He has spent the last 20 years in the EMS field, working as an EMT, Paramedic, Field Training Officer, Battalion Chief and finally Deputy Chief at Canyon County Paramedics in southwest Idaho. Steve fell in love with Glacier National Park on his first visit in 2005 and he and his family relocated to Columbia Falls, MT in 2021. He continues to work as a paramedic for Three Rivers EMS in Columbia Falls, MT and Logan Health EMS in Babb, MT. Steve graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a bachelor’s degree in biology & psychology. He received his master’s degree in environmental science education from Concordia University. Steve has been an adjunct faculty at Idaho State University and Concordia University and continues to teach courses for Eastern Oregon University. When he’s not at work, you can usually find Steve, his wife Jen, and two boys, Henry & Jacob, hiking one of the trails in Glacier.