Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana protects over one million acres of pristine mountain landscape in the northern Rocky Mountains, including portions of two mountain ranges, over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals. Established as a national park in 1910 following advocacy by naturalist George Bird Grinnell, the park is known as the "Crown of the Continent" for its dramatic glacially carved terrain. Together with Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada, it forms the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world's first international peace park, designated in 1932. The park's namesake glaciers have been shrinking due to climate change; of the approximately 150 glaciers present in 1850, only 25 named glaciers remained active as of recent scientific surveys. The Blackfeet Nation has deep ancestral ties to the eastern slopes of the park, which they know as the "Backbone of the World."
📚 Learn More at NPSHistory.com →On May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation creating Glacier National Park, the country's 10th national park, after conservationist George Bird Grinnell dubbed it the 'Crown of the Continent.'
Glacier National Park represents a unique high-elevation ecosystem with over 1,000 miles of trails crossing pristine wilderness. The park broke its 1 million visitor mark for the first time in 1969; by 2023 it exceeded 2.9 million annual visitors. Contains 25 major glaciers, though climate change has reduced their numbers from over 150 glaciers a century ago.
The administration has flagged for review content that includes the language: “emphasizing matters unrelated to the beauty, abundance, or grandeur”, and “emphasize matters unrelated to the beauty, abundance, or grandeur”. Officials deemed this language potentially “disparaging to certain visitors.”
The content at Glacier NP has been confirmed removed. What was once publicly accessible historical interpretation — developed over years by professional historians and park staff — has been taken down with no public record of what was changed or why.
Why this matters: Glacier exemplifies the fragility of the American wilderness—where visible climate change impacts reveal the planet's transformation. Over 2.9 million people visit this site each year.
The five waysides described below were all well-researched, thoroughly reviewed by resource experts for accuracy, and are directly tied to Glacier National Park’s resources and primary interpretive themes. They are being included for higher level review to ensure they comply with SO 3431.
On May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation creating Glacier National Park, the country's 10th national park, after conservationist George Bird Grinnell dubbed it the 'Crown of the Continent.'
Glacier National Park represents a unique high-elevation ecosystem with over 1,000 miles of trails crossing pristine wilderness. The park broke its 1 million visitor mark for the first time in 1969; by 2023 it exceeded 2.9 million annual visitors. Contains 25 major glaciers, though climate change has reduced their numbers from over 150 glaciers a century ago.
The administration has flagged for review content that includes the language: “Losing a Namesake”, “Why are the glaciers shrinking?”, and “What can be done?”.
The content at Glacier NP has been confirmed removed. What was once publicly accessible historical interpretation — developed over years by professional historians and park staff — has been taken down with no public record of what was changed or why.
Why this matters: Glacier exemplifies the fragility of the American wilderness—where visible climate change impacts reveal the planet's transformation. Over 2.9 million people visit this site each year.
The brochure “Losing a Namesake” is a popular and well-researched brochure that is available to visitors. Visitors frequently have questions about glaciers, so this brochure was created to help address these questions. There are not any interpretive issues with this publication, and the data has been thoroughly vetted with resource experts and is supported by current science. We will be doing a reprint soon (including making any necessary updates), so this publication is being provided for review should there be any feedback to consider during the update. Specifically, we are interested in any comments on the second page under “Why are the glaciers shrinking?” and “What can be done?”
On May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation creating Glacier National Park, the country's 10th national park, after conservationist George Bird Grinnell dubbed it the 'Crown of the Continent.'
Glacier National Park represents a unique high-elevation ecosystem with over 1,000 miles of trails crossing pristine wilderness. The park broke its 1 million visitor mark for the first time in 1969; by 2023 it exceeded 2.9 million annual visitors. Contains 25 major glaciers, though climate change has reduced their numbers from over 150 glaciers a century ago.
Among the content targeted: “Based on the calculations we’ve made and some of the computer simulations we’ve run, all the glaciers in Glacier National Park are going to be gone by 2030.” — language that the administration has flagged for review under its directive to review historically accurate interpretive materials.
The content at Glacier NP has been confirmed removed. What was once publicly accessible historical interpretation — developed over years by professional historians and park staff — has been taken down with no public record of what was changed or why.
Why this matters: Glacier exemplifies the fragility of the American wilderness—where visible climate change impacts reveal the planet's transformation. Over 2.9 million people visit this site each year.
The park film, Glacier National Park – Land of Many Journeys, was copyrighted in 2005. Visitors enjoy viewing this film to learn more about the primary interpretive themes of Glacier National Park (geology, history, wilderness, biodiversity, etc.) and the film includes many examples that highlight the park’s magnificent scenery, beauty, and awe-inspiring stories. However, a short segment on climate science is now outdated. Specifically, it includes an interview with a USGS researcher and references that “Based on the calculations we’ve made and some of the computer simulations we’ve run, all the glaciers in Glacier National Park are going to be gone by 2030.” This segment occurs from approximately minute 08:27 to 09:20. This was the most up to date research at the time. Otherwise, the rest of the content is still accurate. This film is being submitted to ensure that it still complies with SO 3431 despite the short segment that is outdated.
On May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation creating Glacier National Park, the country's 10th national park, after conservationist George Bird Grinnell dubbed it the 'Crown of the Continent.'
Glacier National Park represents a unique high-elevation ecosystem with over 1,000 miles of trails crossing pristine wilderness. The park broke its 1 million visitor mark for the first time in 1969; by 2023 it exceeded 2.9 million annual visitors. Contains 25 major glaciers, though climate change has reduced their numbers from over 150 glaciers a century ago.
Among the content targeted: “disparaging” — language that the administration has flagged for review under its directive to review historically accurate interpretive materials.
The content at Glacier NP has been confirmed removed. What was once publicly accessible historical interpretation — developed over years by professional historians and park staff — has been taken down with no public record of what was changed or why.
Why this matters: Glacier exemplifies the fragility of the American wilderness—where visible climate change impacts reveal the planet's transformation. Over 2.9 million people visit this site each year.
This submission is not a film, but four episodes of the most recent season (Season 6) of Glacier National Park’s podcast, Headwaters, a show that explores stories that make Glacier special. Each season of this highly regarded podcast relays rich stories highlighting Glacier’s past and present. Each of the stories shared in the four, submitted episodes are historically accurate and supported by extensive research and consultation with resource experts. They provide different perspectives and give balance to a particular moment of time in history or on current resource issues. However, the episodes may be perceived as “disparaging” by individuals that are less familiar with these stories. Therefore, they are being submitted for review to ensure compliance with SO 3431. These episodes were approved and set for release in late fall of 2024. As a result, the episodes were partially released but have since been removed until this additional review can be completed. The four episodes for review are: A Road to Nowhere, Objecting to the Good War, Wild, Scenic, and Dammed, and the CCC Was a Bold Idea. There are two other episodes that are part of Season 6 that contain no issues and were appr...
On May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed legislation creating Glacier National Park, the country's 10th national park, after conservationist George Bird Grinnell dubbed it the 'Crown of the Continent.'
Glacier National Park represents a unique high-elevation ecosystem with over 1,000 miles of trails crossing pristine wilderness. The park broke its 1 million visitor mark for the first time in 1969; by 2023 it exceeded 2.9 million annual visitors. Contains 25 major glaciers, though climate change has reduced their numbers from over 150 glaciers a century ago.
Among the content targeted: “Climate Change affects National Parks and the treasures they Protect” — language that the administration has flagged for review under its directive to review historically accurate interpretive materials.
The content at Glacier NP has been confirmed removed. What was once publicly accessible historical interpretation — developed over years by professional historians and park staff — has been taken down with no public record of what was changed or why.
Why this matters: Glacier exemplifies the fragility of the American wilderness—where visible climate change impacts reveal the planet's transformation. Over 2.9 million people visit this site each year.
Our concessioner, Glacier National Park Lodges, has decor in one of their campstores that say “Climate Change affects National Parks and the treasures they Protect” over three images of time lapses of glaciers. The decor is being included for higher level review to ensure it complies with SO 3431.
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