Date: March 11, 2011
Contact: Amy Vanderbilt, 406 888-5838
WEST GLACIER, MONT. – Managers at Glacier National Park today announced that the 2011 Crown Managers Forum will be held March 14 and 15 at the Best Western Kwa Taq Nuk Resort in Polson, Montana. The public is welcomes to attend all or part of the forum.
This annual conference will be kicked off Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. with a keynote presentation by Eileen Ryce (pronounced Rice), State of Montana, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator and concludes Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. with a keynote presentation by Dr. Jack Stanford, Bierman Professor and Director of the Flathead Lake Biological Station.
This year’s gathering will focus on aquatic invasive species (AIS). These are non-native animals, plants and fish that thrive in water environments which are void of natural predators. Without predation, aquatic invasive species can cause a number of problems including altered habitats, reduced native species and increased efforts to manage and maintain native species-rich environments.
Many efforts are being undertaken to reduce the spread of these non-native species. Consequently, the Crown Managers Partnership (CMP) chose AIS as the theme for its 2011 conference with a goal of bringing together the public, federal, state, provincial and tribal land managers across the Crown of the Continent ecosystem to gain information and share strategies to address existing and potential aquatic invasive species in the ecosystem.
Registration is required. A nominal, pro-rated fee will be charged for partial attendance. Attendees can register Monday between 5-7:30 p.m. and Tuesday morning from 7:30-8:30 a.m. For forum registration, agenda and CMP information please visit: www.crownmanagers.org.
- NPS –
EDITOR’S NOTE: High resolution digital maps of the Crown of the Continent region are available at www.crownmanagers.org or by calling the Public Affairs Office at 406-888-5838.
###
The Crown Managers Partnership is a voluntary multi-jurisdictional, trans-boundary group, formed in 2001 by agencies seeking to demonstrate leadership in addressing environmental management challenges in the Crown of the Continent region. The CMP forum fosters the sharing of information and exploration of opportunities for improved interagency communication and cooperation. The forums rotate between British Columbia, Alberta and Montana.
The Crown of the Continent region is one of North America’s most ecologically diverse and jurisdictionally fragmented ecosystems. Encompassing the shared Rocky Mountain region and immediately adjacent landscapes of Montana, British Columbia and Alberta, this 28, 000 square mile / 72,000 square kilometer region straddles two nations, encompasses sovereign tribal lands on either side of the U.S.-Canada border, one state and two provinces.
