Headwaters is a public radio-style podcast by Glacier National Park, produced with support from the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
Bonus: Visiting Glacier in 2022
What is it like in Glacier right now? These short, bonus episodes—released throughout the summer—offer a glimpse of current conditions, share helpful trip planning information, and answer some fun trivia questions about the park.
Season Two: Whitebark Pine
Over the course of five chapters, this season documents the generational effort to restore a species. It’s also a story about the purpose of national parks and our relationships with the places we love. Whitebark ask us, can people have a positive impact on nature?
Season One: The Confluence
While visiting familiar places, this season tells unfamiliar stories about the park. We travel to every major region of Glacier in search of confluences: where nature and culture come together in unexpected ways.
Special thanks this episode to Bill Hayden, ShiNaasha Pete, Tony Incashola Jr., Mike Durglo Jr., Robert Hall, Sierra Mandelko, Claire Emery, Kaylin Brennan, Debby Smith, everyone with Glacier’s native plant program, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, and so many others.
Whitebark Pine | Chapter Two
An entire ecosystem held together by one tree.
Special thanks this episode to Brad Einstein, Kyle Neimer, Lisa Bate, Kate Kendall, Vlad Kovalenko, Taza Schaming, everyone with Glacier’s native plant program, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, and so many others.
Whitebark Pine | Chapter Three
Mountain pine beetles, an invasive fungus, and climate change—is whitebark pine doomed?
Special thanks this episode to Annie Gustafson, Rebecca Lawrence, Diana Six, Wendy Cass, Susan Freinkel, Glenn Taylor, Stacy Clark, Tara Carolin, Doug Follett, everyone with Glacier’s native plant program, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, and so many others.
Whitebark Pine | Chapter Four
Collecting pinecones, planting seeds, and other acts of hope.
Special thanks this episode to Doug Tyte, Diana Tomback, Bob Keane, Rebecca Lawrence, Summer Kemp-Jennings, Cara Nelson, Rob Sissons, Genoa Alger, Carleton Gritts, Levi Besaw, everyone with Glacier’s native plant program, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, and so many others.
Whitebark Pine | Chapter Five
Trees, fish, and ferrets—what is our relationship with nature?
Special thanks this episode to Rosalyn LaPier, Ben Novak, Melissa Jenkins, Karl Anderson, Dawn LaFleur, everyone with Glacier’s native plant program, the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, and so many others.
Confluence | Goat Haunt
You should always bring food, water, and plenty of layers when you go hiking in Glacier, but sometimes you might even need… a passport? Together, Montana’s Glacier National Park and Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park form Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park: a transboundary park jointly managed by two agencies. In this episode, we’ll learn about the friendship that led to the world’s first International Peace Park. After that, two stories about how that designation has affected those that live and work here. Featuring: Natalie Hodge, Tracey Wiese, Lisa Bate, and Justin and Kim McKeown. Voice acting from Bob Adams. Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park:https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/354/Waterton Lakes National Park:https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/waterton Harlequin ducks:https://www.nps.gov/articles/harlequin-ducks.htm
Confluence | Lake McDonald
How does fire affect our relationship with the park? In this episode of Headwaters we explore our relationship to fire through different lenses. What is it like to be in a wildfire? How have native people used fire? How does fire affect plants and animals? And finally, what can we learn about our history from fire? Featuring: Chris Peterson, Tony Incashola Sr., Dawn LaFleur, Teagan Hayes, Mike Sanger, Sarah Peterson, and Brent Rowley. History of fire in Glacier: https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/fire-history.htm Sélis Qlispe Culture Committee: http://www.salishaudio.org/
Confluence | Logan Pass
In this episode of Headwaters we visit one of Glacier’s most popular and unique destinations: Logan Pass. First, we’ll learn about the road that gets us up here, the Going-to-the-Sun Road, and about some hilarious attempts to reduce our impact at Logan Pass. We’ll learn about appreciating the natural smells of the park, and end with the search for a rare and disappearing flower. Featuring: Bill Schustrom, Jeff Hoyt, Emlon Stanton, Will Rice, and Darren Lewis. Planning a visit: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/index.htm Leave No Trace: https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/leavenotrace.htm
Confluence | Many Glacier
You’ll find some of the park’s most popular trails in Many Glacier. As many as 600 people hike the Grinnell Glacier trail each day during the summer! Why? Many people want to see Grinnell because—like the other glaciers in the park—it is retreating. But a retreat that takes place over decades can be hard to see for yourself. In our search to understand how Grinnell Glacier has changed, we meet someone who last visited the glacier over 30 years ago and hike with a researcher who discovered the power of portraits. Featuring: Gerard Byrd, Bob Adams, Diane Sine, and Lisa McKeon USGS Repeat Photography project: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/repeat-photography-project?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects Glacier Overview: https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/glaciersoverview.htm
Confluence | North Fork
What does it mean to be wild? In this episode of Headwaters, the Flathead River uncovers our own notions of wilderness, and fossils found nowhere else on earth. We learn about a remote alpine glacier with a complicated connection to the origins of the ice age—and we climb to the top of a mountain to learn that even the park’s most isolated office space isn’t as lonely as it seems. Featuring: Colter Pence, Amanda Wilson, Kurt Constenius, Dale Greenwalt, Christoph Irmscher, Beth Hodder, Karen Reeves, and interviews & letters from Kay Rosengren—courtesy of the Northwest Montana Forest Fire Lookout Association. Voice acting from Alex Stillson and Lora Funk. Montana Memory Project:https://mtmemory.org/digital/custom/home/Northwest Montana Forest Fire Lookout Association:https://www.nwmt-ffla.org/
Confluence | St. Mary
In this episode of Headwaters, we visit St. Mary, looking for experiences that are disappearing from the world. After hearing about the legendary St. Mary winds, Michael gets up early to try to see a grizzly bear, and we learn how these animals are faring in Glacier’s ecosystem. Andrew stays up late to visit the St. Mary observatory and learn about dark skies and stargazing in Glacier. Featuring: Debby Smith, Bob Adams, Tabitha Graves, and Lee Rademaker. Bear Safety:https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm Astronomy in Glacier: https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/night-sky.htm Neowise Comet https://flic.kr/p/2kd9Qwm
Confluence | Two Medicine
Glacier National Park, a place often celebrated for its natural scenery, offers an equally diverse and rich cultural landscape. In this episode of Headwaters, food offers an introduction to the area’s indigenous communities. We also explore the longest-running indigenous speaker series in the National Park Service. Featuring: Darnell Rides At The Door, Vernon Finley, Mariah Gladstone, Rose Bear Don’t Walk, Tony Incashola Sr., and Kelly Lynch. Indigikitchen:indigikitchen.com Recovering our Roots: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11494 More at our website:nps.gov/glac/learn/historyculture/tribes.htm
Season Two's art is by Claire Emery
The Headwaters Team
Headwaters is produced by Glacier National Park's media team. Peri Sasnett, Andrew Smith and Michael Faist recorded, edited, and hosted the show. Special thanks to Glacier's vegetation staff including Dawn LaFleur and Rebecca Lawrence. More special thanks to Sierra Mandelko. Claire Emery created the cover art for season two. Ben Cosgrove wrote and performed our original music. Alex Stillson provided technical direction. Quinn Feller designed the season one confluence cover art using historic Harpers Ferry Design Center illustrations. Renata Harrison helped research and fact check.
Supported by the Glacier National Park Conservancy
Support for Headwaters comes from the Glacier National Park Conservancy, who work to preserve and protect Glacier National Park for future generations. Each year, the Conservancy funds vital projects across the park, including those explored in this podcast series. We couldn’t do this without them, and they couldn’t do it without support from generous donors. To learn more, go to glacier.org.
