Wants Park facts

The Hungry Horse News stated in its June 12 article on a future mountain goat study, “The shuttle system didn’t do what it was intended to do, get a percentage of vehicles off the road” and “The shuttle system is blamed for overloading the trails.”

It did get 5 percent off the road. The reported number of visitors to Glacier National Park in 2012 was 2,162.035 visitors. In 1992, there were 2,199,767 visitors. In 1983, there were 2,203,847 visitors. The source for these figures is from Park records.

Now about crowded trails in 2012 — how accurate is this count compared to former years? Why is the shuttle to blame? Most riders park their vehicles at Apgar or St. Mary’s and ride the shuttle back to the shuttle parking area.

The present estimated count of goats was mentioned in the Park as 2,000. How accurate is this? We noticed fewer goats around Logan, Clements and Hidden Lake four years ago and asked a summer ranger why. He responded with, “It’s global warming.”

Now is this goat study going to prove the effect of global warming, now called something else, or will it come down on the shuttle system and suggest it be discontinued?

There are also statements like, “The shuttle was begun to cut down on traffic during the road construction.” Sounds like too many hikers or end of major reconstruction will be the reason(s) for shutting down the free shuttle bus system.

It has also been mentioned that the huge, lovely building and parking for the shuttle system would become the future visitor center of Apgar. What is the real story and purpose for the study?

Edwina Bergen

Columbia Falls