Search underway for new director

The search is underway to fill the top post for the Glacier National Park Conservancy. The Conservancy is the official fundraising arm for Glacier National Park and was formed from the merger last year between the Glacier National Park Fund and the Glacier Association. The Fund was a primarily a fundraising organization, and the Association ran the bookstores in the Park as well as online. The Conservancy will look to blend the retail side and fundraising side together.

After merging the boards from both organizations decided it was best to open the search for an executive director nationwide, chairman and Kalispell attorney Darrell Worm said. About 30 applicants from across the country have applied for the position, he said.

Fund executive director Jane Ratzlaff and Association executive director Wendy Hill were among the applicants, he said.

The others applied from across the country, Worm noted. He said interviews will begin in the middle of this month, with a decision made a few weeks after that.

Whoever fills the post will have a challenging road ahead. The board’s goal is to at least double the organization’s fundraising effort. Last year, the Fund raised about $1 million toward Park programs. By comparison, the Yellowstone Park Foundation took in about $5.9 million in fiscal year 2012, according to its annual report. Yellowstone National Park, however, saw about 3.5 million visitors in 2012, while Glacier Park saw about 2 million.

Worm said the plan is to locate most of the personnel from both organizations under one roof, though it will maintain and likely expand its retail presence at the Belton Depot building in the future.