Whitefish featured in TV segment about responsible recreation
ABC’s Will Reeve balances on a paddleboard on Whitefish Lake Thursday morning while a film crew works from the dock at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. Whitefish was part of segments that aired on Good Morning America. (Photo courtesy of Brian Schott, Explore Whitefish)
Whitefish last week was featured in two segments on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The segments showcased Montana businesses recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also talked about encouraging stewardship and recreating responsibly while visiting the state.
The Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau or Explore Whitefish assisted with the planning for the segments that culminated in ABC anchor Will Reeve reporting from a paddleboard on Whitefish Lake early Thursday morning.
Folks with Explore Whitefish provided information to producers about the current challenges facing Whitefish and the state during peak summer season and how that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic, according to a release, and emphasized the the focus on destination stewardship and the principals of “Be a Friend of The Fish” by asking visitors to be stewards of the community.
During one segment featuring Whitefish and Glacier National Park, wildlife biologist and National Geographic author Doug Chadwick, and Whitefish Legacy Partners Director of Development, Alan Myers-Davis, both spoke about destination stewardship, recreating responsibly, wild and scenic river designation, and giving back to the trail.
Explore Whitefish does not promote summer visitation here, but Good Morning America selected Whitefish to be featured in the show, the WCVB notes.
“We welcomed Good Morning America to ‘Be a Friend of The Fish’ — just as we are doing with all of our visitors and locals this year,” said Dylan Boyle, Executive Director of Explore Whitefish. “We made sure they knew our focus is on asking travelers to take care of the people and place they are visiting, be kind, slow down, leave no trace, and plan ahead."
Whitefish and the "Be a Friend of The Fish" campaign were also included along with the mountain towns of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Mammoth, California in a recent New York Times article citing the trend of promoting destination stewardship.