Summit Nature Center invites visitors to see landscape through eyes of a naturalist

On the summit of Big Mountain, it is common to hear questions like “Is that Glacier?” or “Can we see Canada?” from visitors and residents alike. To help answer those questions and educate people about various aspects of the northwest Montana ecosystem, the Flathead Forest and Whitefish Mountain Resort partner to operate the Summit Nature Center.

Behind a table loaded with information about bears, forest fires and leave no trace principles along with animal pelts and wildflowers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic Forest Service rangers who enthusiastically share information. The rangers provide answers and help people realize how special and valuable this place is.

“I like to get people to see the world through the eyes of a naturalist,” said Sage Staven, a ranger in her fourth year with the Flathead National Forest. “When you start to hone in on the uniqueness of everything, you start to notice and really appreciate it more and all of the sudden the landscape now has a whole new life to it.”

The Center is an educational and interpretive hub located on the lower level of the Whitefish Mountain Resort Summit House. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic the indoor center was open to the public throughout the summer months, but in recent years the Forest Service has moved the daily educational program outside.

Forest rangers operate the program daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from mid-June through Labor Day.

While the props, posters and charts draw people in, it is the genuine excitement and confident knowledge of the rangers that makes people stay at the table and learn about the area.

“The rangers love their work because of the opportunity to connect with a wide range of people with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences,” said Flathead National Forest Conservation and Education Specialist Teresa Wenum. “We hope they want to be their own steward and take care of this place.”

The center offers ‘roving ranger’ nature discovery walks twice a day that are informal, short walks tailored to the interests of the people who show up. Rangers answer questions about beargrass, Columbian ground squirrels, subalpine fir and huckleberries and in doing so help people see connections to the bigger landscape.

“Our three main areas we really focus on are bears, fire and leave no trace,” Staven said.

The Center also accommodates tour groups, day camps, youth groups and others who make arrangements in advance for a more in-depth experience. A group of 35 people from the Road Scholar educational travel adventure program visited the Center recently.

Staven and fellow forest ranger Michelle Smyth led the group in some ecological activities while another ranger, Anna Martin, stayed near the table to show a handful of children the wolverine pelt and the moose paddle.

“Today due to our obvious fire in the distance, we‘re talking about fire ecology,” Staven said. “A lot of people think fires are bad, right? We don't want human-caused fires but natural fires are really good for this landscape.”

She notes that Smokey Bear says all fires aren’t bad and points at a poster that illustrates the changes that fire can bring to a landscape, including a more diverse habitat for wildlife.

“And with our bear safety, a lot of people have thoughts about it that maybe aren't rooted in fact,” Staven said. “We try to get them to be more comfortable and safe but also not to be afraid out there in the forest. Be prepared, not scared.”

Other offerings from the Summit Nature Center include adventure backpacks that contain activities for outdoor exploring. Families can check out the packs and bring them along as they hike. The Center also has a Junior Forest Ranger program for kids 8-12 and scavenger hunts for kids, both indoor and outdoor. Wenum adds that the center works with school field trips from kindergarten through eighth grade.

THE SUMMIT Nature Center is the result of a partnership between the Flathead National Forest Service and Whitefish Mountain Resort, which was still the Big Mountain ski hill when the partnership started in 1987. Whitefish Mountain Resort covers 3,000 acres and roughly two-thirds of it is on National Forest, public land.

“At that time the mountain was… expanding activities at the summit house and as part of the approval of those activities through the forest service… there would be some education related to grizzly bears and bear safety and habitat,“ explained Wenum.

The “humble beginnings” as Wenum calls them involved a volunteer from the forest service posted at the ski patrol cabin who shared information about bears and talked with hikers along the trail. In 1990, the resort offered the Nature Center space in the Summit House where they still are today.

“The key impetus was sharing an education about bears and grizzly bears and their habitat requirements and bear safety,” Wenum said. “It's gone from there to being able to connect people to this place and why it's so special.”

For 35 years the Summit Nature Center has provided high-quality outdoor education year round so people of all ages can gain a better understanding of the landscape and what makes it valuable.

“Our Forest Service motto is to care for the land and serve people — and this way I think I'm serving the people and helping them care for the land,” said Staven.