Illecillewaet in the news & upcoming Kokanee Glacier endeavour

The Illecillewaet Glacier was the star Aug. 11, 2011. Glacier National Park is celebrating its 125 year anniversary this year and the glacier is being commemorated for its history, present, and future stories. 

The media reports can be found here:

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110812/CGY_glacier_park_110812/20110812/?hub=CalgaryHome

http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/revelstoketimesreview/news/127892598.html

A.O. Wheeler’s photographs of Illecillewaet Glacier from 1901-2 were repeated by the Mountain Legacy Project (and I tagged along) from atop Abbott Ridge, Mt. Sir Donald, Mt. Cheops, and Napoleon Peak. The processed photographs showing 110 years of glacier change will be available this fall/winter on www.mountainlegacy.ca

Here is a present shot (2011, low-resolution) and a past shot (1902) from Abbott Ridge:

Kokanee Glacier:

As Glacier National Park is celebrating their 125 year anniversary, BC Parks is celebrating their 100^th anniversary. A few of us will be going up to the Kokanee Glacier Sept. 2-4 to scope out its potential of being a long-term monitoring site.  

For anyone interested in joining in for part of the exploration (at your own risk and leisure) feel free to contact me directly at: jhirose@gmail.com

Save Our Snowpack Tour: What Glaciers in the Columbia Basin Can Tell Us About Snowpack

The tour consisted of 7 communities (Golden, Revelstoke, Nelson, Kimberley, Fernie, Cranbrook and Invermere) and 9 presentations (7 public and 2 classrooms) in 8 days. The intent was to educate people on the state of our glaciers globally, in Western Canada, in the Columbia River Basin and about my work on the Illecillewaet Glacier.    

The tour was a great success and there are individuals in each community interested in taking part in glacier monitoring in the Columbia River Basin.

The purpose of glacier monitoring is to:
- Encourage engagement with glaciated landscapes
- Action-oriented learning
- Collect valuable data for science, policy and decision-making
- Capture the glacier legacy

Ways to monitor glaciers as a citizen/community:
- Measure the winter and summer mass balance
- Repeat photography
- Measure the glacier extent

If you are interested in getting involved as a citizen scientist or would like to start a monitoring program in the Columbia River Basin please contact me.

As programs start to develop they will be posted here.