Superintendent
Chas Cartwright
tion and the park administrators who initiated the controversial project stemmed from the same objective: the ideal of protecting and preserving Glacier National Park,” Buchholtz wrote. As recently as 1976, Glacier Park attained “biosphere reserve” status, and in 1995 it was declared a World Heritage Site, protections that reconciled Glacier’s conservation with its potential for sustainable use. Striking the perfect balance of use and preservation remains the greatest challenge that superintendents face today, and while it’s not an unattainable harmony, it’s a difficult one to achieve, and one which the park’s integrity depends on. The work of protection and preservation, Cartwright says, was never meant to end with a presidential signature marking the park’s inception. Although he is only the most recent in a long line of park custodians who have worked to achieve that harmony, his efforts today will define his career in public service, and will be reflected on by those who follow. “That’s really the heart of the job,” says Cartwright.
PG 29
Glides over the Quarter Circle Bridge near the southern end of Lake McDonald.
Dave Mihalic, who served as superintendent at Glacier Park from 1994 to 2002, was instrumental in obtaining Glacier’s World Heritage declaration, and counts it among his greatest achievements in a lengthy career geared toward stewardship. “The World Heritage declaration is probably what I’m proudest of in the long range because it added protection to the park in such a way that we were able to see the benefits,” Mihalic said. The designation came at a time when the North Fork was under threat of coal mining, and the World Heritage designation effectively stymied those plans. Doing his part, Cartwright has been seeking wilderness status for Glacier Park, a designation that has eluded these 1 million acres since the early 1970s, when a wilderness study concluded that roughly 95 percent of the park’s backcountry park was well suited for official and permanent protection. The findings were presented to Congress in 1974, and for three decades lawmakers have failed to act. “Now I’m just trying to keep the conversation going,”
Cartwright said. Mihalic commended his successor’s efforts and said the role of superintendent is no longer just about a 10-year forecast, but requires a seer’s intuition to look through the folds of time and predict what acts of preservation, large or small, will best perpetuate the harmony. “Glacier has always been fortunate to have top-notch managers. Whether they’re the chief of maintenance or a roads foreman or a wildlife researcher, they know more than just their jobs, they know the park,” Mihalic said. “But the superintendent has to look years into the future. He’s looking at the big picture, looking at how we can protect the park, help serve the visitors better, do a better job in terms of wildlife management.” It seems like a heavy millstone to bear, but gliding along a snow-covered trail, Cartwright characterizes it as a blessing rather than a burden. “The park is for the people, and it’s my obligation to make sure they inherit a place of beauty, and a valuable experience,” Cartwright said.