A Lesson on Climate Change

On the early morning drive to the trail head in Glacier National park, some students were on the constant watch for a grizzly. At the trail, we were met by our ranger Monica Kronewetter who took us on our way.

The trail was small with tall green trees surrounding it, as we headed toward Grinnell Glacier. Turquoise lakes and white water falls were a common sight, and flowers covered the ground. The trail began going upward as Monica explained the past and future of the park.

In 1850, there were 150 glaciers, but they have decreased to 26 glaciers that are rapidly disappearing. The climate change in the world has had a huge impact on the diverse ecosystems of the park and will continue to have an impact. In the future, fires will become more numerous and avalanches will become less numerous because of rain on the snow. Currently, there are destructive avalanches with avalanche shoots disappearing. Grizzlies depend on these shoots for plants and could be impacted by the disappearance. White-tailed ptarmigans are also at risk because of the climate change, and their seasonal camouflage tactics have become confused.

As we continued hiking, we learned that a keystone to the park, the white bark pine, is dying quickly of blister rust. This is a hard situation because the park has uneasily stepped in. They are bringing in and planting trees that are not affected by the rust, but still want to respect the courses of nature.

After our lunch break we continued until we reached Grinnell Glacier. The contrast between the glaciers and the colorful plants was amazing, and we saw big horned sheep in the snow and in the taller bushes. At Grinnell Glacier, Monica talked about change and hope. Even though the glaciers will be gone by 2020, they are telling us to change. She ended the uphill part of our 11-mile hike by quoting Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

This hike made climate change seem more real. If we had been in a classroom studying a textbook or a PowerPoint presentation, we would have been more skeptical of how rapidly the glaciers are melting. Being in Glacier National Park for a day also allowed us to truly be in the world.

Hannah Bendfeldt
Eastern Mennonite School