Some pictures for you!

Don't worry. There's no assignment today, at least not yet anyway. I just wanted to share some pictures with you and answer some of your questions. Also, I met with a wildlife biologist named John Waller yesterday.

John Waller has been a wildlife biologist with Glacier NP for seven years. He mostly works with carnivores. He spent 10 years working with grizzly bears before he come to work here in the park. Now, Mr. Waller works with wolverines, pine martins, and mountain lions, and is trying to figure out if some other predators are still present in the park. This winter I will be working with Mr. Waller on his wolverine study. I will talk to you more about the study once it gets underway. We will probably start the study in January when the lakes freeze over, and the wolverines become a little more active. Anyways, Mr. Waller and I went for a short hike yesterday to view some of the study sites, and I am very excited!

Here are some answers to your questions:

Emma asked: What's the hardest part of my job? Well, my job is just starting out here so everything is very pleasant and easy so far. The hardest part will probably be the solitude and the wind. If we are lucky, we may see a couple of visitors once a month. Also, the wind is constantly blowing here and gets up to 60 mph on a regular basis!

Jerry asked: What other kinds of animals are there? There are many, many animals here. To name a few: grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, mule deer, black tailed deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, pronghorn sheep, elk, moose, marmots, wolverines, wolves, lynx, pikas, pack rats, trout, salmon, and many more!

Kaylee asked: Do I take care of wild animal babies if they have lost their parents? No, all animals out here are wild which makes them dangerous, regardless of age or size. Also, the mother could just be out searching for food. The best thing to do is to report it to the park rangers and let them decide whether they will try to trap the animal or if they will let nature take its course.

These are great questions! Keep them coming, and I will do my best to answer them. Here are some pictures that I think you will enjoy!