NEWS RELEASES
Professional Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship Awarded To Montana Park Employee
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through the National Park Service's website.
WEST GLACIER, Mont. – Glacier National Park Natural Resources Program Manager Mark Biel was awarded 2017 National Park Service Director’s Award for Professional Excellence in Natural Resource Stewardship. Biel won the regional award last November and competed with finalists from six other regions for the national award. Biel was recognized for his leadership on several fronts, including his work to initiate a wildlife shepherding program, dark sky conservation, and mountain goat research. The program uses a trained border collie, Gracie, to move bighorn sheep and mountain goats out of areas of high visitor use, such as the Logan Pass parking lot.
According to a press release, Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow said, “Glacier’s wildlife shepherding program has exceeded all expectations. Mark and Gracie have become front-line ambassadors for Glacier and the National Park Service in keeping visitors and the animals of the park safe." The project is funded through private donations to the Glacier National Park Conservancy. Biel also coordinated recent mountain goat research at Logan Pass and was instrumental in Glacier’s recent designation as the world’s first transboundary International Dark Sky Park, along with Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. Both projects are also partially funded by the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
Find out more on Biel's career and more on Gracie, the Border Collie, at the NPS website.