As Montana slowly starts to ease restrictions on social movements, many of us are eager to reacquaint with friends on the trail or on the river. However, we need to remember this public health emergency is far from past.
It’s our hope and belief that through collective observance of public health directives and shared vigilance about the disease, we will arrive sooner at a time when we can safely resume social gatherings, travel, and group recreation without unnecessary risk to ourselves or our neighbors.
In the meantime, here is an update on GTMA’s response and how it will impact our planned summer events.
Cancelling Spring Events to Protect the Reservation
In light of on-going public health risks, the Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance board made the sad--but frankly easy--decision this week to cancel all of our spring events planned on or near the Reservation through June 30th. This includes all planned hikes, the spring speaker series, and the first screening of the International Wildlife Film Festival. Our purpose in doing so is to protect the health of our members, our volunteers, our participants, and our community. The Reservation community is particularly vulnerable to this disease for many reasons--including the widespread prevalence of underlying health conditions like diabetes, limited emergency response and health care capacity.
That’s why the Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance fully supports the efforts of the Blackfeet Tribe to prevent the spread of COVID-19 onto the Reservation, including prohibitions on social gatherings as well as travel to and across the Reservation by non-residents. At the same time, we recognize tribal and state restrictions have created real hardships and uncertainty for many businesses and their employees in our local tourism-based economy.
What about events later this summer?
Later this month we will make another decision whether to resume public activities and events for July and beyond. We will only resume offering hikes, speakers, films, and other public events when tribal, state, and local health guidelines allow, and then, only events we believe we can offer in a safe and responsible manner.
What about events held away from the Reservation?
While Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance occasionally hosts events in the Flathead, Great Falls, or elsewhere, nothing is scheduled at this time. We will not plan any events in off-reservation communities until state public health directives indicate we can do so safely and responsibly.
What about the Fall Gathering?
The 11th Annual Fall Gathering is still scheduled for Sept. 18 – 20 at Summit Mountain Lodge and Steakhouse on Marias Pass. We remain hopeful that this fabulous weekend of celebration, connection, and fundraising for the protection of Badger-Two Medicine will be able to go forward. That said, our first priority is the health and safety of participants and our local community, so we will only host the Fall Gathering if tribal and state directives indicate it is safe for people to gather and to travel. Contingency plans are in the works in case we must cancel this event.
What about the Volunteer Trail Crew?
This wonderful opportunity to give back and explore the Badger is still scheduled for September 4th – 9th. Our partners at the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation and the US Forest Service anticipate the trip can safely go forward. We continue to monitor the situation and will modify or cancel the trip as necessary to ensure participants’ (and the publics’) health and safety.
What does this mean for public recreation in the greater Badger-Two Medicine region?
Before making plans, it’s important to check the status of destinations in advance. For example, many of our favorite destinations near the Badger-Two Medicine remain closed to all visitors, including the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Glacier National Park, and developed U.S. Forest Service sites. While trails in the Badger-Two Medicine area remains accessible to the general public from the west, they are still snow covered. If you decide to head out, please check and respect local closures, limit group size, and maintain physical distance from people (6 feet) and bears (300 feet). Better yet, take this opportunity to explore close to home!
Thank you everyone for your understanding, for doing your part to keep all of Montana’s communities safe and healthy, and for your support of Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance. Until we can safely gather together again, please stay local, recreate responsibly, and stay safe so that we can continue to hold this deadly disease at bay.
Stay up to date with the Blackfeet COVID-19 Incident Command on Facebook or the State of Montana’s COVID-19 response at https://covid19.mt.gov/