Invasive Plants and Climate Change

Dawn LaFleur, Glacier National Park botanist

It’s not just Glacier’s glaciers that are feeling the heat. Climate change is also making life hard for many of the native plant species in the Park. One particular difficulty is the acceleration of the introduction and spread of non-native invasive plants. Invasive plants, along with other effects of climate change, displace native species, harming fish and wildlife populations and reducing the health and resilience of the ecosystem. Dawn LaFleur will explore how climate-facilitated plant invasions are changing Glacier in ways large and small and what the potential consequences for the Park and the rest of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem? She’ll then explore what the Park is and could be doing, and how we all have a role to play to mitigate this threat.

Dawn is the Vegetation Biologist for Glacier National Park, managing the native plant restoration and invasive plant programs. She has a MS degree from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Restoration Ecology. Dawn enjoys exploring Glacier and the surrounding areas in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.