Glacier will consider explosives for avalanche control

Hungry Horse News

A quasi-government group is looking at ways of controlling avalanches that come off the slopes of Glacier National Park onto nearby railroad tracks. One method of control might involve using explosives in the park to jar avalanches loose.

Representatives from several agencies and organizations have been meeting recently to discuss a coordinated approach to dealing with avalanche safety in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River canyon near Essex, according to Dan Vincent, director of the Great Northern Environmental Stewardship Area.

Those representatives include Glacier National Park, Forest Service, state and Burlington Northern Santa Fe officials,

The talks have come after an avalanche last January derailed 15 Burlington Northern Santa Fe cars. At the time, BNSF pushed for using explosives dropped from a helicopter to knock down more threatening snow slopes in the park.

Now it appears explosives are on the discussion table again.

"As a part of (a) proactive approach, Glacier National Park will initiate an environmental compliance process that addresses the use of explosives within park boundaries for stability testing and avalanche control," Vincent said in a prepared release.

Park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt confirmed the park will soon do a complete environmental impact statement on avalanche control in the Middle Fork.

Also in the mix of ideas are hiring a forecasting specialist, addressing organizational policies and procedures, increased training and rescue capability, construction of snow sheds and enhanced agency communications.

But even the talk of using explosives in the park-particularly in the Middle Fork, where the slopes are also elk wintering range and grizzly bear habitat-brought immediate criticism.

"They need to seriously explore snowsheds," before embracing the use of explosives, said Steve Thompson, the local spokesman for National Parks Conservation Association - a groups that watches developments in the nation's parks.

Thompson points out that BNSF reported fourth-quarter profit rose 54 percent over last year.

The company posted record earnings in the fourth quarter of 2004, according to its financial statement.

The company also showed $791 million in net operating income for 2004.

"If they're making those kind of profits. They can afford some snowsheds," he said.

Snowsheds keep avalanches from ever hitting the tracks. Thompson suggested that properly designed, they could even be used to allow grizzly bears and other wildlife to safely cross the tracks.

Trains hitting bears is a perennial problem in the corridor as well.

Trains derailed off the line several times last year. The one incident was from an avalanche.