Volunteers critical to Glacier in summer months

Last week in Glacier National Park the birds were singing, a light breeze was blowing and a host of volunteers were trimming stalks of sedge in the Park's nursery.

"We're just a bunch of atheists doing community service," said Richard Wackrow with a smile.

Wackrow is the president of the Flathead Secular Humanist Association, a self-described "non-prophet" organization of about 100 members.

The secular humanists are not alone in their volunteerism in Glacier. The Park averages about 750 volunteers each summer season from all walks of life, Jessica Kusky, Glacier's volunteer coordinator said.

They complete a host of roles, including work on trails, citizen science research, backcountry patrols and campground hosts. The Apgar Nature Center, for example, is hosted completely by volunteers and wouldn't be staffed without their help, Kusky said.

"It's the perfect example of how volunteers are critical to the Park," Kusky said. "It wouldn't be open without them."

A great way to volunteer in the Park is to work at the nursery, which has a volunteer day every Tuesday during the summer. The nursery tends to 30,000 young plants annually, which are used to revegetate disturbed sites, such as construction on the Going-to-the-Sun Road.

The Humanist group volunteers at the nursery several times a year, Wackrow said.

All told, volunteers donate about 60,000 hours of service each year. Folks interested in volunteering in Glacier can call Kusky at 888-7851.