The Glacier National Park Conservancy with President, Tagen Vine

Glacier National Park may look timeless, but protecting it takes ongoing work and strong community support. In this episode, Brenden Craig sits down with Tagen Vine, the new president of the Glacier National Park Conservancy, to discuss how the organization helps fund critical park priorities.

They explore projects ranging from wilderness ranger support and wildlife research to the Logan Pass boardwalk replacement, along with the role of philanthropy, retail sales, business partnerships, and visitor education.

Listen for a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to protect Glacier National Park and preserve it for future generations.

Glacier National Park Conservancy: Glacier Conservancy - Glacier National Park Conservancy

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Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Hello and welcome to the Venture Boldly Podcast. I'm Brenden Craig, State President with First Interstate Bank, and your guest host for today's conversation. Glacier National Park is one of Montana's greatest economic and natural assets. It welcomes millions of visitors each year while preserving more than one million acres of remarkable landscapes, wildlife, and history. But behind the visitor experience is an enormous amount of work, from maintaining trails and protecting wildlife habitat to supporting education, scientific research, and visitor programs. That depends on strong public-private partnerships. Today we're joined by Tagen Vine. He is the president of the Glacier National Park Conservancy. Tagan recently stepped into this role after serving as Chief Development Officer of the Flathead Valley Community College Foundation. And before that, he led the Kalispell Regional Healthcare Foundation. Tagan brings years of experience in philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and community partnerships. As the Conservancy's new leader, he's helping guide the organization that serves as the park's official nonprofit fundraising partner, supporting projects and programs that help preserve Glacier National Park for generations to come. Well, Tegan, welcome to Venture Boldly. We're excited that you're here. Before I start the conversation with you, I want to just tell our listeners of the podcast if you have not met Tegan Vine, this is a human you want to meet. I can assure you that every interaction you have with Tegan, you will leave better off because of the energy that you bring to every conversation. So Tagen, welcome.

Speaker 1 1:35

Oh my goodness. Well, thank you for that. That's very kind.

Speaker 1:38

Yeah, we're appreciative you're here. Glad to be here. Yeah. Well, goodness gracious, being in the banking industry, I've had the good fortune of working with you throughout the years. You've spent much of your career leading philanthropic organizations right here in the Flathead Valley, including the foundations at Flathead Valley Community College and Logan Health, formerly known as Kalispell Regional Health Care Foundation. What inspired you to take on this new role with the Glacier National Park Conservancy? And what excites you most about leading this organization?

Speaker 1 2:08

Well, thanks for that question, Brenden. Thanks for the very kind introduction. I feel very fortunate. I've been really blessed to be a part of four outstanding organizations and working in different industries, starting with the Boy Scouts and working in that youth and leadership service space, and then moving into healthcare and education and now back into conservation, which is really where I thought I wanted to start. So honestly, it brings me full circle back to where I started in college. I did take the long path and I loved every step along the way. Everything I learned more. I had great mentors along the way, had built great relationships with people like you and friends of the college and the hospital and the scouts and now the conservancy. And so I just feel very fortunate to be a part of that. And my major and my undergrad in college was natural resources and recreation resource management. I actually thought I wanted to do park ranger or go work for Knowles outward bound and lead back country trips with young folks. And uh the Boy Scouts came calling first, and that was a nice mix of leadership, service, youth-oriented, and outdoors. And so lucky me to be able to come back now and work with the Glacier National Park Conservancy and team up with a wonderful leader in David Roomer, superintendent of our park, Glacier National Park. I cares

Inspiration to take on new role

Speaker 1 3:15

about his people in the park, and I feel really lucky. I got a great team at the Conservancy, and I get to do the kind of work and preservation and conservation that I feel like was kind of my initial launch and kind of come back to that and focus in on it for the tail end of my career here.

Speaker 3:27

Yeah, and boy, I'm guessing you've got some good backdrop views while you're working during the day.

Speaker 1 3:32

Yeah. I feel very lucky. I've had some really cool experiences. Obviously, coming on board at the Conservancy in May, early June. Got to kick it off right with the summer. So yeah, uh the Blackfeet's blessing on going to the Sun Road, singing and dancing with the Blackfeet Nation. Native America speaks on East Side, West Side, astronomy, boat tours with interp rangers, creekside walks with interp rangers, um, you know, meeting with the wilderness staff and just all the way around. Just great humans taking care of our park and just want to do what we can to support them as individuals, as well as the resource that is this incredible space that we know is our backyard. And so, yeah, the backdrop is magnificent. And if you're not in for it, sign up for the daily update through the conservancy. And every morning you'll have the sunrise from Tumed, Many Glacier, Lake McDonald, Apgar Lookout, and Logan Pass. And you'll see the sunrise every day, and it'll tell you what different programs are going on in the park, what the weather's going to be, any closures of campgrounds, trails, roads, whatever. So great way to keep updated on what's happened in the park. Plus, what a great way to start your day when you open up your email. And let's start with sunrises and glacier, right? Excellent. It's a great role. I like every team for sure. And I feel lucky, you know, great staff there too. Uh my predecessor, Doug Mitchell, did an excellent job at growing the impact of the conservancy over the last 10 years. And he retired in April. And I feel very fortunate to be a part of that team. They do a great job, and I'm just learning what I can and figuring out how I can help.

Speaker 4:54

Yeah, so big shoes to fill. But boy, I'll tell you when I see your resume here, especially on paper, I sit there and I'm inspired by it. Those are uh a lot of really good organizations you've worked for in the past. And uh I just sit there and think, uh, you know, Glacier National Park Conservancy is in good hands with you being part of that. Thank you. Thanks for that. Obviously, many people know Glacier National Park, especially the locals here, but fewer may understand the role of the Glacier National Park Conservancy. What is the Conservancy's mission and how does it complement the work of the National Park Service?

Speaker 1 5:24

Well, I think um most folks are aware that the National Park Service nationwide, their budget hasn't budged. And so many folks locally might have seen the article last year where it showed the Conservancy was actually a quarter of Glacier National Park's $16 million budget. So we're helping fund a lot of the things they haven't been able to fund through their general operating budget. So we'll start with the Wilderness, wildlife, and wonder. Those make it easy for me to remember kind of the things that are in that space. So the wilderness and the backcountry rangers, 11 rangers working the backcountry hiking 2,500 miles, the wildlife researchers and uh biologists and the botanists and all that incredible team preserving our resources and making sure they're healthy and you know, challenges that we may face and what solutions might be. And then the wonder part is all the education and the Native America speaks and the interp rangers, pre-search and rescue activities, mental health support for our parks service staff. You know, they deal with a lot of traumatic stuff, whether it's bare encounters or falls or very dramatic things, as well as you know, job security. Last fall, obviously uh they were challenged and not knowing how long the shutdown was going to last. And so that takes a toll on life and a family, too. So overall engagement. Totally. And just, you know, ways that we can support them. They love this park as much or more than we do, and they really want all the help that they can to be able to do their work and that they're committed to. They have the mission of the park in their heart. Our goal is to support Glacier National Park and their mission

Role of conservancy complementing National Park Service

Speaker 1 6:46

and uh preserve and protect this resource for future generations. So we do that through the Conservancy, which was created with the merger of the Historical Association and the Glacier Fund back in 2013. So the Philanthropic Arm and the Historical Association, which was kind of the retail shops at those visitor centers at Logan, St. Mary's, and Apgar, they merged, and now the collective impact of the dollars raised and netted through retail and philanthropy can go into those park projects. So we don't come up with the projects. The park has the researchers, the wildlife team, the wilderness teams, all the interpret rangers and all the folks, if they have a project and they have capacity for it and there's a need, then they'll submit that. And then the leadership takes a look at it and brings it to the conservancy because we don't need to be pushing projects on our park that they don't have the capacity for. We really need to focus on what they want to focus on.

Speaker 7:34

Okay, that's excellent. And that was kind of one of my questions is I'm just sitting there thinking, I think it's worth repeating, the conservancy contributed funding equal to roughly one quarter of the national park's annual operating budget. That's a big chunk of change and an incredible level of support from those that support the conservancy. And real quickly, again, the park is actually the one that's identifying projects and doing the prioritization. And then you come on and support support their priorities. Right.

Speaker 1 8:02

Because they know better than anybody what those needs are for whether it's the backcountry or the front country, education, museums, archives, the historical preservation, the education and interpretation of what you're looking at, whether it's geology or critters or water or whatever that might be. So they know what they have the capacity for as a team. And the cool part about that is it's their idea. Okay. Right. So they own that and they know that they can do it and they want to do it. So then when we give the funding, we know they're already in because it they're the ones who hatched it. And so that is the way that we take a look at that. And if they have six and a half million dollars worth of projects and we have four and a half million dollars, then what's the top four and a half million priority? And that's what we can afford to do this year. But uh, it's been a great partnership and continued to grow impact uh over the last decade in particular. But it all started with the Roots in the Glacier Fund and the Historical Association.

Speaker 8:51

Yeah, excellent. Well, can you share maybe a few recent projects that demonstrate the impact donors have made?

Speaker 1 8:56

Sure. The Wilderness Rangers, uh, that's an area, the backcountry rangers, wilderness rangers that patrol our backcountry and check on campsites, trails, safety. Also, they're the ones who go back in there with bear managers.

Speaker 9:08

And you said there's 11 of those.

Speaker 1 9:10

And there's 11 of those, and they covered 2,500 miles last summer. That's right. And that would not have been there if it weren't for the support of the conservancy, whether you're buying a fleece or a beanie or a sticker at one of the stores, or you're

Priority of park projects

Speaker 1 9:21

making a donation for $35 to get the little pike of stuffy guy. Yep. Or you're giving through the great fish at the White Fish Community Foundation. All of those dollars come together to fund things like expansion of the boardwalk and replacement of the boardwalk at Logan Pass. So if you're up at Logan Pass and you see a big pile of lumber, that's the project there. The Wilderness Trails Crew Cabin at Granite Park, Chalet got blasted in an avalanche years ago and never was replaced. So we had a great partnership with the Columbia Falls High School Trades Program, where they build cabins. So we've got some at Many Glacier already that house National Park Service staff because housing is they're not immune to it. Uh they are just as challenged with housing, and especially the limited amount of housing east side. So Many Glacier, the uh students at Columbia Falls High School built those and installed, and then they just dropped one into Granite Park Chalet for the trails crew up there. And that's another very cool program where we find partners to work with on some of those things.

Speaker 10:15

That's a great partnership uh with the school as well there in Columbia Falls. It really is.

Speaker 1 10:19

Yeah, I love that. And then it

Recent projects

Speaker 1 10:20

turns out that the National Park Service staff member who is the lead on that is an old friend from 25 years ago, back when I was out at the scout camp all the time, and he was a neighbor. No kidding. Really cool, really great in reconnections. Uh Eric Boyd, who was an Eagle Scout of mine out of Columbia Falls, was giving the mountain goat presentation, and uh funding from the Conservancy helped fund his work to collar about 15 goats one year and then five the next, and then be able to track them to know if some of that traffic on the middle fork by goat lick is impacting them when people let their dogs off on shore or stop and eddy out to catch a couple cuddies before they continue to move on. What is the how does that impact all those mountain goats that are, you know, breeding and traveling through that territory in the transition? So that was really cool interactions to see people from years gone by and careers from years past and uh and reconnect with those folks and see what they're doing because they love that park too, and we all share that love, and so we get to work together again.

Speaker 11:11

Well, boy, and it just highlights the importance of friendships and networks, doesn't it? And it's it's especially rewarding when they all come together like that.

Speaker 1 11:19

Yeah.

Speaker 11:20

The Conservancy has both a retail operation and philanthropic mission. How do those two sides of the organization work together to generate the revenue that ultimately supports Glacier National Park?

Speaker 1 11:30

Yeah, you think about the growth, like I was saying, the last 10 years, you know, philanthropy has gone from 1.2 to 4.5, 5.5. And the retail sales have gone from 2 million to 7.8 million. So retail, that's gross, right? So say net, I don't know, three and a half-ish, plus or minus 500. Combine that with philanthropy and then pay operations, do all the pay your leases and all that stuff. And then you've got this chunk that you can help fund these park projects that fall in some of those different areas. So it magnifies our ability to have the impact. It keeps communication very close with the park service without having multiple agencies all trying to coordinate. We're all one and working together to see what we can do.

Speaker 12:08

Sure. Excellent. And let's touch on businesses. I'm thinking of business partners like Xantera, Pursuit, Montana Coffee Traders comes to mind, Sportsman Ski House comes to mind, and others in helping advance that mission. Can you touch on that?

Speaker 1 12:21

It's so critical. All these different pieces come together to make the cumulative amount that we're able to fund. And our business partners are a big part of that. Pursuit, Xantera, a lot of them do like roundup programs or add a dollar. And so their customers are asked by our hosts at their facilities if they'd like to add a dollar to help support Glacier Park. And so many of the guests that come into park want to preserve this for future generations as well. So they make a donation, and at the end of the year, that adds up to be quite a bit of money. They have a lot of guests. And then Joe

How retail operations and philanthropy work together to support GNP

Speaker 1 12:48

Power and the sportsman team and what they do for the conservancy and coffee traders with our coffee brand there too. So yeah, the accumulative impact of that is hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Speaker 12:57

Yeah, it it's it may seem like a small amount on an individual transaction, but that momentum, and like you said, the cumulative total adds up quickly. And uh, what a shout out to our local businesses. We appreciate that support.

Speaker 1 13:09

Absolutely.

Speaker 13:09

Yeah. Well, Glacier is much more than scenic views, although sometimes I get stuck just on that part. Uh the Conservancy helps yeah, the easy, very easy to do, isn't it? The Conservancy helps support programs like Native American Speaks, astronomy programs, interpretive rangers, wilderness rangers, youth education, as well as scientific research. Why are these experiences so important to the park and to the millions of visitors who come each year?

Speaker 1 13:35

Yeah, I think you different

Business partners

Speaker 1 13:37

people love different things about same places sometimes, right? Some people like the architecture, some people like the interior design, some people like the way it sounds, some people like the way it feels. I think when you go into Glacier, you know, and that was one of the things that really woke me up for the last 29, 30 years, I've been hiking the trails, but I haven't done the interp ranger walks and the astronomies and then Native America speaks. So when I saw the number of people who come and show up at the Apgar Amphitheater or over at the St. Mary's Visitor Center up at Logan Pass for the star party, it's absolutely incredible. That's the way they want to engage. They want to learn. Some people look at glacier as a place to go and not only walk and wonder, but put to learn about what you're looking at, whether it's geology or it's wildlife or it's botany. I mean, the wildflowers. So it's really just neat to see the different ways that people love the park and why they love that park and the variety of projects that we're able to fund really helps support something in there for everybody who's come into Glacier and loves the park or is learning to love the park. I think education and understanding the history of the park and the blackfeet and the koutenay salish people and how that all started and then why the park was preserved and then how that relationship continues to thrive today and how important it is. Uh, one of the Kootenai speakers at Native America

Park programs and experiences

Speaker 1 14:48

speaks that it's important that people come here and visit this place because if they love it, they'll advocate for its continued preservation, which also preserves their ceremonial grounds and their homeland and their native kind of spaces too. So it's really neat to hear all those different perspectives on why the park is special to people.

Speaker 15:04

Yeah, and I'm appreciating this conversation because admittedly, I sit there as you as you're talking about some of these programs. I'm simply unaware of them. So I need to add them to my list.

Speaker 1 15:13

That's in the daily update. What time and where they are. Get the daily update.

Speaker 15:18

I need to get this daily update. And then I also need to leverage our friendship and uh and get the inside scoop on all of this, Tagan. I get a little personal tour to some of these programs. I think right now, Tagan, it'd probably be a good reminder of how do we subscribe to that email.

Speaker 1 15:31

Yeah, you know, the glacier.org. Glacier.org. www.glacier.org. And in there you can find the daily update. You go right down to the bottom. You can sign up for the e-newsletter and the daily updates. You can join the book club. We have a you know book club that meets six times a year. We pick six books that are related to Glacier. Um, excellent. 75 to 100 people show up for a Zoom book club with the author is there to talk about the book, and it's fascinating. It's nothing I was ever aware of until I joined the family.

Speaker 15:59

Yeah, and uh and again, it's something else I'm unaware of. Yeah. So this is this is excellent information.

Speaker 1 16:04

Yeah, you're with me, buddy. We're learning something new every day all together. Absolutely.

Speaker 16:06

Well, that's what keeps life interesting, right? Absolutely. Well, Glacier National Park continues to see strong visitation while also facing challenges like wildfires, floods, wildlife interactions, aging infrastructure comes to mind, and changing environmental conditions. Tegan, as you look ahead, what do you see as the Conservancy's biggest priorities and opportunities for helping Glacier meet those challenges over the next decade?

Speaker 1 16:29

I think as the leadership team of Glacier National Park looks at the resources that they have available and how they need to implement those resources and which locations a lot of crowd control, search and rescue responses, law enforcement, and a lot of those things, we can come in and help fill in the gaps of where some of those resources maybe had to be shifted away from. We can do some of that pre-education, so the search and rescues maybe aren't as so the PSAR, so PSAR as they're calling it. So hydrate, bear spray, just some of those simple things. And a lot of that education that happens, the conservancy can help fund that. So maybe we can avert some of the risks and risky behavior. Yeah. You know, look out for those slippery spots in the river and the waterfalls, like a lot of the accidents that happen in the park are in the water and at waterfall spots because forget that those rocks are slippery. Heart attacks, injuries from animal interactions, as we heard about this spring a couple of times, both up here in Yellowstone and around the West. So, you know, education I think is a big part of the role that we can help play there and also then provide maybe materials, whether they're digital materials or traditional materials, to help people know what they need to be prepared to come into the park. And then also then to give the park the resources to handle the things that do come up.

Priorities and opportunities

Speaker 1 17:38

So whether that's equipment for rescues or different tools that they might need to move people around the park and help have housing and some of those things for staff that are shifting their spaces. Sure.

Speaker 17:49

Absolutely. Well, Tagen, thanks so much for being here and telling us about the work you're doing with the Glacier National Park Conservancy. It really does drive home that keeping a place like Glacier the way it is takes a village, takes a lot of people, donors who step up, businesses that get involved, volunteers who show up year after year in a community that just genuinely loves this place. Thanks to you and the whole Conservancy team for all you're doing to keep Glacier around for the next generation to fall in love with, too.

Speaker 1 18:15

Well, Brenden, thanks so much for having me today. Appreciate the opportunity to shine a light on Glacier National Park.

Speaker 18:19

Oh, absolutely, Tagen. It's always a pleasure to get to uh visit with you. We're deeply grateful for the work you're doing up there, Tag. And thank you to everyone for listening to Venture Boldly. If you enjoyed today's conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with others. We'll see you next time for another conversation highlighting the people, partnership, and ideas shaping the future of Northwest Montana. Until next time, everyone, Venture Boldly.