Glacier Park's wonders leave lifelong impression and appreciation of two Roosevelt presidents

WE PAY TRIBUTE TO TEDDY AND HIS COUSIN FDR FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN PRESERVING WILDERNESS

Lake McDonald  in Glacier Park belongs to all of us, thanks to the national park system and the Roosevelts' push. 

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

and courtesy news archives

FDR loved the parks as did his distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt. FDR, here touring Glacier National Park.

"There is nothing so American as our national parks.  The scenery and wildlife are native.  The fundamental idea behind the parks is ...that the parks belong to the people...."  FDR

Teddy Roosevelt above, said his love of nature was encouraged by naturalist John Muir.

So much beauty awaits in the national parks in large and small doses.  Here, a close-up of algae makes a lovely mosaic on rock. Photo opportunities are a major draw for tourists from all over the world.

ONE FEELS a swell of pride when entering Glacier Park's wonders. For me, it's as close to "church" as I  get, for as I pass the ranger station, I enter hallowed ground.

We here in Montana are lucky to have three national parks within easy driving distance.  Whether exploring Yellowstone to our south, or Grand Teton a bit farther, or heading north, "going to the sun" on the breathtaking highway by the same name in Glacier, we remind ourselves of our good fortune and the foresight of the Roosevelts.

Conservationist John Muir engendered a love of nature in the common man -- and in presidents. 

FRANKLIN Roosevelt's cousin, Theodore Roosevelt --"the conservation president" -- was a champion of the National Park System well beyond his term in office. He doubled the number of sites within the National Park system and enabled future presidents to proclaim historic landmarks through the Antiquities Act of June 8, 1906. This Act allows for structures and historic and scientific objects to be protected under federal ownership.

We appreciate the Roosevelts' vision and that of naturalist John Muir. He guided Teddy Roosevelt into the wilderness of Yosemite, and friends said it marked Teddy for life.

Glacier Park's wonders -- more than a day trip

OUR NATURALIST friends knew a single day -- or three -- couldn't do justice to a national park. Yet FDR's few hours more than 80 years ago inspired a stirring radio address about Glacier's wonders.

Try to stay a week or at least four or five days. If you only have a couple days, though, savor a national park visit to encourage an encore visit.

The grizzly bear is a sight to behold. They can be seen in Glacier and Yellowstone national parks.

Trees, critters, birds, majestic glaciers, waterfalls, redwoods and vistas are a few of the enticements. They impressed Teddy, Muir and FDR as they impress millions today.

IN EVERY visit to Glacier, Teton and Yellowstone, we've been lucky to see bears.  We've watched them hike up hills and munch on grubs and berries, fattening up for the long winter's nap, months away. Once, we watched one unearth a carcass of a long dead mountain goat. The griz feasted on the smelly remains, buried months ago. No doubt, he'd remembered where he hid it.

Photographer Rick Cosgriffe has a field day in Glacier. He visits the park several times each season, taking photos for his annual Daytime Planner.

The grizzly has been around for at least 10,000 years. The native people knew them first, and they'd been there thousands of years before European explorers showed up in the late 1800s.

The "westerners" crossed the mountains in search of vast buffalo herds on eastern plains, documenting their observations of the grizzly.

 NATIVE people saw the parks' same wonders that Teddy, FDR, Muir and today's tourists do: rugged peaks, clear waters, abundant animal and bird life, breathtaking geysers and glacial-carved valleys.  May our national parks inspire those who love nature's beauty to protect and preserve it through the generations.

Kateri, a golden eagle injured by a car, is part of the Raptor Exhibit at the Buffalo Bill Center. Coming soon here.

COMING SOON: We're back from a road trip to Cody, Wyoming, with a store of wonders including the Draper Museum Raptor Exhibit and a raptors' show at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekends and Wednesdays at www.whereiscookie.com