WEST GLACIER - The annual Science and History Days event has brought together scientists, researchers, and historians from both Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada to share their research since 2004.
Wednesday began with wildlife biology presentations revealing information about some of the most beloved animals in the park.
“Goats are an animal that people can see pretty easily, but still, and yet, they're sort of mysterious," United States Ecological Service Research Ecologist Tabitha Graves told MTN.
Watch to learn more about the Science and History Days event:
Graves researches mountain goats around the area, focusing mainly on genetic structure and population size.
“So we're going to talk today about how they've changed over time, how many goats there are, and then also looking at whether all of the goats are connected to each other or if they're multiple small populations,” Graves said.
Other presentations also dove deep into park predators, including golden eagles.
“They're the top avian apex predator in Glacier, and there are fewer pairs of golden eagles than grizzly bears in the park,” Glacier National Park Wildlife Biologist Lisa Bate told MTN.
Bate met B.J. Worth, a wildlife photographer, in 2008, and has been working together to research golden eagles since.
“We have established a hawk count site up on the slopes of Mt. Brown, and B.J. has been instrumental in taking pictures up there of migrating raptors,” Bate said.
Waterton Lakes will host their science day on Monday at their visitor center.
