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The enormity and beauty of Flathead Lake has captured the imagination of Montana residents for generations. As the largest freshwater lake in the western U.S. (outside of Alaska), it's no surprise that people have been asking and trying to answer questions about this body of water for a very long time. Flathead Lake Biological Station, located on the lake's east side, is the second-oldest research station in the U.S. Perched on the peninsula of Yellow Bay, the biological station consists of 60...
Hummingbirds are stunning creatures: not only for their jewel-like beauty and gravity-defying aerial acrobatics but also for their sheer fortitude. Every fall, they migrate thousands of miles to Mexico or Central America. Their wings thrum at up to 80 beats per second. When they sleep, their body drops into a state of torpor: their heartbeat and breathing slow to a state almost near death. Yet when they awake, their first order of business is hovering about trees and blossoms, hunting for...
When it comes to communication about climate change, there's a lot of complexity to consider, said USGS scientist Dan Fagre. "The problem is that to really understand it, people need to understand the process," he explained. "It's sort of analogous to a lot of ideas out there about nutrition: people glom onto an idea but they don't really go a little deeper to find out what the underpinnings of that really are." Most scientists don't like to do outreach and communication, Fagre said, which can b...
There is perhaps no feature more prominent in the discussion of climate science than the disappearance of glaciers. In Glacier National Park, this rings especially true. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research ecologist Dan Fagre has traveled the world conducting research on glaciers and mountain ecosystems. After working for more than 29 years in Glacier National Park, he knows Montana's glaciers better than most. "People like glaciers," he said. "They like to see them. A lot of people come to...
Over his 29 years working in Glacier National Park, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research ecologist Dan Fagre has seen a lot of changes. Even as the pressures of climate change encroach upon this mountain region, Fagre and other scientists see boundless opportunities for research and education. Fagre and other members of the USGS Climate Change and Mountain Ecosystems (CCME) Program focus on alpine climatology, snowpack, snow avalanches, alpine vegetation, and glaciers for most of their...
