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About the Glacier Bay Field Station
Glacier Bay has been a site of scientific research
since John Muir conducted his studies of tidewater glaciers in the late
1800s. The building picture above is in essence the first field
station at Glacier Bay National Park. John Muir's cabin was located near
Muir Point at the mouth of the East Arm and provided close access to the
glacial retreat that Muir was studying. In 1991 the park created its
own research division which was tasked primarily with dealing with the
controversial commercial fishing issue at Glacier Bay. Extensive
ecological studies were needed to access the potential impacts of
commercial fishing and determine if it was compatible with the NPS organic
act and the Glacier Bay National Park enabling legislation. In 1994
the NPS research division was moved into the Biological Resources
Division in part to insure that science was not compromised by
management advocacy. The current Glacier Bay Field Station is
located in Bartlett Cove which is the site of the Glacier Bay National
Park headquarters. Personnel
at the Glacier Bay Field Station of the BRD include two
permanent scientists, a research vessel captain, a administrative
secretary, a cooperative Ph.D. student, and usually 1-3 biological
research technicians. Resources at the field station include a
extensive reprint library on Glacier Bay
issues, a Geographic Information System, differential Global Positioning
System capability, and a research vessel equipped
for fishing (nets and long lines), dive support,
sonic-tracking, and oceanographic research. |
