Schedule of Events

Tourism has always been a major piece of western Montana’s economic fabric, with visitors to our mountains, lakes, parks and forests pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the area’s economy.  Glacier National Park, the jewel of the Crown of the Continent, is the centerpiece of our region’s tourist attractions, with more than 3.3 million people visiting the park in 2017.  At  City Club Missoula’s June 18 forum, learn from two experts about the impact of Glacier on the tourism industry, and about challenges and opportunities facing the park — including as a result of increased tourism.

Speakers:

• Jeff Mow, Glacier National Park Superintendent
• Racene Friede, Executive Director/CEO of Glacier Country Regional Tourism Commission.

The Evolving Structure and Science of Wildfire Management and What it Means to Our Community.

A forum featuring:

• Dr. Mark Finney, Research Forester with the U.S. Forest Service’s Fire Sciences Lab, studying the science of how fires spread.
• Greg Poncin, Area Manager for the Northwest Land Office, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, who served 9 years as a Type 1 Incident Commander.
• Moderator, Dr. Ron Wakimoto, Emeritus Professor of Forest Fire Science, University or Montana, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation.

Come listen as Mayor John Engen, County Commission Chair David Strohmaier and UM President Seth Bodnar take a look at Missoula through an economic lens. How can the city, county and university best work together?