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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Blast Glacier National Park to Control Avalanches, Railroad Proposes


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Mountain goats wander through a snowy pass in Montana's Glacier National Park.

A railway company has proposed blasting the hillsides along the park's southern borders with military artillery to create controlled avalanches. The technique, the firm says, will be a fast, cost-effective way to prevent damage to rail lines.

But conservationists say that the environmental impacts of the method remain uncertain and that shelling in the park could seriously harm wildlife.

Photograph by David Restivo, NPS