Glacier Bay Web Ranger Adventure

Glacier Bay is a place of rapid change! If you came to the front of the bay 250 years ago, you would have seen a massive wall of ice. Today, that glacier has moved back over 65 miles to make the beautiful bay we know today! Explore the different areas of the park by selecting the numbers on each map.  Write your answers on the answer sheet (click to open)  to become a Glacier Bay Junior Ranger!

1. Glacier Bay is a land of mountains, glaciers, rainforest, and wild coastlines. Based on the map, how much of the park do you think is covered by ice?

The upper bay is dominated by glaciers. Ice that falls off of them (calves) creates a home for many animals. Certain plants grow on the land that recently had ice on it.

1. When glaciers melt, they make way for new life to return to the land. What is one of the first plants to grow after the ice is gone?

2. During the summer, the park protects parts of the bay where harbor seals raise their young by stopping boats from entering. Why do you think they do this? What could happen if boats were allowed?

3. The cold, wet climate of Glacier Bay is what creates glaciers. While weather can change from day to day and season to season, what the weather is like over a long period makes up the climate. What is the climate like where you live? Is it wet or dry, cold or warm?

Moving down the bay, the habitat changes. Areas in the middle bay have been out from under the ice for a longer period of time. Different plants and animals thrive here.

1. Many different birds build their home on the Marble Islands! Listen to the video above. How are these sounds different to what you can hear outside where you live? How are they the same?

2. Why is Glacier Bay such a good habitat for sea otters?

3. Think about Tlingit placenames. Now pick a place near your home that is important to you. What name would you give it based on your experience there?

The lower bay is full of activity! Larger animals like whales eat fish. Land animals live in the older forest. Park rangers live in Bartlett Cove and many people come to visit and camp. The Tlingit share their culture at the Huna Tribal House.

1. Every whale can be identified by its unique tail pattern! Scientists use tail patterns to track whales in Glacier Bay. Match the three pairs of whale tails.

2. Why do you think some animals are found mostly in the lower bay and some mostly in the upper or middle bay?

3. A lot of different rangers help run the park! What kind of ranger would you want to be?

The area outside the bay is remote and wild! The waves of the Pacific Ocean crash onto shore and massive mountains rise right out of the sea. The town of Gustavus welcomes thousands of people a year to the park.

1. Some plants take longer than others to start growing after a glacier melts away. Does Sitka Alder or Alaskan Yellow Cedar take longer to grow?

2. National parks protect land that animals need to survive. What are other benefits of protecting land?

3. Mount Fairweather is the tallest mountain in the park. It’s taller than fifty football fields! What is the highest place in your town?

After completing this answer sheet, mail it back to the park at PO Box 140, Gustavus, AK 99826 or email it to at glba_education@nps.gov. Make sure to include an address where we can send your certificate and badge.