Glacier National Park in Montana has just gained a sister park in Ireland. Killarney National Park is known for its dramatic mountain vistas, stunning lakes, sprawling woodlands and abundance of wildlife. It will be paired with Glacier later this year so the two parks will share ideas and resources on how to overcome common threats.
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The agreement between the US and Ireland will see both parks collaborate on ways to solve similar challenges such as controlling non-native invasive species that wreak havoc on native flora and fauna, improved ecological monitoring, and finding new ways to work with their local communities. The sites will also share ideas on how to maintain sustainable visitor numbers, with both parks seeing a huge surge in foot traffic in recent years.
The agreement which will make the two sites “sister parks” is expected to be signed into agreement in the coming weeks. The National Park Service (NPS) sister park agreement is usually valid for a three- or five-year term.
Glacier is one of America’s most celebrated national parks. Its sprawling 1,013,322 acres includes 26 glaciers and 130 named lakes and is surrounded by the mighty Rocky Mountains. It’s home to grizzly bears, with an estimated 300 grizzly bears living in the park. Killarney National Park is much smaller than its “sister” at 126,000 acres. It was designated a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1981, and is home to the most extensive covering of native forest remaining in Ireland, and the country’s only native herd of red deer.
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