Zinke in Montana for meeting with the Blackfeet Nation

On March 9, 2018, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke traveled to Browning, Montana, where he visited the Blackfeet Nation and signed the first authorization of funds, transferring $800,000 to the Blackfeet Settlement Trust Fund. As a Montana State Senator, Congressman and now Secretary of the Interior, Secretary Zinke has worked with the Blackfeet on their water compact for nearly ten years, making this a very special trip.

After the Secretary’s historical visit with the Blackfeet Nation, Secretary Zinke traveled to Columbia Falls, Montana, to meet with Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow and Glacier National Park Conservancy Executive Director Doug Mitchell to discuss the rebuilding of the Sperry Chalet after it burned in the Sprague Fire in August 2017. The Sperry Chalet, built in 1914, was an iconic part of Glacier National Park in addition to being a special place in the Secretary’s childhood. The rebuilding of the Sperry Chalet is a part of the Secretary’s plan to address Interior’s deferred maintenance backlog in national parks.