WEST GLACIER - The spectacular Many Glacier Valley has long been understood as one of the nation's most biologically important crossroads, the place where mountain slope meets prairie meadow, where three great drainages converge and several vegetation zones overlap.

It is home to a remarkable assemblage of wildlife, and also to hundreds of thousands of Glacier National Park visitors who each summer clog the roadways while craning their necks for views of Rocky Mountain critters. Vehicles idle bumper to bumper, traffic stalled in "bear jams" and "sheep jams," even mundane "coyote jams."

And therein lies the rub.

"Keeping visitors and wildlife apart," said park superintendent Chas Cartwright, "is vital to maintaining 'wild wildlife' populations that are not overly familiar with humans."

This week, Cartwright asked the humans how they think park officials should provide for safe wildlife viewing in Many Glacier. Reseachers already have "asked" the wildlife, during decades of monitoring and study that provided detailed insight into how critters use the landscape.

The public scoping period for Many Glacier's nascent "wildlife viewing plan" is intended to gauge people's overall sentiment - how do visitors feel about new exhibits on wildlife viewing? Or larger traffic pullouts, or more pullouts? Or removing pullouts from known wildlife crossings, or from places that put people and critters in close proximity? What about lowering speed limits? Constructing special wildlife viewing platforms? Putting rangers with spotting scopes at selected sites?

The suggestions are relatively minor compared to recommendations made a decade ago, when, faced with research showing Many Glacier's human footprint treading on park wildlife, officials floated the idea of removing some visitor facilities entirely. That idea was met with sharp and vocal opposition, and quickly abandoned; since then, the human-wildlife dynamic of the valley has remained mostly unchanged.

This new review is intended to result in a somewhat less ambitious plan, which would be vetted again later by the public during an environmental assessment process.

The scoping process - which is open to public comment through Nov. 30 - is intended to solicit input, ideas and concerns, which will be used to craft a more formal plan. A second round of public comment will follow, once a more detailed environmental assessment is drafted.

To comment, visit parkplanning.nps.gov/glac. Written comments can also be mailed to Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Attention: Wildlife Viewing Plan, P.O. Box 128, West Glacier, MT 59936.

Reporter Michael Jamison can be reached at (406) 862-0324 or at mjamison@missoulian.com.