This article first appeared in the April 23, 2011 issue of The Juneau Empire
by Amy Condra
Across the lake from the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, a mountain goat forges a slow and steady path up a cliff that rises far above the center’s standard vantage point.
“Many of our visitors couldn’t see them,” said the center’s director, Ron Marvin. “So I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if we could see the goats up on a screen?’”
This summer, it’s possible — telescopes will track these and other animals, and transmit their images, in real-time, to a 55-inch screen.
The screen is one of two that has recently been acquired and mounted by the center, and each will show a variety of graphic
images.
Laurie Craig, an interpreter with the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, said that such updated technologies are playing an unprecedented role at the center.Â
“They provide flexibility and an array of new opportunities for educating our visitors,” Craig said. “With large video monitors that are incredibly clear and brilliant, we can show off historic as well as contemporary photos. The blue ice images are spectacular!”