International Allure

National parks

What do the Taj Mahal, the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, Colo., the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Egyptian Pyramids have in common with Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks?

They all are World Heritage Sites.

Earlier this month the World Heritage Committee in Berlin bestowed the distinction on the parks, which border each other on the U.S. Canada boundary.

The parks made international news in 1932 after the two countries agreed to make them an International Peace Park, the first such joint recognition in the world.

To be inscribed as a World Heritage Site, an area must meet several criteria which defines an outstanding universal value, said Glacier Park superintendent David Mihalic.

The Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park protects an important biological crossroads at the point where the Rocky Mountains reach their narrowest width.

“The two parks sustain exceptionally diverse and productive habitat, reflected by the natural populations of large mammals and carnivores including wolves, grizzly bears and mountain lions,” Mihalic said.

“Glacier national park is the only location in the 48 contiguous states where these three major predator populations still occur naturally.”

The international distinction will not change jurisdiction or management policies Mihalic said. However, increased international attention is likely.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo