The Glacier Institute will mark its 30th anniversary with a special celebration at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center, on the North Fork Road about 21 miles north of Columbia Falls, on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The free event will feature live music, complimentary lunch, education stations, facility tours and activities for children. A short program will take place at 12:15 p.m., followed by lunch. A scavenger hunt will take place at 1:15 p.m. Donations will be collected to support the Glacier Institute.

The Glacier Institute serves adults and children as an educational leader in the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, emphasizing outreach and field-based learning experiences. The non-profit institute provides an objective and science-based understanding of the area’s ecosystem and it interactions with people.

The Glacier Institute has been a long-time educational partner with Glacier National Park, Flathead National Forest, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Flathead Valley Community College. The Institute offers family programs, youth science adventure camps, Discovery School at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center and adult educational programs.

The Institute has never turned away a child who has requested an educational scholarship and has welcomed more than 27,000 Flathead Valley elementary school children to its Discovery School three-day immersion learning program at the Big Creek Outdoor Education Center.

For more information, visit www.glacierinstitute.org or call 755-1211.