Peter Segall | Juneau Empire                                Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Director Barb Miranda stands at Photo Point near the center on Friday, June 12, 2020. Miranda said her first day on the job she had to close the center to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter Segall | Juneau Empire Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Director Barb Miranda stands at Photo Point near the center on Friday, June 12, 2020. Miranda said her first day on the job she had to close the center to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She’s not moving at a glacial pace

New visitor center director leads outreach changes

Barb Miranda has worked with the U.S. Forest Service on-and-off for her entire adult life. So, when the opportunity to be the director of the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center opened up, she put her name in for the job.

Much to her delight she got the job, but the timing was not the best.

“My first day on the job I had to close the visitor center,” Miranda said.

Closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the center’s doors shut, but in the absence of actual visitors, the center has found other ways to reach out to the community. Drive-in movies have been hosted in the nearby bus parking lot, she said, and the center partnered with the Goldtown Theater to host a Safe Graduation night for Juneau’s seniors.

The drive-ins have been a fun way to reach out to the public, Miranda said, and they are hoping to do more in a “Science on Screen” series.

“People can expect additional drive-in movie opportunities with a talk from a scientists,” Miranda said, adding that some of the films may be a little “blockbuster-y” but there would always be a learning component.

Like many during the shutdown, the visitor center has gone online to try and reach out to the public. The center’s Facebook page was updated with news and (socially-distanced) events, and the center’s livestreamed Arctic Tern camera gives the public a chance to watch nesting birds (and was a good way to check the weather at the glacier, Miranda added).

While the shutdown, and the lack of the tourist season and the money that comes with it, will mean the center is looking at a reduced budget, long-term plans are still in the works Miranda said.

[‘It’s like we’re loving this to death’: Commenters say Mendenhall plan has drawbacks]

Plans to greatly expand attractions at the glacier, including having boats transport tourists close enough to touch the face of the glacier, are still in progress, Miranda said, and the environmental assessment of those plans should come out in the fall as planned.

Some local residents have opposed all or parts of that plan, saying its impact on the local environment would be too great.

One of those who commented against the plan was Miranda’s predecessor, John Neary, who criticized certain aspects of the plan as not doing enough to lower the environmental impact of tourist activities. Miranda said she was unfamiliar with the details of the plan and declined to comment, but encouraged the public to submit public comment once the assessment is released in October.

Before accepting the job in February, Miranda was working for the U.S. Census Bureau but said she had been involved with the Forest Service since she was 18.

She lived and worked for many years in the Yosemite Valley before taking a job at Glacier Bay National Park. Miranda is also a former mayor of Gustavus, a post which she held for three years before moving to Juneau to work for the Census Bureau. Before applying for the position, Miranda said she spoke with Neary about the job and what it would entail.

Even with the visitor center itself being closed, the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area is still getting its fair share of visitors, albeit far fewer than normal.

And without the crowds of tourists to drive them away, staff have noticed more bears, and more male bears, in the area. Staff have seen different behaviors from bears and people visiting the glacier should take extra precautions, Miranda said, and urged those with dogs to keep them on a leash.

Officials are evaluating the situation at the visitor center and will work with the community for a phased reopening, the Forest Service said in a news release.

For now, all trails remain open and seasonal fees have been waived, though donations can be made via kiosks in the visitor center parking lot.

• Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnoEmpire.

More in News

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

The Mendenhall River roars more than 13 feet above normal levels in August 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Suicide Basin predicted to fill by Aug. 8

The change in the prediction of when the basin will fill was based on heavy rain last week

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Monday, July 14, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Ships in port for the week of July 16

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

Most Read