Yellowstone Forever Institute Summer Catalog 2019

YELLOWSTONE FOREVER

INSTITUTE

i 

Spring and summer are exciting seasons to experience all that Yellowstone National Park has to offer.

The park is on full display—bears are emerging from their dens, bison and elk calves dot the landscape, and wildflowers are in full bloom.

Visitors of all ages can expand their knowledge of the park by participating in any of Yellowstone’s numerous educational programs. From witnessing the majesty of Old Faithful to observing a grizzly bear in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone sparks a passion for learning and an appreciation for the natural world that lasts a lifetime.

The Yellowstone Forever Institute helps connect thousands of visitors to the park each year through their in-depth programs. Together, Yellowstone Forever and the National Park Service work to provide a full range of opportunities that help visitors learn about and enjoy all that Yellowstone has to offer.

We look forward to welcoming you to Yellowstone National Park this summer!

Cam Sholly, Superintendent YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Heather White, President & CEO YELLOWSTONE FORE VER

YELLOWSTONE FOREVER STAFF INSTRUCTORS

MANAGEMENT

Brad Bulin

Alison Becker

Owen Carroll

Carolyn Harwood Bulin

Senior Naturalist Educator

Lead Instructor

Virginia Miller Lead Instructor

Michael Rosekrans Lead Instructor

CONTACT CENTER

Debbie Fellows

Program Manager, Institute

Supporter Engagement Manager, Institute

Katy Fast

Program Coordinator, Institute

Amanda Hagerty Assistant Director, Institute Programming

Zachary Park

Information Specialist, Operations

Assistant Director, Institute Operations

Nicole Harkness

Robert Petty

Information Specialist, Operations

Senior Director of Education

Katie Roloson

Field Campus Manager, Operations

Joshua Theurer

Citizen Science Program Manager, Institute

SUMMER PROGRAMS Yellowstone Forever, in partnership with the National Park Service, provides educational programming that helps people enjoy, understand, and appreciate the wildlife, geology, and cultural history of the park. Join the Yellowstone Forever Institute this summer on a journey of discovery, and engage with Yellowstone like you never have before.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HOW DOES ALL THIS WORK?

LODGING & LEARNING...2

STEP 1

Preview our summer offerings on the following pages.

STEP 2

Visit our website for detailed program information:

PRIVATE TOURS...5 YOUTH & COLLEGE...6

STEP 3 Confirm when registrations begin, and register as soon as possible!

The programs are very popular and sell out fast. Supporters enjoy early registration for Field Seminars.

CITIZEN SCIENCE...8 TEACHER INITIATIVES...9 FIELD SEMINARS...10

Detailed program itinerary, notes from the instructor, what to bring, how to prepare, and more.

Participants who are not yet supporters receive an introductory subscription to our magazine, Yellowstone Quarterly.

STEP 4

Check your email for your registration.

LODGING...22

STEP 5

Pack your bags and prepare to be educated, inspired, and engaged!

INSTRUCTORS...23

FIELD SEMINAR AND PRIVATE TOUR

Cancellation and Refund Policy

ACTIVITY LEVEL SCALE

PLEASE READ THIS POLICY BEFORE REGISTERING FOR YOUR PROGRAM

Be prepared to hike up to 1 mile per day, comfortably, through relatively flat terrain on maintained trails.

Within One Week of Your Registration Date

Be prepared to hike up to 3 miles per day, comfortably, with elevation gains up to 600 feet. Some off-trail hiking possible.

Be prepared to hike up to 5 miles per day, comfortably, with occasional elevation gains up to 1,000 feet in undulating terrain.

If you cancel within seven calendar days of your initial registration date (not program date), your payment is refundable less a $50 per person per course processing fee. Under most circumstances, if you cancel on the eighth calendar day or after from the date of registration, 100% of registration payments will be forfeited.

Travel Insurance

We strongly advise you to purchase travel insurance to protect against loss should you have to cancel your registration.

Be prepared to hike up to 8 miles per day, at a brisk pace, comfortably, with climbs up to 1,500 feet on dirt trails. Loose rocks, uneven footing, and off-trail hiking are possible. Good coordination is recommended.

Substitution

Be prepared for brisk aerobic, destination-oriented hiking up to 12 miles a day. You should be physically conditioned to do these hikes comfortably. Elevation changes up to 2,000 feet on dirt trails or off-trail.

Loose rock, uneven footing, steep hillside traverses, and stream crossings are possible. Good coordination is required.

Any requests for refunds must be made in writing. We will consider refunds due to serious circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

If you can find someone else to register for the program in your place, we will refund your payment, less a $50 per person per course processing fee.

Requests in Writing For Full Details

For full details, including Lodging & Learning, Youth & College, and Teacher program cancellation policies, please visit our website.

HOW FIT DO YOU NEED TO BE?

Our field programs in the park demand varying levels of physical activity, from leisurely walks to rigorous hikes. Accurately assessing your own abilities before registering is important both for your own enjoyment of the program as well as that of other participants.

Please make sure you are capable of the activities described. Also keep in mind that the park has an average elevation of 8,000 feet, which can make physical endurance more challenging.

For more information or to register, please visit Yellowstone.org or call us at 406.848.2400.

Lodging & Learning Lodging & Learning packages combine just the right amount of education and recreation. You’ll be based at park hotels and taught by Institute instructors who are intimately familiar with Yellowstone.

Packages are offered in partnership with Yellowstone National Park Lodges and include daily field trips, lodging, meals, in-park transportation, and optional evening programs. This is our vacation package that covers almost everything and provides fun and discovery, too. Minimum age is 12 unless otherwise noted. Rates are double/single occupancy and don’t include taxes or utility fees. Detailed itineraries for each program are available on our website Lodging & Learning pages.

SPRING WOLF AND BEAR DISCOVERY HH

TRAILS THROUGH YELLOWSTONE HHHH

This is your opportunity to delve into the world of Yellowstone’s wolves and bears. On sunrise trips you’ll search for these charismatic animals on the northern range, and learn about their behavior, ecology, and conservation on leisurely hikes.

Throughout, you’ll be immersed in the beauty and wonder of Yellowstone in the spring.

Pack your boots and backpack for four days of hiking, wildlife watching, and discovery in Yellowstone. Hike with naturalist guides to explore the park’s diverse landscapes—including geyser basins, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and valleys rich with wildlife.

Search for elk, bison, grizzly bears, wolves, and other animals on a sunrise wildlife-watching expedition.

PACKAGES START MAY 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28 4 nights at Mammoth Hot Springs Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

PACKAGES START MAY 27, JUNE 3, 10, 17, 24, JULY 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, AUGUST 5, 12, 19, 26, SEPTEMBER 2, 9, 16, 23 3 nights at Mammoth Hot Springs, 2 nights at Grant Village Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

ESSENTIAL YELLOWSTONE HH Join us for an exploration of the quintessential secrets and sights of the park. Enjoy wildlife watching, walking the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and learning about the park’s geology while you tour the heart of the Yellowstone volcano. Each evening, return to the serenity of Yellowstone Lake. This is an all-inclusive program with all meals provided.

PACKAGES START JUNE 10, 17, 24, JULY 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, AUGUST 5, 12, 19, 26 5 nights at Lake Yellowstone Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

OLD TIMES ON THE GRAND TOUR HH Relive the golden age of Yellowstone’s Grand Tours and travel in a style similar to visitors of a bygone era. Tour the park in a classic Yellowstone bus with a retractable top for wildlife viewing.

By day, explore the park’s colorful history and dynamic geology on walking tours of historic sites and thermal areas. Exclusive to this program, you’ll enjoy a guided tour of Yellowstone’s Heritage & Research Center. Relax each evening in the best park hotels.

This is an all-inclusive program with all meals provided.

PACKAGES START MAY 13, 20, 27, JUNE 3, 10, 17, 24, JULY 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, AUGUST 5, 12, 19, 26, SEPTEMBER 2, 9, 16 3 nights at Mammoth Hot Springs, 1 night at Old Faithful, 1 night at Lake Yellowstone Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

2

YELLOWSTONE FOR FAMILIES HH Experience the magic of Yellowstone on this learning adventure for families with children ages 8–12 years old. Your family will explore canyons, waterfalls, and geyser basins, as well as enjoy activities together including animal tracking, wildlife watching, photography, painting, and hiking. During the program, your children can become Yellowstone National Park Junior Rangers. Dates and pricing depend on where you choose to stay.

MAMMOTH TO OLD FAITHFUL OPTION PACKAGES START MAY 27, JUNE 3, 4, 10, 17, 18, 24, JULY 1, 2, 8, 15, 16, 22, 29, 30, AUGUST 5 3 nights at Mammoth Hot Springs, 2 nights at Old Faithful Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

MAMMOTH TO GRANT OPTION PACKAGES START JUNE 10, 11, 17, 24, 25, JULY 1, 8, 9, 15, 22, 23, 29, AUGUST 5, 6 3 nights at Mammoth Hot Springs, 2 nights at Grant Village Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

FALL WOLF AND ELK DISCOVERY HH

Immerse yourself in the world of Yellowstone’s wolves and elk as you study the dance between predator and prey. Rise early to search for wolves, and observe the elk mating season, including the dramatic displays of mating bulls. Learn about wolf and elk behavior, ecology, and conservation on leisurely hikes in their habitat.

PACKAGES START SEPTEMBER 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 15 4 nights at Mammoth Hot Springs Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

JOIN US | REGISTER NOW!

ROOSEVELT RENDEZVOUS H - HHHHH Enjoy the arresting bugle of bull elk among the fall colors of aspen, willow, and cottonwood from your base at the historic Roosevelt Lodge. Choose from several classic fall adventures each day, such as naturalist-led wildlife-watching trips, hiking Yellowstone’s scenic trails, or learning how to interpret animal tracks. In the evenings, enjoy buffet dinners and programs in the main lodge.

PACKAGES START SEPTEMBER 6, 10 4 nights at Roosevelt Lodge Prices vary. Visit our website for pricing information.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 3

JOIN US | REGISTER NOW!

4 

Private tours Perfect for all ages and ability levels, Private Tours provide a truly customized experience. Registering is easy—simply choose from the options below, and your Yellowstone Forever Institute instructor will provide an adventure designed around your needs and interests. If you’re bringing children along on your tour, we’ll connect them to the stories behind the fascinating sights and sounds of Yellowstone. We’ll also help anyone in your group earn the Yellowstone National Park Junior Ranger patch.

Step 1 What part of the park would you like to explore?

M N O R TH TO U R Abundant Wildlife and Mountain Scenery

Points of interest include Lamar Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, Roosevelt Lodge, and Dunraven Pass. Pick-up locations: Gardiner, Mammoth Hot Springs, Roosevelt Lodge, Lamar Buffalo Ranch, Canyon Lodge.

M C E NTR A L TO U R Canyons, Lakes, and Waterfalls

Points of interest include Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake, Hayden Valley, Mud Volcano, Fishing Bridge, and the Yellowstone River. Pick-up locations: Gardiner, Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon Lodge, Norris Geyser Basin, Lake Hotel.

M WE ST TO U R Geysers, Mud Pots, and Hot Springs

Points of interest include Old Faithful area geyser basins, Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, Firehole River, Mystic Falls, and Fairy Falls. Pick-up locations: Gardiner, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Madison Junction, Old Faithful.

Step 2 What would you like to learn about?

M WI LD LI F E M N ATU R A L H I STO RY & E CO LOGY M TH E R M A L F E ATU R E S M G E O LOGY M H I STO RY M MORE?

Step 3 How active do you want your experience to be?

Want to take a hike and explore Yellowstone’s backcountry? Or do you prefer leisurely roadside stops and boardwalk strolls? Choose one of the activity levels listed on page 1 of this catalog. We’ll make sure everything, including optional hiking trips, matches your desired activity level.

DAILY RATES PER GROUP 1–5 PARTICIPANTS $ 650 6–14 PARTICIPANTS $ 880 15–28 PARTICIPANTS $ 1,760 Daily rates include instructor guide services, transportation for the day, high-power spotting scopes, binoculars, bear spray, and teaching aids. Hot beverages are provided if you choose an early-morning start time. Book multiple days for a more in-depth experience. Park admission, meals, and lodging are not included.

TOUR LENGTH Tour length is approximately 8 hours per day. Early start times are strongly recommended to avoid crowds and have the best chance of seeing wildlife.

Rates effective through October 31, 2019, and do not include taxes.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 5

Youth & College Youth & College programs provide rich learning experiences that engage young people with the wonders of Yellowstone National Park. Groups stay at one of our campuses and explore the park each day, participating in hands-on activities and discussions to inspire students to become active stewards of all wild places. Financial aid is available for some youth programs.

HIGH-SCHOOL FIELD EXPERIENCE

MY YELLOWSTONE ADVENTURE

College-Age Groups Year-Round, Monday–Friday or Friday–Monday

Classes in grades 9–12 Year-Round, Monday–Friday or Friday–Monday

Youth ages 12–18 Year-Round, Monday–Friday or Friday–Monday

Introduce your students to the stewardship of public lands through the science, history, and politics of Yellowstone National Park. Examine resource issues such as wolf reintroduction, bison management, climate change, and recreation use to learn approaches to resource issues on public lands, how land managers address different viewpoints, and what role civil society plays in the stewardship of these lands. Students may also have the opportunity to meet with agency employees and private citizens to understand various perspectives.

Let Yellowstone be your high-school classroom in this curriculum-based experiential learning program. Your students will participate in multidisciplinary activities, including geology, wilderness ethics, and wildlife management, and meet with park natural resource professionals when possible.

Hands-on citizen science projects will develop critical thinking skills, collect needed data, and foster a sense of stewardship for public lands. This high-school program is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core standards.

Bring your group to Yellowstone to experience an introduction to the natural and cultural history of the park. Students explore canyons, waterfalls, and geyser basins, while learning about the significance of parks and wild places.

During the day, they’ll enjoy activities such as animal tracking, wildlife watching, photography, painting, and hiking, and may have the opportunity to interact with park rangers, researchers, and artists. In the evening, students can work on photography and writing projects or hear from engaging guest speakers.

Early college credit is available through the University of Montana Western.

To learn more about our youth and college programs please visit: Yellowstone.org

6

JOIN US | REGISTER NOW!

STEWARDSHIP OF PUBLIC LANDS

YELLOWSTONE EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE The Yellowstone Education Collaborative (YEC) is a partnership of the National Park Service (NPS) and Yellowstone Forever that provides a range of immersive educational experiences for participants who want to learn about, engage with, and experience Yellowstone National Park in new and deeply meaningful ways.

With a commitment to program quality and instructional excellence, the YEC partnership encompasses the missions of both organizations to educate people about Yellowstone, engage new audiences, and cultivate and inspire the next generation of stewards of America’s parks and wild places. With shared resources, complementary program design, and collaborative program delivery, NPS and Yellowstone Forever can efficiently and effectively deliver programs that provide a full spectrum of educational opportunities.

Whether from a distance, for a day, or for a longer, in-depth, immersive experience, come join our educational team to explore Yellowstone’s living classroom!

The following youth programs are offered by our partners at the National Park Service.

EXPEDITION YELLOWSTONE

RANGER IN YOUR CLASSROOM

Classes in grades 4–8 School Year, Monday–Friday or Friday–Monday

Classes in grades K–12 Flexible Days

Explore the geology, ecology, and human history of Yellowstone with National Park Service rangers. This curriculum-based, residential school program teaches students about the natural and cultural history of Yellowstone while promoting stewardship and preservation in the park and in home communities. Students, teachers, and parent chaperones participate in active, interdisciplinary, learning experiences during the day, such as hikes, field investigations, discussions, creative dramatics, and journal writing.

Evening classroom activities enhance the daytime lessons and allow students to investigate current issues affecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Invite a Yellowstone National Park ranger to travel to your Montana, Idaho, or Wyoming school to provide engaging, hands-on activities. Teachers may choose programs that meet educational goals.

YELLOWSTONE FIELD TRIPS Classes in grades K–12 Flexible Days Only visiting the park for a day? Yellowstone Field Trips range from 30 minutes to full-day explorations of natural and cultural resource topics in Yellowstone. Your students will participate in age-appropriate activities conducted on the park’s northern range, and can include hikes, career talks, and citizen-science activities, or short programs at interior park locations. For college groups with specific subject-matter requests, programs may be coordinated with resource experts.

DISTANCE LEARNING Classes in grades K–12 Flexible Days Too far to visit the park in person? You can still bring America’s first national park to life for your students, virtually. Yellowstone National Park rangers will visit your classroom or school auditorium for an educational program via video conference. Distance learning programs are a great introduction to Yellowstone’s natural and cultural resources, national parks, and the National Park Service idea of preservation and shared stewardship of public lands. Rangers will work with you to match programs to your instructional needs using platforms such as Skype and Google Hangout.

To learn more about our teacher workshops and park partner programs please visit: Yellowstone.org

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 7

CITIZEN SCIENCE You can be the scientist during your next Institute program!

Through Yellowstone Forever’s Citizen Science Initiative, Institute participants have the chance to help scientists gather the information they need to make informed decisions about the management of Yellowstone’s natural resources.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS YOU CAN HELP

· Collect insect field samples and record plant observations to help track Yellowstone’s changing climate. · Assist the park in documenting and removing invasive weeds that have a negative impact on biodiversity and habitat quality. · Monitor environmental changes occurring in the park by collecting information on red-tailed hawk nesting success.

8

Citizen science programs are woven into many Institute programs. Ask how you can help when you register.

JOIN US | REGISTER NOW!

· Gather data to help park managers understand elk and bison grazing dynamics and how grasslands respond to bison grazing.

TEACHER Initiatives

Get Inspired in Yellowstone!

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY The Yellowstone Art & Photography Center offers a variety of art-focused options for visitors they won’t find anywhere else. The art center takes an in-depth look at the crucial role that art has played in Yellowstone becoming the world’s first national park.

Visitors can learn about the history of art in the park starting with the 1871 Hayden Expedition, view featured contemporary artists, and watch our artistsin-residence work to capture the beauty of Yellowstone. We also offer free, daily art programs that enable visitors to practice a new art form and learn how to interpret the park through their own creative vision.

Our most popular program, the plein air painting class, is scheduled every day at 11 am and 2 pm. Throughout the summer we will have several artists-in-residence of varying mediums and backgrounds. They will lead weekly programs focused on their preferred medium and subject matter. During the day we offer ongoing projects that include coloring, sketching, and activity sheets.

All of the center’s programs are free and open to all age levels, and no art experience is required. Visitors can quickly pop in for a few minutes or stay for an hour or two.

Educators play a critical role in connecting young people to parks and wild places. To honor this connection, the Yellowstone Education Collaborative is offering a selection of teacher-specific initiatives during the 2019 summer season. Whether you’re a classroom teacher or a non-formal educator, join us in Yellowstone and let nature take its course.

Applications are available at Yellowstone.org and are due February 28, 2019.

YELLOWSTONE STEAM! HH a JUNE 17 AT 6 PM – JUNE 21 AT 12 PM JULY 15 AT 6 PM – JULY 19 AT 12 PM Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus Virginia Miller and Trudy Patton $200 • Lodging and meals included S E S S ION 1

S E S S ION 2

With Yellowstone National Park as the venue, learn how to use both traditional and innovative methods to incorporate Art into STEM lessons (STEAM)! Explore new ideas and strategies while networking with other educators on best practices for cross-curricular design.

YELLOWSTONE SPARK HH a JULY 29 AT 6 PM – AUGUST 2 AT 12 PM Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus NPS Staff and Institute Instructor $500 • Lodging and meals included With Yellowstone as your classroom, explore interdisciplinary activities from the Expedition Yellowstone curriculum and STEAM that will enliven learning. This active workshop incorporates field hikes and is especially designed for those teaching grades 4–8 who want to use Yellowstone to excite students, whether in the classroom or when they bring students to the park.

FINANCIAL AID

Yellowstone Forever supporters are proud to provide financial aid for teachers taking one of our Field Seminars or Yellowstone Spark Teacher Workshop. Additionally financial aid is available for educators bringing youth to Yellowstone to participate in one of our programs. Find our financial aid applications on our website.

The Yellowstone Art & Photography Center will reopen for the 2019 summer season on May 24, 2019. Check for updates on Yellowstone.org/art 406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 9

Field Seminars examine specific aspects of the park ecosystem through just the right combination of fun field excursions and classroom presentations. Our seminar leaders are experts in their fields and include professors, naturalists, scientists, and acclaimed photographers, writers, historians, and artists.

Most courses are based at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch Field Campus in the park’s northeast corner or at our Gardiner, Montana, building. See page 22 for rates and more information about lodging options while learning with us. Please visit our website for minimum participant ages and other details about each course. Rates do not include taxes.

CONTINUING EDUCATION Look for the “a” denoting Field Seminars that are pre-approved for semester credits or renewal units from the University of Montana Western or Northwest Nazarene University.

We are also happy to provide a letter of completion and supporting documentation that you can submit to the institution of your choice to request approval for university credit or CEUs.

NATURALIST GUIDE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM HHH a APR 7 AT 6 PM – APR 26 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana Tyrene Reidl, Owen Carroll, Carolyn Bulin $1,575 • 190401

In this professional-level certification course, you will gain the skills of a naturalist and the experience for sharing that knowledge. Learn to understand and interpret the wildlife, geology, plants, and climate of a landscape. Acquire the skills for effective interpretation, including interpretive principles and how to facilitate and manage a group during a program or tour. You will work towards certification as a certified interpretive guide (National Association for Interpretation) and Leave No Trace trainer (Leave No Trace, Inc.), and earn four undergraduate credits through the University of Montana Western or Northwest Nazarene University. Most of the class is outdoors. Shared lodging is available for this course for a reduced rate in Yellowstone Forever Institute lodging.

10

BECOME A CERTIFIED INTERPRETIVE GUIDE HH

APR 15 AT 8 AM – APR 18 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana Carolyn Bulin, Tyrene Reidl $445 • 190402 In this professional certification course presented in partnership with the National Association for Interpretation (NAI), you’ll learn from professional interpreters as they work in the world’s first national park. Most sessions will be held indoors emphasizing formal interpretation techniques, with additional sessions on the trail focusing on informal interpretation. To earn certification, you’ll prepare a written outline of a 10-minute presentation, deliver the presentation, and complete an open-book, multiple-choice exam.

All materials, certification, and NAI membership fees are included in your tuition.

THE INTELLIGENCE OF ANIMALS: I HH

MAY 13 AT 9 AM – MAY 15 AT 4 PM Gardiner, Montana George Bumann, M.S. $439 • 190501 What is the raven’s word for eagle? How does a wolf know when to give up on a chase? How do animals pass on information through time?

Delve into these and other questions of animal intelligence by directly observing Yellowstone’s wildlife. You’ll learn to decipher body language, behavior, and vocalizations for clues about intelligence. Watch how different species interact with each other and their environment. Explore how they learn and pass their knowledge to their offspring. And consider how this information applies to other species— including those you may know from home.

WILDERNESS FIRST AID H

MAY 14 AT 7:45 AM – MAY 15 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana Wilderness Medicine Institute Staff $309 • 190502 Do you spend a lot of time in the outdoors?

Have you ever wondered how you would respond to a backcountry emergency? This 16-hour certification course is ideal for hikers, skiers, and outdoor professionals who want to learn the basics of emergency care in remote settings. You’ll learn patient assessment and how to treat shock, wounds, fractures and dislocations, hypothermia, heat illness, and altitude illness. May be used to recertify a current WMI First Responder or one in a reentry year. No previous certification is required.

CELEBRATE THE MARVELS OF MIGRATION HH MAY 17 AT 7 PM – MAY 19 AT 4 PM Gardiner, Montana Katy Duffy, M.S. $320 • 190503

Each spring, migratory birds pour north across the continent as they hasten to breeding areas.

Some stop here to nest; others stop to refuel before resuming their journey. Join us to welcome them. You’ll enjoy an evening program about the birds you are likely to see and learn how birds weighing as little as a nickel find their way back to summer nesting sites. Rise up early the next two mornings to spend all day in the bird-rich habitats of Yellowstone’s northern range and the Hayden Valley. We’ll drive to a number of sites to do the “birders’ shuffle”— slowly walking to observe as many migrants as possible.

SUPPORTER REGISTR ATION JAN 30, 8AM MST | GENER AL FEB 6

Field seminars

Yellowstone

Masters Series CORVIDS AND CANINES

with John and Colleen Marzluff

JUN 12 AT 11 AM – JUN 15 AT 10 AM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Limit: 12 • $1,425 • 190608 Social and intelligent, ravens and wolves are individually interesting, and even more fascinating when their worlds overlap. Through lectures, discussion, and field trips, you’ll become immersed in the world of ravens, observing their territorial behaviors as mated pairs defend their domains, and their social behavior as they gather at rich food sources.

You’ll watch ravens in the wild interacting with wolves and other animals, as well as among people in the gateway community of Gardiner to better understand how humans have fueled the growth of raven populations.

A special addition to our Field Seminars, the Yellowstone Masters Series features world-renowned experts in their field whose work has made important contributions to their profession. Experience the park alongside people who have changed our way of seeing and understanding the world, from journalism to natural history study and scientific research.

Yellowstone Society supporters—a special group of stewards who annually contribute a gift of $1,000 or more—receive early registration for these events beginning January 23.

They are also invited to attend a private function before the start of the events to meet and greet Yellowstone Forever and National Park Service leadership. Please contact Tara Castelucci at tcastelucci@yellowstone.org or call 406.396.6671 for more information about the Yellowstone Society.

BEYOND YELLOWSTONE

with Chris Johns

JUL 22 AT 3 PM – JUL 26 AT 4 PM Tom Miner Basin, Montana and Cody, Wyoming Limit: 12 • $1,500 • 190715 Wild animals find safe haven within the borders of protected areas and in the ecosystems surrounding them, but barriers to broader movement between these landscapes can isolate distant animal populations from one another, jeopardizing diversity and overall health. The National Geographic Society’s Beyond Yellowstone program, led by Chris Johns, is using a science-based approach to support wildlife-compatible landscapes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond. Learn first-hand through field trips and meetings with local landowners how individuals, communities, and agencies can work together to address the challenges of species recovery and migration across public and private lands.

CONSERVATION CAMPAIGNING

with Asher Jay

AUG 6 AT 11 AM – AUG 9 AT 10 AM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Limit: 12 • $1,425 • 190802 Learn an innovative approach to wildlife conservation and sustainable development by studying the principles of design thinking, artistic problem solving, branding, marketing, and campaigning with conservation creative and National Geographic Explorer Asher Jay. Through morning and evening field trips to collect images and information, you’ll learn novel, sensorial ways to document the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Back in the classroom, you’ll use an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates both science and art to produce your own multimedia or mixed-media outreach, and perhaps even your own campaign centered around Yellowstone.

These programs include food and private lodging.

John Marzluff is professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington. Marzluff’s early research focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens. His current interest is bringing a behavioral approach to pressing conservation issues, and blending biology, conservation, and anthropology to understand the co-evolution of human and animal cultures. Marzluff’s research has been featured in National Geographic, Audubon, Science, and Birding publications, and on PBS Nature, NOVA, Bill Nye Saves the World, and Animal Planet.

His recent book Welcome to Subirdia suggests ways in which people can steward the splendid array of biological diversity in settled lands.

Colleen Marzluff completed her bachelor’s degree at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

She completed a master’s thesis on the feeding ecology of Avert’s squirrels at Northern Arizona University, after which she worked with Dr. Russell

Balda in his Avian Cognition Lab. After moving to Idaho, she developed and taught a dogsledding class every fall. Later, in Washington, she became a full-time mother to daughters and dogs. Today she is involved in several local organizations and her daughters’ schools. To keep her animal behavior skills sharp, she is participating in pet therapy, agility, and recently, herding.

Chris Johns was named editor in chief of National Geographic magazine in 2005. His extensive redesign of the magazine and focus on excellence in photojournalism and reporting have revitalized the magazine into a timely, relevant read for people looking for deeper insight into environmental and energy issues, world cultures, science, and the natural world. Before his current role, Johns produced dozens of award-winning articles for National Geographic and other publications, creating defining images of Africa and its wildlife.

His books include Valley of Life: Africa’s Great Rift, Hawaii’s Hidden Treasures, and Wild at Heart: Man and Beast in Southern Africa.

Asher Jay is an international adventurer and public figure whose compelling paintings, sculptures, installations, animations, ad campaigns, and films aim to incite global action on behalf of wildlife conservation. A National Geographic Explorer, Jay is a storyteller from the frontlines, combatting illegal wildlife trafficking, promoting habitat sanctuaries, and illuminating humanitarian emergencies. Jay recently opened two permanent exhibits at National Geographic Encounter in New York’s Times Square, and her ad campaign spotlighting the illegal ivory trade has been viewed by millions of people. Jay is determined to motivate you to understand you have real power in determining nature’s fate, and your—our— wild future.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 11

WHO’S THERE? OWLS IN YELLOWSTONE HH

MAY 25 AT 9 AM – MAY 26 AT 12 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Katy Duffy, M.S. $198 • 190504 Are you fascinated by owls—their huge eyes and fabled hearing, their secretive habits and cryptic beauty? Through talks and field trips, you’ll explore how these adaptations work and why they help owls successfully live in Yellowstone.

Visit places in the park that owls call home to find out why these habitats work so well for them. You’ll learn to read other park landscapes for signs of good owl habitat, and read signs that these secretive birds leave as clues. You might even see owls hunting in daylight—and find out why this suits them so well.

NEW! BACKPACKING BASICS HHHH

MAY 25 AT 7 PM – MAY 29 AT 3 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Carolyn Harwood Bulin $574 • 190505 Do you want to try backpacking, but don’t know where to start? This seminar will open the door to years of backcountry adventures and exploration! During classroom sessions and a 2-night backpack, you’ll learn how to plan the perfect trip, what gear to bring and how to pack it, how to plan and prepare delicious and lightweight backcountry meals, and how to travel and camp ethically and safely in Yellowstone’s wild—and wildlife-rich— backcountry.

12

NEW! CITIZEN SCIENCE: RED-TAILED HAWK MONITORING HH

MAY 27 AT 8 AM – MAY 28 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Joshua Theurer, M.S. $270 • 190506 Dust off your binoculars, practice your observation skills, and support the park by helping monitor red-tailed hawk nests. You’ll conduct nest surveys across Yellowstone’s northern range by patiently observing red-tailed hawk behavior and hiking short distances off-trail to document nest sites.

The data you collect will be part of a continent-wide effort to provide baseline information on nesting success, serving as an important indicator of future changes to red-tailed hawk habitat and behavior. You’ll even be able to see the results of your work in the Yellowstone Bird Program’s annual report.

SPRING INTO WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY HH MAY 27 AT 7 PM – MAY 31 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Meg Sommers $576 • 190507

Calling all photographers looking to advance your skills! Now is the time to learn tips for photographing Yellowstone’s spring wildlife action. You’ll spend most of the day outdoors, learning how animals big and small behave and where they are—keys to finding them for your photos. You’ll also practice photographic fundamentals, techniques, and the ethics of

wildlife photography, including tips to keep you safe. In class sessions, you’ll focus on composition, lighting, equipment, and computer skills. So, pack your digital camera and tripod and head into the wild that is spring in Yellowstone.

MAMMAL SIGNS: INTERPRETING TRACKS, SCAT, AND HAIR HH a

MAY 29 AT 9 AM – JUN 1 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch James Halfpenny, Ph.D. $543 • 190508 Mammals are elusive and hard to observe in the wild, but you can discover their behavior in the signs they leave behind. Through illustrated lectures and laboratories, you’ll learn about natural history, ecology, anatomy, gaits, track averaging, relative size, estimating track age and speed, identifying prints, finding clues, and following trails. During afternoons in the field, you’ll put your learning into practice as you explore animal behavior by reading the stories that tracks tell. Evenings will be spent analyzing data collected in the field. Expect to be hiking off trails, in mud, and wading in water.

SUPPORTER REGISTR ATION JAN 30, 8AM MST | GENER AL FEB 6

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP: GARDINER TO PARADISE VALLEY H

MAY 31 AT 8 AM – MAY 31 AT 6 PM Gardiner, Montana John Gillespie $146 • 190509 Step into a geologic time machine, and learn the multi-faceted story of the dramatic landscape outside Yellowstone’s northern border. On roadside stops and short hikes between Gardiner and Emigrant, Montana, you’ll learn to read the hieroglyphs of earth history written in the rocks, and decipher an amazing story of ancient floods, petrified forests, glaciers, and more. You’ll travel through geologic time, pondering the powerful convective and tectonic forces that pulse through our living, breathing planet.

Along the way, you’ll begin to piece together the big stories that comprise the vast and complex geologic history of the Yellowstone ecosystem.

NEW! DEVELOPING A YELLOWSTONE JOURNAL HH

MAY 31 AT 7 PM – JUN 2 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana Ilona Popper, M.A. $304 • 190510 Yellowstone’s landscapes and wildlife provide extraordinary opportunities to see, experience, and contemplate the wild world away from human intrusion. You’ll spend much of each day in the field, observing, ruminating and capturing your first impressions and explorations in your journal.

Back in the classroom, you’ll call on your unconscious, creative mind, with its genius for associations and voice, to explore an organic way of writing, and evolve naturally toward revision and craft. You’ll also have the chance to discuss and share your work with other participants as a way to identify the core of each piece of writing.

SPRING BABIES H

JUN 1 AT 7 PM – JUN 3 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Shauna Baron, M.S. $428 • 190601 It’s spring! And time to look for spring babies in the wilds of Yellowstone. You’ll look for bear cubs, wolf pups, bison calves, elk calves, bighorn lambs, and lots of young birds. Find them with spotting scopes and binoculars, and by taking short walks to better vantage points. As you search, you’ll also talk about why species choose certain birthing grounds, and how they protect and raise their young.

Expect to be outside from before dawn throughout the day to after sundown. Even so, you’ll have plenty of free time to enjoy all aspects of Yellowstone’s vibrant spring.

BEARS: BONES, SIGNS, AND STORIES HH

JUN 3 AT 8 AM – JUN 6 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Jim Garry, M.S. James Halfpenny, Ph.D. $658 • 190602 Ursophiles (Greek for “bear lovers”) unite!

Discover a uniquely broad view of bears from their evolutionary origins to interpretation of their sign to compelling renditions of classic bear tales. In lectures and the field, you’ll learn about bear evolution, ecology, and management from carnivore ecologist James Halfpenny, and about the rich cultural history of bears from folklorist Jim Garry. We will observe these magnificent bears during the field trips.

NEW! CITIZEN SCIENCE: FIELD SKILLS WORKSHOP HHH JUN 3 AT 7 PM – JUN 7 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana Joshua Theurer, M.S. $675 • 190603

Here’s your chance to think like a scientist about the future of Yellowstone’s plants and animals, and give something back to the park. The timing of natural events—like bison being born or when native grasses green up in spring—has evolved over millennia. Yellowstone Forever and Yellowstone National Park are teaming up to study how park phenology—the timing of these natural processes—is being affected by a changing climate. Become a research assistant by collecting field samples and gathering data on plant communities, pollinators, soil, and other environmental conditions to better understand Yellowstone’s interconnected systems.

NEW! SONGBIRDS OF YELLOWSTONE HH

JUN 4 AT 7:30 PM – JUN 7 AT 12 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Tom Forwood Jr. $439 • 190604 Step up your birding game in this class geared towards intermediate birders. Although we are surrounded by birds all the time, most people only notice a fraction of them. Using an increased understanding of bird habitat, vocalizations, and anatomy, you’ll learn how to more accurately identify and observe birds.

Each morning will start early to catch Yellowstone’s impressive dawn chorus. You’ll then roam the park on hikes up to 6 miles in search of a variety of species, and maybe even add a few new birds to your list!

NEW! GRIZZLIES OF GREATER YELLOWSTONE: FROM DUMPS TO RECOVERY? HH

JUN 8 AT 6:30 PM – JUN 10 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Sue Consolo-Murphy, M.S. Mark Haroldson $304 • 190605 If you have a passion for grizzly bears, this is the course for you. In a combination of classroom sessions and field trips, you’ll learn about grizzly bear biology, their ecological role and interrelations with other species (including humans), and the long and evolving history of their management. You’ll gain valuable advice for how to respectfully observe grizzlies and stay safe recreating and living in bear country, as well as an appreciation for the issues that challenge both bears and humans throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP: GARDINER TO THE BEARTOOTHS H

JUN 9 AT 7:30 AM – JUN 9 AT 6 PM Gardiner, Montana John Gillespie $135 • 190606 This ambitious field trip from Gardiner, Montana, to the 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass will take you on a journey through time to piece together the vast and complex geologic history of the Yellowstone ecosystem. During a busy day of roadside stops and very short hikes, you’ll visit diverse features that illustrate some of the big stories that shaped the landscape you see today. From waterfalls, mountain lakes, lava flows, cataclysmic volcanic super eruptions, glacial ice dams, petrified forests, the largest terrestrial landslide on the planet, and some of the oldest rocks in the world, you’ll learn to read the epic geologic story written in the rocks.

GHOST HOTELS H

JUN 9 AT 8 AM – JUN 10 AT 5 PM Old Faithful Leslie J. Quinn, M.Ed. Limit: 13 • $278 • 190607 This is your chance to tour Yellowstone while learning about its ghost hotels and other historical oddities. Which park hostelry did an English nobleman describe as “the last outpost of civilization?” Was the Canyon Hotel lost because of a conspiracy to make the new Canyon Lodge viable? Do you really drive right through a now-vanished tunnel somewhere on the Grand Loop Road? You’ll uncover other fun pieces of Yellowstone’s history through antique photographs and stories told by your instructor, a park hotel expert. A limited number of rooms will be held until 30 days prior to the course; call us for details.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 13

LATE SPRING WILDLIFE WATCHING HH

SLOW HIKING AND CAREFUL OBSERVING HH

NEW! OUTDOOR SKILLS AND WILDERNESS SURVIVAL HH

Yellowstone’s northern range is known worldwide for its “charismatic megafauna,” such as grizzly bears, bison, wolves, and elk.

You’ll spend three full days looking for these and other wild animals and learning how they fit into the park’s ecosystem. Enjoy early morning and evening searches for wolves, bears, and songbirds, and then look to the midday sky for falcons and other birds of prey as they migrate back to the area. Keep a watchful eye on the ground, too, where you might spot small animals.

If you like to hike with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and smell the wildflowers, then come along on these rambles down Yellowstone’s trails. You’ll take two easy short hikes each day, stopping often to observe wildlife, birds, wildflowers, and whatever comes into view.

Along the way, discuss and learn about the park’s wildlife, history, and challenges—or whatever else comes to mind. You’ll hike through a variety of habitats in different parts of the park, each with its own hidden gems awaiting those who slow down and observe.

NEW! CITIZEN SCIENCE: HOME ON THE RANGE HHH

INTO THE HEART OF THE YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO HHHH

Ever wondered if you could survive in the woods? This course will show you how to travel confidently and comfortably while carrying only basic tools. You’ll learn techniques for primitive fire lighting, water procurement, campsite selection, shelter building, wayfinding, plant identification, and camp crafting. Knowing how to start a fire without a match, make water safe to drink without a filter, and spend a comfortable night without a sleeping bag will empower you to survive without modern conveniences when necessary—and more deeply appreciate the vast resources nature provides for our survival.

JUN 16 AT 7 PM – JUN 19 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Brad Bulin, M.S. $439 • 190609

JUN 18 AT 8 AM – JUN 19 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Joshua Theurer, M.S. $405 • 190610 A historically large bison population is changing the landscape of northern Yellowstone. Is there home on the range for the most diverse and abundant ungulate and carnivore community in North America? You can help answer this question by collecting data on diet, nutrition, habitat use, migration patterns, and herd demographics for a variety of Yellowstone ungulate species. Your efforts will contribute directly to research used by scientists and managers to understand the potential impact the bison population is having on mule deer, elk, pronghorn, and bighorn, as well as the predators who rely on them for survival.

NEW! THE POETRY OF SCIENCE HH

JUN 20 AT 7 PM – JUN 22 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Gene Ball $428 • 190612

JUN 22 AT 7 PM – JUN 26 AT 5 PM Old Faithful Lisa Morgan, Ph.D. $315 • 190613 Explore one of the world’s largest volcanoes with one of its leading researchers. You’ll be based at Old Faithful, in the heart of the hydrothermal action. Investigate the geyser basins, study steam vents, and take a close look at rocks for clues to the volcano’s behavior. Visit other geologic features that reveal details about the volcano’s history and learn how the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory monitors for current activity. And explore that intriguing question: “What’s in store for the future?” A limited number of rooms will be held until 30 days prior to the course; call us for details.

OFF-TRAIL HIKING ON THE NORTHERN RANGE HHH

JUN 20 AT 7 PM – JUN 22 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Ilona Popper, M.A. $304 • 190611

JUN 23 AT 7 PM – JUN 26 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Julianne Baker, M.A., Fred Baker $428 • 190614

Writers have been enthralled by Yellowstone’s beauty and mystery even before the park was founded. Yet, this place is also a wild laboratory; the scientific discoveries and inquiries pouring out of Yellowstone can be deeply evocative.

Discover the ways your own personal field observations and the latest in Yellowstone science may inspire writing and poetry. You’ll begin each day in the field observing and writing on the spot (any genre). In the studio, you’ll practice an organic way of writing, calling on your unconscious, creative mind, with its genius for associations and voice, and evolving naturally toward revision and craft.

Barbara Kingsolver has written: “People need wild places… We need to be able to taste grace and know once again that we desire it.” Hiking off-trail in the northern range is to taste Yellowstone’s grace. You’ll explore this area of grassy meadows and sagebrush while enjoying wide vistas, easy route finding, and zigzag meanderings. After an evening to review the basics of safe, comfortable, low-impact backcountry travel, you will head off the beaten path on hikes ranging up to 5 miles with climbs up to 1,000 feet. Come wander this wild, seldom-seen place.

14

JUN 23 AT 4 PM – JUN 27 AT 2 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Robert Ronan $574 • 190615

DAYHIKING THE WILD: YELLOWSTONE’S NORTHERN RANGE HHHHH

JUN 27 AT 7 PM – JUN 30 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Julianne Baker, M.A., Fred Baker $441 • 190616 Take the “long view” on this in-depth backcountry exploration of Yellowstone’s northern range. Enjoy sweeping views of the wildlife-rich and scenic northern part of the park as you wander its high ridges and remote areas. On daily hikes of 8 to 12 miles both on and off trail, you’ll explore unique locations less traveled by the average hiker. Husband and wife team Julianne and Fred Baker will be your route-finding guides and Yellowstone experts.

They’ll bring plenty of stories to tell, but your interests in park history, natural history, and geology will help guide the discussions.

WOLVES: REALITY AND MYTH HH

JUN 28 AT 7 PM – JUN 30 AT 3 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Nathan Varley, Ph.D. $297 • 190617 Immerse yourself in the scientific and spiritual realm of the wolf with the guidance of a scientist who studies these provocative carnivores.

Through field observations and classroom discussions, you’ll explore how different cultures relate to wolves, how these relationships may relate to various myths and stories, and how the stories relate to the actual wild animal living in Yellowstone. Look for wolves on sunrise forays; hike through their habitat during the day. And throughout, learn how the wolf recovery project has ushered in a new era of scientific understanding.

SUPPORTER REGISTR ATION JAN 30, 8AM MST | GENER AL FEB 6

CASTING THE FLY: AN ON-STREAM CLINIC HHH JUL 7 AT 8 AM – JUL 8 AT 2 PM Old Faithful Lodge Steve Harvey $255 • 190704

Learn how to make the most of your precious time on the water in this focused workshop for advanced beginner and intermediate fly-fishing anglers. After a review of casting basics, you’ll spend your days on the Firehole and Madison rivers learning and practicing casting techniques with roving one-on-one instruction tailored to your experience level. Even experienced fly anglers will benefit from reinforced basic skills and this organized introduction to advanced techniques. Both days will be spent on the water learning not only about casting but also the wonders of Yellowstone stream and riparian ecosystems—and the challenges they face.

TECTONIC TROUT AND BOILING BACTERIA: THE GEOLOGY OF ECOLOGY HH a JUL 7 AT 4 PM – JUL 10 AT 6 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Paul Doss, Ph.D. $447 • 190705

A YELLOWSTONE NATURALIST EXPERIENCE HH

JUL 1 AT 6 PM – JUL 3 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Katy Duffy, M.S., Jim Garry, M.S. $343 • 190701 Explore northern Yellowstone as a naturalist does—with your senses on full alert. You’ll become more familiar with Yellowstone’s animals and plants by using your ears and eyes, feeling with your feet and fingers, and interpreting scents. Explore a track with your fingers to feel clues to the animal’s behavior.

Examine a daybed with your nose to detect who slept there. You’ll observe nesting birds discreetly and decipher their songs and calls.

And don’t forget the plants—search for wildflowers and their pollinators in forests, meadows, and wetlands. With this naturalist experience, you will become an insider outside in Yellowstone.

You’ll find out how to select and set up the right equipment as well as learn the proper fundamentals of casting and presentation.

On the water, you’ll look beneath the surface to examine the world of trout and the aquatic insects on which they depend. Above the surface we’ll examine the stream ecosystem and learn to “read” the water to understand where and how to present your fly. Learn skills and see Yellowstone up close through an angler’s eyes.

Ever wonder why Yellowstone is called America’s Serengeti, or why NASA scientists come here to look for clues to potential life on Mars? On short hikes off the beaten path, you’ll explore the incredible convergence of geologic factors that created one of the world’s largest volcanoes, with its life-sustaining and lifethreatening heat flow and its expansive, high-altitude plateau. Delve into the details as you study the park’s complex array of climate and soil. Follow the behavior and distribution of life in Yellowstone and how it relates to the geology of this magnificent landscape.

MEANDERING THROUGH WILDFLOWERS H

FLY FISHING II: BEYOND THE BEGINNER HHH

JUL 5 AT 7 PM – JUL 8 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Wayne Phillips $436 • 190703

Go beyond simple flower identification in this fun and engaging course. Delve into plant ecology, learning the structure of plants and their flowers from the ground up, and study the edible, medicinal, Native American, and wildlife uses for the plants you encounter. Meandering FLY FISHING at a relaxed pace through sagebrush and FOR BEGINNERS HHH grassland valleys, colorful subalpine meadows, JUL 3 AT 7 PM – JUL 6 AT 6 PM and the cool, shady spruce forests along Lamar Buffalo Ranch streams, you’ll have time for careful observation and meditation. Creative tools like poetry, song, Steve Harvey photography, and sketching will help you learn, $468 • 190702 remember, and document the features of the Wily trout await you in the legendary fly-fishing plants and flowers you’ve come to know. waters of Yellowstone National Park. Learn how to catch them with classic fly-fishing techniques that you learn on dry land, and further refine on the park’s streams and rivers.

JUL 9 AT 7 PM – JUL 12 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Steve Harvey $553 • 190706

Up your fly-fishing game by taking your skills to the next level. The Yellowstone and Lamar rivers will be your classroom as you learn to think like a trout. During full days on the river, you’ll dig in to trout ecology and stream entomology, deepening your understanding of cold water ecosystems and improving your ability to catch those canny fish. Learn how to handle difficult conditions, such as winds, brushy stream banks, and variable currents, while practicing responsible fishing. Our goal in this class is to broaden your fly-fishing skills while gaining a greater appreciation for Yellowstone, its rivers, and its river ecosystems.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 15

NEW! CITIZEN SCIENCE: THE YELLOWSTONE PIKA PROJECT HHHH

Yellowstone

Naturalist series This series was created for those who would like to develop a practice of deep, observation-based understanding.

Read the landscape and become a certified Yellowstone Forever Naturalist by successfully completing seven programs in the series.

JUNE 4–7

Citizen Science: Home on the Range Meandering through Wildflowers Autumn Wildlife Watching

Here in Yellowstone National Park, we have numerous pika sites that are accessible from nearby roadways. Due to their sensitivity to warming temperatures, monitoring the persistence of pika at sites around the park will help us better understand the effects of climate change on this species. Citizen science is a great opportunity to assist the park. The Yellowstone Pika Project is a continuation of a monitoring effort called Pika in Peril, which was recently discontinued. NPS has requested a citizen science effort that extends the original project in order to continue gathering this important data on pika in Yellowstone National Park.

OBSERVING BUTTERFLIES OF YELLOWSTONE HH

JUL 12 AT 9 AM – JUL 13 AT 5:30 PM Gardiner, Montana George Bumann, M.S. $270 • 190708

THIS YEAR’S PROGRAMS

Songbirds of Yellowstone

JUL 11 AT 7 AM – JUL 12 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Joshua Theurer, M.S. $270 • 190707

JUNE 18–19

JULY 5–8

AUGUST 30–SEPT 2

Flitting among bluebirds and bison, from mud puddles to lupine, butterflies abound in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. You’ll explore their varied habitats and see many of the nearly 140 species living here. Learn how their sensitivity to local environments and microhabitats has resulted in this rich array. As you watch them, you’ll be able to study their field marks, flight characteristics, and preferred foods. On the second day, become a citizen scientist as you participate in the annual Yellowstone Butterfly Count. Your observations will be recorded in a national database that researchers use to track butterfly trends across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

GEOLOGY FIELD TRIP: YELLOWSTONE’S NORTHERN LOOP ROAD H JUL 13 AT 7:30 AM – JUL 13 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana John Gillespie $142 • 190709

From volcanoes, lava flows, and landslides to “ghost” hot springs and fault lines, the northern loop road in Yellowstone traverses a fascinating and varied geologic landscape. Through roadside excursions and short hikes, you’ll learn to decipher the story of Yellowstone’s ancient past written in the rocks. You’ll visit many varied geologic sites, including the hottest place in the park, the world’s largest geyser, and the Yellowstone caldera. You’ll also contemplate the formation of one of the iconic sites pivotal in the creation of the world’s first national park on a hike along the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

16

SUPPORTER REGISTR ATION JAN 30, 8AM MST | GENER AL FEB 6

NEW! YELLOWSTONE’S WETLANDS HH

JUL 13 AT 8 AM – JUL 15 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Andrew Ray, Ph.D. Charles R. Peterson $405 • 190710 What does the future hold for Yellowstone’s wetlands? Explore some of the lesser known—but biologically important—areas of the park. Through field trips to wetlands on the northern range, you’ll learn about the rich biological plant and animal communities they sustain. You’ll work alongside specialists to inventory the dominant plant, macro invertebrate, and amphibian species of the wetlands you encounter. Along the way you’ll gain an appreciation for the dynamic nature of wetlands, and how they are being impacted by climate.

LAKOTA CREATION STORIES: THE ANIMALS OF YELLOWSTONE HH

JUL 13 AT 7 PM – JUL 15 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Luke Black Elk Linda Black Elk, M.S. $297 • 190711 Journey into the hearts and minds of the Lakota people as you learn about the cultural significance that Yellowstone animals have to the tribe. Stories, songs, and star knowledge will guide you into Lakota traditions as you travel to some of the park’s most beautiful settings. During the day, search for animals, and hike to culturally significant sites. In the evenings, you’ll gather around the campfire as the Lakota ancestors did, to hear stories of the creation of the world and the animals within it.

OLD TIMES AT OLD FAITHFUL HH

JUL 16 AT 9 AM – JUL 17 AT 5 PM Old Faithful Leslie J. Quinn, M.Ed. $149 • 190712 Imagine diving into a geyser-heated swimming pool as Old Faithful erupts in the background, or enjoying flowers grown in Old Faithful Village’s thermally heated greenhouse. Explore these long-gone experiences through site visits, antique photographs, and discussions with a park hotel expert. Find out why the village’s oldest building is abandoned in the forest and why the Upper General Store is nicknamed the B.A.C.; take your seats at the Bear Feeding Grounds that closed in 1936; and learn other interesting details about Old Faithful Village past and present. A limited number of rooms will be held until 30 days prior to the course; call us for details.

DRAWING THE LANDSCAPES OF YELLOWSTONE HH

NEW! A HISTORY OF BEARS AND MEN HH

How did Thomas Moran begin his memorable paintings in Yellowstone? The same way you will learn in this class—by using time-tested drawing and observation skills to capture the forms and details of the land. You’ll learn these techniques during indoor sessions, and then spend the rest of the time outdoors applying what you’ve learned to create your own landscapes. Whether you are new to drawing or experienced, you’ll learn to see Yellowstone National Park in a new way.

From the Upper Paleolithic period in the Alaskan tundra to modern-day Yellowstone, man and grizzly bear have had an intertwining relationship of exploration and progress. These charismatic predators represent wilderness and primitive ways of life in a world where the untrammeled places necessary to their existence are becoming sparse and scattered.

Through field trips to look for bears and engaging classroom lectures, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for man’s millennia-old relationship with grizzlies while immersed in a landscape that has seen cohabitation of both species for centuries.

JUL 16 AT 9 AM – JUL 18 AT 6 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Alan Petersen, M.A. $288 • 190713

NATIVE AMERICAN PLANTS AND THEIR USES HH JUL 16 AT 10 AM – JUL 18 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Linda Black Elk, M.S. Luke Black Elk $454 • 190714

Explore the relationship between people and plants from instructors whose ancestors passed on intimate knowledge of plants that spans thousands of years. Learn how to identify plants of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and how Native Americans use them for food, medicine, and other purposes.

You will identify and collect plants during field trips in the Gallatin National Forest.

In classroom sessions, you will use these collections to make traditional and contemporary medicinal salves, teas, and other medicines that you can use and take home.

NEW! ADVANCED FLY FISHING: BIG DAY TRIPS HHHHH

JUL 19 AT 4 PM – JUL 22 AT 7 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Steve Harvey $423 • 190715 Travel deep into the Yellowstone wilderness in search of pristine waters and wild trout. Bring your best light hiking boots and come prepared for full days as you leave the crowds behind. Each day you’ll hike 2–3 hours each way, both on and off-trail, to remote backcountry fishing spots. On the water, you’ll explore fishing equipment, and learn advanced fly-fishing techniques including casting, presentation, and “reading” the water. On the trail we experience Yellowstone at its best, away from the roads, cars, and civilization.

Each night you’ll return to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for a hot meal and shower to prepare for the next day’s adventure. Join us and experience Yellowstone through the lens of an angler’s eyes.

JUL 19 AT 7 PM – JUL 22 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Heather Reiss $439 • 190716

CROW TRIBAL CULTURE AND YELLOWSTONE H

JUL 28 AT 5 PM – JUL 30 AT 2 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Shane Doyle, Ed.D. $297 • 190718 The land we now call Yellowstone National Park used to be the heart of Crow country. Today it remains a place of deep meaning to the tribe. In this class led by a Crow tribal member, you will examine the tribe’s relationship to Yellowstone through a combination of classroom sessions and field trips to critical cultural sites. Hear explanations of how natural features within the park were created, and how the park figures into the origin of the tribe. You’ll also learn about contemporary Crow beliefs and practices in the park.

THE BISON OF YELLOWSTONE H

JUL 28 AT 7 PM – JUL 31 AT 3 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Jim Garry, M.S., Harold Picton, Ph.D. $495 • 190719 The big boys are rumbling. It’s mating time in the land of the buffalo. You’ll divide your time between the field—observing the fascinating behavior of rutting buffalo—and the classroom—learning about one of the Old West’s enduring symbols. You’ll look at the biology and natural history of bison, its role in native cultures, and its role in the expanding white culture of 19th-century America. Learn how the Lamar Buffalo Ranch played a part in the survival of the bison, and explore the current turmoil surrounding bison management in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 17

NEW! INTO THE DEPTHS OF YELLOWSTONE LAKE HHHH

HIKING YELLOWSTONE’S GEOLOGICAL LEGACY HHHH

AUG 7 AT 7 PM – AUG 11 AT 5 PM Old Faithful Lisa Morgan, Ph.D. $439 • 190802

AUG 13 AT 5:30 PM – AUG 17 AT 4 PM Old Faithful Pat Shanks $439 • 190805

Yellowstone Lake, the largest high-altitude (defined as above 7,000 ft. in elevation) lake in North America, straddles the southeast margin of the Yellowstone Caldera and lies in the heart of Yellowstone. On long day hikes, you’ll explore the rich geologic story of the lake by following in the footsteps of scientific mapping explorations from Ferdinand Hayden’s 1871 survey to today.

You’ll learn how scientists have mapped underwater features over time and discuss exciting advances in navigation and technology.

A limited number of rooms will be held until 30 days prior to the course; call us for details.

Close to 150 years of geological exploration and study have contributed to today’s understanding of Yellowstone’s geyser basins and hydrothermal systems. As you travel through the park—with hikes up to 8 miles on boardwalks and trails—you’ll visit a variety of hydrothermal areas, including lesser-known sites first described by early explorers. Learn about key scientific breakthroughs, from the 1870 Washburn Expedition to the modern-day Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, that have helped scientists understand how hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and fumaroles work. By the end, you’ll recognize characteristics of the waters, mineral deposits, vents, and bacteria found in geothermal areas, and gain a deeper appreciation for the processes at work underground. A limited number of rooms will be held until 30 days prior to the course; call us for details.

WOMEN’S FLY FISHING FOR BEGINNERS HHH

AUG 12 AT 7 PM – AUG 17 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Tyrene Riedl $520 • 190803 Ladies, join us to discover what the world of fly fishing is all about. In this hands-on class, you’ll learn how to read a river, cast a line, and land a fish correctly. You’ll spend some time in the classroom and on dry land practicing important skills, before heading out to Yellowstone’s legendary trout waters to practice what you’ve learned. As you build your skills and practice hooking that elusive fish, you’ll also gain an appreciation for the complex ecosystem conditions that create good trout habitat and ways you can help ensure the future of Yellowstone’s trout streams.

NEW! FINDING YOUR VOICE IN NATURE HH AUG 12 AT 7 PM – AUG 15 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Kali Armstrong $409 • 190804

In this workshop, sound will be your guide.

You’ll immerse yourself in the wilderness of Yellowstone National Park, exploring the natural soundtrack and drawing inspiration for your creative endeavors. Naturalist hikes, musical workshops, vocal exercises, and personalized discussion will facilitate an environment in which you can deepen your understanding of the sensory landscape in the natural world and within.

ANIMAL FAMILIES: LESSONS ON GROWING UP WILD HHH AUG 16 AT 7 PM – AUG 18 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Kira Cassidy, M.S. $343 • 190806

Whether it’s part of a wolf pack, elk herd, swan flock, or human family, every creature is continually learning throughout their lifetime.

In this class we will explore the northern range of Yellowstone learning about the value of teachers and life experience in the animal kingdom. We will focus on wolf families and the strategies the older adults use to teach their young how to stay healthy and safe in the wild.

We will spend time in the field looking for wolves with four-month-old pups just starting to incorporate into the pack. We will also discuss other species whose elders teach the family members valuable lessons gained through years of experience including many ungulates and birds living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

NEW! PAINTING MORAN’S YELLOWSTONE H AUG 19 AT 6 PM – AUG 23 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Daniel Hidalgo, Kara Hidalgo $574 • 190807

Follow in the footsteps of Thomas Moran by learning to paint outdoors at some of the same locations that inspired the famous Yellowstone artist. Not only will you learn how to capture the essence of a scene, but you’ll also learn the significance of artists like Moran to Yellowstone’s history. Through classroom and field sessions you’ll practice incorporating the

18

sensory experience of being outdoors— temperatures, sights, sounds, lighting, and atmosphere—into at least three of your own paintings. You’ll also improve your skill with composition, color theory, and painting in changing outdoor conditions.

NEW! CAPTURING YELLOWSTONE’S NIGHT SKY HH

AUG 20 AT 6 PM – AUG 23 AT 3 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Andy Austin $439 • 190808 Learn how to capture Yellowstone’s inspiring night sky. Start in the classroom with the basics, such as how to work with your camera at night and techniques for composing interesting photos. You’ll then put what you’ve learned into practice on nighttime field trips to photograph the Lamar Valley as well as thermal areas in the southern part of the park.

Along the way you’ll learn about night photography equipment and techniques for properly exposing a night image and using artificial light in the foreground. You’ll also study Austin’s images to develop inspiration for your own photographs.

EXPERIENCE THE GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN RANGE HH AUG 24 AT 7 PM – AUG 26 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Dave Egan, M.S. $462 • 190809

Yellowstone is a geologist’s paradise. Explore the natural features of Yellowstone and the surrounding area as a geologist does. On short walks to a variety of formations in and around the park you’ll examine up close the diversity of rock types and features characteristic of Yellowstone and its many geysers. Learn to make your own interpretations of what you see on the landscape, and gain a greater appreciation of the geologic processes that created the park. You’ll also leave with a new perspective—the ability to look at the landscape through the eyes of a geologist—in Yellowstone, or beyond.

CARNIVORES AND CORRIDORS HH

AUG 24 AT 4 PM – AUG 26 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Cristina Eisenberg, Ph.D. $304 • 190810 Yellowstone National Park contains all the large carnivore species present at the time of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804), making it one of the most intact ecosystems in the lower 48 states. Come learn why Yellowstone represents a crucible for carnivore conservation, particularly for grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, lynx, and cougar. You’ll spend each day traveling off-trail, learning to read the landscape and wildlife behavior like a carnivore ecologist. You’ll even get to practice and apply wildlife research techniques.

SUPPORTER REGISTR ATION JAN 30, 8AM MST | GENER AL FEB 6

NAVIGATING THE WONDERS OF YELLOWSTONE’S BACKCOUNTRY HHHH AUG 24 AT 7 PM – AUG 26 AT 4 PM Old Faithful Orville Bach, Ed.D. $310 • 190811

Step off the trail and into adventure during this combination navigation, hiking, and natural history class. You’ll begin with an evening presentation about how to utilize a compass and topographic map to explore the wonders of Yellowstone’s backcountry. During the next two days, you’ll practice your new navigation skills and experience the thrill of setting your own course across the landscape. The pace is slow, so you can observe the life and land around you.

Along the way, you’ll learn about the animals, plants, and geology you are seeing, as well as some of the park’s human history. Your guide is one of the park’s most experienced rangers.

NEW! BATS OF YELLOWSTONE HH

AUG 27 AT 7 PM – AUG 29 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Ellen Whittle, Caitlin Gorden $416 • 190812 Meet the denizens of Yellowstone’s night sky: bats! You’ll visit day roosts, such as tree snags, talus slopes, bridges, and buildings where you’ll search for bats and their sign. In the evenings, walks to different locations will illustrate how bats utilize different habitats. You’ll learn about bat research methods such as acoustic monitoring and capture techniques, as well as ways you can help bats. By the end of the course, you’ll gain an understanding of where bats reside and an appreciation for the benefits that bats provide to natural ecosystems as well as modern agriculture.

YELLOWSTONE RESTORED! HHH

AUG 27 AT 7 PM – AUG 30 AT 5 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch NPS Staff $428 • 190813 Bison grazing in broad grassy valleys, cutthroat trout darting upstream, wolves howling in the distance—many of the experiences visitors cherish today are the result of arduous conservation journeys. Yellowstone is the largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states, and a model for modern ecosystem conservation—but it wasn’t always this way.

From bison, wolves, and bears to fish and fire, delve into some of the park’s biggest conservation issues by learning directly from the park scientists on the front lines. You’ll gain an appreciation for the science—and dedication— required to steward Yellowstone’s natural resources through modern challenges.

EXPERIENCE THE GEOLOGY OF THE SUPER VOLCANO HH AUG 28 AT 7 PM – AUG 30 AT 5 PM Old Faithful Dave Egan, M.S. $310 • 190814

In this class you become the scientist, studying the Yellowstone volcano. You’ll travel many of Yellowstone’s geyser basins—including Upper, Midway, Lower, Lone Star, and West Thumb— evaluating field measurements on seismic activity, temperature, elevation change, gas emissions, and a variety of water quality parameters. Over the course of two days, you’ll record your data on geologic maps, illustrating the similarities and differences throughout Yellowstone’s geothermal features. You’ll also gain an appreciation for the scientific data critical to understanding Yellowstone’s volcano—and predicting eruptions. A limited number of rooms will be held until 30 days prior to the course; call us for details.

AUTUMN WILDLIFE WATCHING HH

AUG 30 AT 7 PM – SEP 2 AT 4 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Brad Bulin, M.S. $452 • 190815 Welcome to Yellowstone’s northern range, known worldwide for its “charismatic megafauna,” such as grizzly bears, bison, wolves, and elk. You’ll spend three full days looking for these and other wild animals and learning how they fit into the park’s ecosystem. Enjoy early morning and evening searches for wolves, bears, and songbirds, and then look to the midday sky for falcons and other birds of prey as they migrate for warmer temperatures. Keep a watchful eye on the ground, too, where you might spot small animals preparing their food caches for winter.

NEW! DIGISCOPING HH

AUG 31 AT 6 PM – SEP 2 AT 3 PM Lamar Buffalo Ranch Melissa Penta, Stephen Ingraham $304 • 190816 Digiscoping—taking high quality images at long distances through a spotting scope—brings birds and wildlife within the reach of any aspiring photographer. It can be as simple as “phonescoping” using the sophisticated cameras in today’s smartphones, or as technical as using a compact mirrorless camera and a fixed lens behind the eyepiece of a high-quality spotting scope. Either way, the results are great.

Come learn about this exciting approach to photography from ZEISS Ambassadors Melissa Penta and Steve Ingraham. Bring your smartphone!

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 19

THE INTELLIGENCE OF ANIMALS: II HH

It’s a raptor time of year. Start your weekend with an evening classroom session about raptor identification and ecology and then head out in the field the next morning to watch for birds of prey (raptors) flying overhead on their journeys south. Join a former Yellowstone education ranger and bird expert and visit one of Yellowstone’s valleys—such as Hayden Valley—where you might see individuals filling up on plentiful grasshoppers and small rodents.

With any luck, you’ll see eagles, osprey, and a variety of hawks and falcons.

What is the raven’s word for eagle? How does a wolf know when to give up on a chase? How do animals pass on information through time?

Delve into these and other questions of animal intelligence by directly observing Yellowstone’s wildlife. You’ll learn to decipher body language, behavior, and vocalizations for clues about intelligence. Watch how different species interact with each other and their environment.

Explore how they learn and pass their knowledge to their offspring. And consider how this information applies to other species— including those you may know from home.

AUTUMN DAY HIKING IN YELLOWSTONE HHHHH

AUTUMN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY HH

Some days are diamonds—and autumn sparkles with more diamond days than any other season in Yellowstone. Chilly mornings give way to sunny afternoons. Cobalt skies press against the white of new snow in the high country. Golden sunlight plays upon cured yellow grasses. Elk enliven the air with their eerie bugles, and birds flock as they prepare to migrate south. Come spend three diamond days in Yellowstone, hiking up to 12 miles each day, with elevation gains up to 2,000 feet.

Calling all photographers, novices and veterans alike! Now is the time to learn tips for photographing Yellowstone’s autumn wildlife action. You’ll spend most of the day outdoors, finding out what animals, big and small, do and where they are—keys to finding them for your photos. You’ll also practice photographic fundamentals, techniques, and the ethics of wildlife photography, and tips to keep you safe.

In class sessions, you’ll focus on composition, lighting, equipment, and computer skills. So, pack your digital camera and tripod and head into Yellowstone’s wild autumn.

SEP 2 AT 7 PM – SEP 3 AT 6 PM Gardiner, Montana Katy Duffy, M.S. $178 • 190901 Activity Level 2

SEP 16 AT 7 PM – SEP 20 AT 4 PM Gardiner, Montana Tyrene Riedl $462 • 190902

WORLD OF WOLVES HH

SEP 21 AT 7 PM – SEP 24 AT 4 PM Gardiner, Montana Shauna Baron, M.S. $462 • 190903 Spend three days immersed in the lives of Yellowstone’s wolves. Through a combination of discussions, field trips, and hikes, you’ll explore wolves and their lives, their interactions with other predators, and their relationship with humans. Visit one of the pens where wolves spent time acclimating to Yellowstone after their abrupt departure from Canada. Look for wolves in the Lamar Valley and other wolf habitat. And find out what we have learned about wolves since their restoration more than 20 years ago.

20

SEP 27 AT 9 AM – SEP 29 AT 4 PM Gardiner, Montana George Bumann, M.S. $439 • 190904

OCT 1 AT 9 AM – OCT 4 AT 4 PM Gardiner, Montana Meg Sommers $584 • 191001

NEW! COACHING INTERPRETERS WORKSHOP H OCT 15 AT 8 AM – OCT 17 AT 5 PM Gardiner, Montana National Association for Interpretation Staff $425 • 191002

Have you ever wondered how to be a better coach for your staff? Are you looking for new coaching tools such as language and methods to review your interpreters? Do you struggle with the difference between coaching and supervision? If so, this new 3-day workshop is for you! Building upon member requests for more management skills training, NAI offers this course to give you a chance to both learn and hone your coaching skills. Register for this course through NAI at interpnet.com or by calling 888.900.8283. For lodging reservations at the Yellowstone Overlook Field Campus, please call us at 406.848.2400.

SUPPORTER REGISTR ATION JAN 30, 8AM MST | GENER AL FEB 6

RAPTORS OVER YELLOWSTONE HH

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 21

LAMAR BUFFALO RANCH FIELD CAMPUS

YELLOWSTONE OVERLOOK FIELD CAMPUS

Far from other development, the Lamar Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone’s northeast corner offers comfortable lodging in a wilderness setting. The historic ranch played an important role in two conservation success stories: the restoration of bison in the early 20th century, and the reintroduction of wolves in 1995. Today, you can stay at this unique location when participating in Lamar-based Field Seminars, where waking up to the sound of howling wolves or grunting bison is not uncommon.

You’ll enjoy a three-bed log cabin with a propane heater, a bathhouse with private showers, and a common building with a fully equipped kitchen where you prepare your own meals unless catering is included in your program. You may rent a sleeping bag and pillow for $20, or bring your own bedding. The ranch operates off-grid, powered in part by an on-site micro hydroelectric facility, a solar power array, and custom battery bank engineered by the Toyota Corporation.

Perfect for families and groups, the Yellowstone Overlook features comfortable cabins on 80 acres, awe-inspiring views, and easy access to the northern section of the park. Cabins have self-serve kitchens for preparing meals and open floor plans perfect for group dining and evening activities. The Yellowstone Overlook is available for Private Tour participants, Youth & College groups, and participants in Field Seminars based out of Gardiner.

NIGHTLY RATES

NIGHTLY RATES Brown Family Cabin or Davis Cabin $465 for up to 12 people Bunsen Peak Cabin $235 for up to 5 people

FIELD SEMINAR RATE Shared cabins $40 per person for shared room Private room $100 for private room

Options subject to availability; prices are per person per night Single Occupancy $150 per night – ONE PARTICIPANT PER CABIN Double Occupancy $75 per night – TWO PARTICIPANTS PER CABIN Triple Occupancy $50 per night – THREE PARTICIPANTS PER CABIN

Lodging 22

KALI ARMSTRONG is a wildlife researcher and self-taught musician. She has 20 years of vocal experience, and works as an environmental educator, park guide, and avian researcher, spreading her enthusiasm for the natural world through song. She now lives in Big Sky, Montana.

GENE BALL was director of the Yellowstone Association and Institute from 1985–1988. He now lives in Cody, Wyoming, and teaches a wide range of topics and pursues other freelance projects for a variety of organizations throughout the West.

ANDY AUSTIN is an award-winning landscape and adventure photographer.

He travels the country in a converted 2006 Sprinter van, sharing his adventures with more than 30,000 social media followers. Andy has photographed on four continents, been published in a variety of national magazines, and works with clients such as Reebok, Kelty, Montana Office of Tourism, and more.

SHAUNA BARON, M.S., was a resident instructor for the Yellowstone Association Institute for more than a decade. She has studied large and small carnivores and worked with the Colorado-based Mission Wolf captive wolf program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Red Wolf Project, and as a volunteer for the Yellowstone Wolf Project. She continues to share her passion for Yellowstone by creating unique programming for Yellowstone Insight, National Parks Conservation Association, and National Geographic.

ORVILLE BACH, Ed.D., has worked for more than 40 years as a seasonal interpretive ranger in Yellowstone National Park. He is the author of Exploring the Yellowstone Backcountry, Tracking the Spirit of Yellowstone: Recollections of Thirty-One Years as a Seasonal Ranger, and Reflections from Yellowstone and Beyond. He has traveled Yellowstone’s backcountry during all seasons, including an 18-day wilderness ski trip through the park.

FRED BAKER has lived in and explored the Yellowstone ecosystem since 2002. He is a former instructor for the Yellowstone Association Institute.

His skills lie in his hiking strength and his ability to find and remember backcountry, off-trail routes. Prior to moving to Yellowstone, Fred was a professional symphonic trumpet player and teacher and directed a collegiate music technology recording program.

JULIANNE BAKER, M.A., joined the Institute more than a decade ago as the first resident instructor after a career teaching environmental science in Michigan. These experiences, combined with multiple outdoor and interpretive certifications, have made her one of the Institute’s most valued mentors for up-and-coming naturalists. When she’s not teaching, she can be found hiking, skiing, or nature journaling in the wilds of Yellowstone.

LINDA BLACK ELK, M.S., is a Catawba ethnobotanist specializing in traditional uses of plants by native people of the Great Plains. She holds degrees in botany, anthropology, science education, and ecology and environmental sciences. She lives on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota and teaches ethnobotany at Sitting Bull College.

LUKE BLACK ELK (Thítȟunwan Lakota, Itázipčho Band) has spent his life learning the oral traditions, creation stories, and star knowledge from elders throughout the Lakota Nation. He is a Sundance leader, practitioner of the seven sacred rites of the Lakota people, and specializes in culturally significant plants and animals of the Great Plains.

BRAD BULIN, M.S., is a wildlife biologist who has taught science at the K–12 and college levels and has conducted extensive field research on carnivores, raptors, amphibians, and plants. He is the senior naturalist educator for Yellowstone Forever and professional wildlife cinematographer who spends considerable time capturing Yellowstone on camera.

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 23

CAROLYN HARWOOD BULIN is a program manager and instructor for the Yellowstone Forever Institute. She studied outdoor recreation leadership and management at Northern Michigan University. Carolyn is certified through the National Association for Interpretation as a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) and Certified Interpretive Trainer (CIT). She has hiked more than 2,000 miles in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and tracks and films cougars in her free time.

GEORGE BUMANN, M.S., can draw, sculpt, and teach about all aspects of Yellowstone. He has a degree in wildlife ecology and works as a professional artist and educator. His art and writing have appeared in popular and scientific publications, and his sculptures can be found in collections throughout the United States and abroad.

OWEN CARROLL grew up exploring the wildlands of the Intermountain West. He has worked for a variety of organizations focused on public land stewardship and education, and is an alumni of the Teton Science School’s graduate program. He continues his passion for connecting people to nature as a lead instructor for Yellowstone Forever.

KIRA CASSIDY, M.S., is a research associate with the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Kira’s work focuses on wolf pack behavior, sociality, and territoriality. These topics led Kira to make connections to other social species, including humans, and were the subject of her TEDx talk “Aging in the wild: lessons from animals about the value of growing old.”

SUE CONSOLO-MURPHY, M.S., is chief of science and resource management at Grand Teton National Park. In her nearly 40-year career with the National Park Service she has contributed to the restoration of swift fox in South Dakota’s Badlands, grizzly bear habitat in Yellowstone, and native fish in Grand Teton, among other projects.

PAUL DOSS, Ph.D., makes geology come alive for his students. A former supervisory geologist for Yellowstone National Park, he now teaches in the Department of Geology and Physics at the University of Southern Indiana.

For more than three decades, he has taught field geology, conducted research, and completed geologic mapping in the Rocky Mountain Region and the Yellowstone Plateau.

SHANE DOYLE, Ed.D., works with Montana tribes as a postdoctoral researcher for the Centre for Geogenetics in Denmark. A singer of Plains Indian-style music, he travels throughout Montana Indian Country as a professional educator, researcher, and pow-wow participant.

He is currently writing a book about the cultural geography of the Northern Plains.

KATY DUFFY, M.S., identifies raptors on the wing and songbirds by sound. She is a licensed bird bander specializing in owls, hawks, and songbirds, and holds an ecology degree from Rutgers University. She has lived and worked in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for more than three decades, primarily as an education ranger in Yellowstone National Park.

DAVE EGAN, M.S., has been leading geology trips in the US and Canada for more than 25 years, making complicated geologic concepts accessible and fun. The author of numerous articles in professional journals, Dave also enjoys kayaking, coaching Unified Sports for Special Olympics, and teaching yoga.

CRISTINA EISENBERG, Ph.D., studies the ecological effects of wolves and fire in Rocky Mountain ecosystems. She is the chief scientist at Earthwatch Institute, faculty at Oregon State University, and a Smithsonian research associate. She is the author of The Wolf’s Tooth: Keystone Predators, Trophic Cascades, and Biodiversity, and The Carnivore Way: Coexisting with and Conserving North America’s Predators.

TOM FORWOOD JR. has worked for Montana State Parks for 20 years.

Tom is passionate about sharing his love of birds with others, leading

24

Montana State Park and Audubon bird field trips for more than a decade.

He is active in conducting Christmas bird counts, is a regional eBird reviewer for Montana, and sits on the Montana Bird Records Committee.

JIM GARRY, M.S., weaves natural history, human history, folklore, and myth into spellbinding stories. A naturalist and folklorist, he has spent most of the past four decades in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

His latest book is The Weapons of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

JOHN GILLESPIE has been fascinated by the geology of Yellowstone since his first visit in 1972. After studying at the University of Delaware, John founded two geologic consulting firms and applies his 40-year career in natural resources to Yellowstone. He regularly explores the northern range from his home in Paradise Valley.

CAITLIN GORDEN fell in love with bats during an internship in 2011, where she assisted with bat surveys in southwestern Wisconsin. Since then, she has been involved with various bat-related research projects in Indiana, South Carolina, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

JAMES HALFPENNY, Ph.D., travels the world teaching about bears, wolves, animal tracks, and cold ecosystems. He produces educational books, computer programs, and videos. He coordinated the Long-Term Ecological and Alpine Research programs at the University of Colorado.

His books include Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild and Yellowstone Bears in the Wild.

MARK HAROLDSON has been involved in bear research and management in the Rocky Mountain West for more than 40 years.

Currently a supervisory wildlife biologist for the USGS Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, his current research is focused on trends in grizzly bear mortalities and implementing integrated population modeling for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

STEVE HARVEY built his first fly rod and learned to cast at the age of 12.

He has since spent more than four decades in pursuit of trout and salmon on four continents. Certified as an International Federation of Fly Fishers instructor in 2001 and as a graduate of the Joan Wulff casting instructors school, Steve has a passion for casting, fishing, and sharing his knowledge with others. When not fishing or teaching, Steve pursues climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking, skiing, and photography adventures worldwide.

DANIEL HIDALGO has been finding inspiration for his artwork in the quiet stillness of Yellowstone’s wondrous landscapes for many years.

He lives in Teton, Idaho, and is the director of education at Idaho Art Lab, where he teaches painting, drawing, sculpture, and pottery.

He also creates hand-carved block images printed on paper made from bison dung.

KARA HIDALGO is the executive director of the Idaho Art Lab, where she teaches film and digital photography, painting, and design. Her photos have been published in Sunset, Idaho Homes and Gardens, and Builder/ Architect, among other publications. Her specialties are landscapes and water photography.

STEPHEN INGRAHAM has been a birding and nature product specialist for ZEISS Sports Optics for 12 years. He was one of the earliest proponents of digiscoping in the US. Before working for Zeiss he published the online optics review site BetterViewDesired. Today he teaches point and shoot nature photography and has written the book, The Point and Shoot Nature Photographer.

VIRGINIA MILLER is a Yellowstone Forever lead instructor. She taught and directed programs with the Inside the Outdoors Outdoor Science School in California and the Girl Scouts before coming to Yellowstone.

She uses her B.A. in theater to make the outdoors and science come alive to students of all ages.

LISA MORGAN, Ph.D., studies the geology and geophysics of volcanoes in and near Yellowstone as a research geologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. She focuses on caldera-forming eruptions, rhyolitic lava flows, hydrothermal explosions, and the geology of Yellowstone Lake. With Ken Pierce, she developed a model for the Yellowstone hotspot.

ANDREW RAY, Ph.D., is an ecologist with the NPS Greater Yellowstone Network in Bozeman, Montana, working on the influence of climate drivers on wetlands and amphibians in the greater Yellowstone area. His research includes wetland and amphibian monitoring projects in Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Crater Lake national parks.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR INTERPRETATION is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) professional association for interpreters of natural and cultural heritage resources in settings such as parks, zoos, museums, nature centers, aquaria, botanical gardens, and historical sites. For more than 50 years, NAI has encouraged networking, training, and collaboration among members and partners to inspire leadership and excellence to advance heritage interpretation as a profession.

HEATHER REISS began her career as an interpretive ranger for Big Hole National Battlefield where her lifelong love of nature and education began. For six years she worked as the lead wilderness guide at an off-grid lodge in Denali National Park and has since returned to Yellowstone as an instructor for Road Scholar.

TRUDY PATTON is originally from Idaho and has been a ranger in Yellowstone National Park since 1998. Her previous experiences include being a day camp director in Germany and an aquatics camp director in Korea. Trudy taught in the classroom and also at an outdoor school before becoming an Expedition Yellowstone ranger.

MELISSA PENTA is an independent brand ambassador for ZEISS sporting optics. She has been photographing wildlife with a DSLR setup for more than ten years. Her focus recently turned to digiscoping using her ZEISS Gavia spotting scope.

ALAN PETERSEN, M.A., paints the landscapes of Grand Canyon, the Colorado Plateau, and other inspirational places. He is a professor of art at Coconino Community College and curator of fine art at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. Alan has published numerous articles about Western art history and painters and is working on books about painters Merrill Mahaffey and Gunnar Widforss.

CHARLES R. PETERSON, Ph.D., is a faculty member of the Department of Biological Sciences and the Geotechnologies Program at Idaho State University. Peterson’s research includes the ecology and conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles. Much of his work has focused on reptile populations on Idaho’s Snake River Plain and on amphibian populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

WAYNE PHILLIPS is a former U.S. Forest Service ecologist who teaches about the flora of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. He has taught for the Institute since the early 1980s. He is the author of Central Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, Northern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, and Plants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

HAROLD PICTON, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of wildlife at Montana State University and studies herbivores, carnivores, and wildlife management history. He and his former graduate students have published more than 100 scientific papers, many about Yellowstone. He has also published three books and produced a television documentary.

ILONA POPPER, M.A., is the author of the poetry book titled Break and of numerous published articles and essays about the wildlife she observes.

Ilona has taught writing and literature for more than 40 years. She engages in wildlife advocacy and lives with her husband at the edge of Yellowstone National Park.

TYRENE RIEDL is a seasonal instructor for Yellowstone Forever, and has been fly fishing, hiking, and backpacking in Yellowstone for more than 20 years. In addition to being an interpretive naturalist, she has been guiding and instructing new fly fishers on park rivers since 2007.

ROBERT RONAN is a fifth-generation Montanan and an avid student of bushcraft and wilderness survival. He believes “the more you know, the less you carry” whenever traveling outdoors. He has survived a week-long winter survival course in Alberta, Canada, given by Mors Kochanski, and led survival hikes for Montana Wilderness Association.

PAT SHANKS has studied Yellowstone’s hydrothermal systems for more than two decades. As a geochemist with the U.S. Geological Survey, he has also studied hydrothermal vents on the deep ocean floor. He was a geology professor at the University of Wisconsin and University of California–Davis before joining the USGS. MEG SOMMERS shares the beauty and grace of Yellowstone through her award-winning photographs. She visits the park and its environs in all seasons, photographing landscapes, wildlife, and wildflowers. She is also an enthusiastic naturalist, and brings her considerable knowledge of the area to the groups she leads.

JOSHUA THEURER, M.S., has worked in the field as a biological technician contributing to both avian and mammalian research, where his passion for ecology blossomed. Joshua’s teaching melds science, art, and philosophy in order to help students forge a deep connection to the natural world. He also manages the Institute’s Yellowstone Citizen Science Initiative.

NATHAN VARLEY, Ph.D., is a natural and cultural historian specializing in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where he has lived most of his life. He has studied many of Yellowstone’s large mammals. For his doctorate, he studied the effects of wolf restoration on the park’s northern range elk herd.

ELLEN WHITTLE was born in Shepherd, Montana, and graduated from the University of Montana wildlife biology program in 2015. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the suitability and use of bridges as bat roosting habitat.

Since graduation Ellen has worked on bat research projects in Texas, Wyoming, and Montana.

WILDERNESS MEDICINE INSTITUTE, an institute of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), has been a leader in wilderness medicine education since 1976.

LESLIE J. QUINN, M.Ed., trains park bus tour guides, boat guides, and wranglers for the park concessioner Yellowstone National Park Lodges. As a historian, his interests include Yellowstone Village history, the Howard Eaton Trail, and the maritime history of Yellowstone Lake. He contributes to Yellowstone Science and other park publications.

PHOTOS NPS/JAKE FRANK: PGS COVER, III, 3, 21, 23; DOUG LONEMAN: PG III; MARIA BISSO: PGS III, 8, 15, 16, 19, 22; NPS/NEAL HERBERT: PGS 4, 7; JIM FUTTERER: PGS 4, 19; TOM KIRKENDALL: PGS 4, 19; VIRGINIA MILLER: PG 6; LAUREN BELTRAMO: PGS 9, 19; AVERY MEEKER: PG 11; BRIAN KERTSON: PG 11; LOUISE JOHNS: PG 11; PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHER JAY: PG 11; MATT LUDIN: PG 12; TRACY RAICH: PG 22

406.848.2400 | Yellowstone.org 25

PO Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190

THE OFFICIAL NONPROFIT PARTNER OF YELLOWSTONE

Yellowstone.org

Become a Yellowstone Forever Supporter for Discounts and Early Registration Join more than 73,000 supporters around the world who care about preserving Yellowstone. For as little as $35, you can help fund education and research in the park and receive a $15 discount and early registration for Institute programs. Also enjoy additional benefits while you’re in the park, including 15% off retail purchases throughout Yellowstone (exclusions apply).

CALL US AT 406.848.2400 OR VISIT YELLOWSTONE.ORG/DONATE TO JOIN NOW!