A band of bison with frolicking calves in Little America, YNP.
In the midst of the wettest spring that I can remember in this part of the country, fecundity and succulence has returned to Yellowstone Country. With far too many 14 hour days filled with presentations, meetings and days in the field, I have failed to keep our followers up to speed with the goings on in Yellowstone. May and early June have long been celebrated by wildlife enthusiasts as the time to explore the enigmatic wonders of Yellowstone National Park. While the crowds are starting to return as demonstrated by the re-opening of restaurants here in Gardiner, and the return of our seasonal raft guides who are excitedly pumping their way down the mighty Yellowstone River which is currently pulsing with 12,000 cubic feet per second of muddied waters, spring is perhaps best known for its unique and abundant wildlife sightings.
After a long day spent at Park High in Livingston, Montana, early last week, sharing six 45 minute long motivational presentations in hopes of inspiring a sense of environmental stewardship and participation in our upcoming River Guardian Fly Fishing School, I was fortunate enough to spend the rest of the week in the field, leading wildlife watching tours throughout Yellowstone’s legendary, Lamar Valley. Working in collaboration with our friends from the Wildside, a local naturalist tour company focusing on large carnivores and co-founded by YCG board member Nathan Varley and his wife Linda Thurston, we led a group of nearly 60 college students from Longwood University emphasizing the importance of local communities and public engagement. Splitting the groups in two, we led 30 students each day on a wildlife watching extravaganza. While each day in Yellowstone offers its own magic and something vastly different, we were able to spot multiple grizzly bears and wolves each day which was certainly a highlight of the trip for these lively students from Virginia.
My time with the students from Longwood University ended last Thursday evening—after a long day in the field that began at 6 am—with a presentation on the wild spirit of Yellowstone, with a heavy dose of YCG and our efforts to inspire a commitment to this region while bringing the human element into the equation. Having worked with one of Longwood’s extraordinary professors for three years now, I and a number of our supporters were inspired by her introduction of my presentation and the efforts of YCG. It is extremely exciting to see talented and well versed professionals like professor Riden express her admiration for the work that we embody as it speaks directly to her life’s work in rural and environmental sociology. Even though they hadn’t eaten since 11 am and it was well after 8 pm when the presentation ended, countless students hung around afterwards to ask questions and learn more about how they can get involved. This is yet another reason we focus so much of our efforts on high school and in this case college aged youth; they are inspirable and when inspired, motivated to go out, get their hands dirty, and really make a difference.
The final day of last week was spent with two members of the YCG family and supporters of our work, and while the wet, windy and cold weather which has dominated most afternoons of late, started first thing in the morning, the wildlife watching was yet again tremendous. After spending an hour watching the alpha male and three yearlings from the Lamar Canyon pack, we moved on through the Lamar Valley and upon our second pass through the valley floor, we witnessed at close range, a sub-adult grizzly bear on a carcass. As if this sighting at no more than 200 yards wasn’t enough, within thirty minutes one of the gray yearlings from the Lamar Canyon pack whom we had watched bedded down just two hours before, passed through en-route to the den. But Yellowstone is so much more than wolves and grizzly bears. Each day of the week was filled with a multitude of bird sightings, pronghorn, elk, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and an untold number of wonderful bison sightings fueled by spirited, burnt orange calves spastically frolicking in the succulent and rich green grasses of North America’s little Serengeti.
If ever there was a time for those passionate about wildlife to visit Yellowstone, this is surely it. As I write these words, a tumultuous wind feverishly batters the side windows and walls of my office, and the dark and low lying clouds continue to spit flurries of rain. But the wildlife which abounds this time of year are flourishing with the return of spring, and before we know it the dry winds of summer will return to the landscape. So if at all possible, change your plans, forget about your credit card debt, and find a way to Yellowstone. I assure you that she will not disappoint…
~Michael Leach, Director and Founder
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