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Title: There’s a Rumble in Them Thar’ Hills
Show Description: “Uncle Billy” Bierer knew that it would happen sooner later, butno one suspected it ouwld be this big, especially Guil Huff. On the evening of June 23, 1925 a landslide created a new lake and giant scar on the side of Sheep Mountain. But will this natural dam hold? The people of Kelly are not so sure…
Kortney Williams created an audio tour of the Teton Science Schools’ Kelly Campus. Kortney is a student in the Field Natural History summer program and came to Wyoming all the way from Memphis, Tennessee.
Download his show to learn more about his Read the rest of this entry »
Title: The Messages of Wildflowers
Show Description: Summer in Grand Teton National Park is the season for wildflowers. These diverse and colorful flowers are the showy advertisement of numerous plants that depend on birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators to generate seeds for the following year.
Title: Mormon Row
Show Description: The buildings of Mormon Row tell the story of a once vibrant community. Houses and barns still stand on this picturesque landscape with a backdrop of the Teton range, a close look around reveals the history of farming and ranching that is rooted here.
Three of our graduate students are interning in Grand Teton National Park this summer. They are leading programs and working behind the desk in the visitor centers. I am fortunate enough to get to observe their programs and help them put the finer touches on their interpretive skills.
Today I watched Anne do a Menor’s Ferry program. It is a fascinating part of the park
because it has an operating historic general store, a replica ferry that crosses the Read the rest of this entry »
Title: Around the Park in 48 Hours
Show Description: Whether you have a month, a week, or just a few short days, there is so much to see and do in the Jackson Hole area. On a short trip it is difficult to leave without thinking that you may have missed something. Never fear! Here are a few suggestions for making the most of the views, history, wildlife, solitude, and activities that the Tetons can offer during a two day visit in the summer.
Title: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Show Description: Jackson Hole lies within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, an island of intact natural systems. While this region has been defined on maps, its boundaries are complicated by the diversity of plants and animals found within it. Management decisions center around understanding the complexity of the boundaries of this ecosystem.
What an amazing week. It seems like forever ago now, but it
was only just over a month. Snake River Montessori hiked around the Kelly campus, visited the sage grouse lek, tromped to Taggart Lake at the base of the Tetons, examined water quality and macro-invertabrates, and planted willow cuttings for a restoration project.
The teachers and chaperones have been keeping in touch and they shared a powerpoint with me. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how about 171 pictures? The file is huge ( 148 MB) but is worth the wait. Download it here: Snake River Montessori 2007
The students also put together a newspaper when Read the rest of this entry »
The valley is gearing up for the busy summer season. Teton Science Schools and Grand Teton National Park team up around this time of the year to offer a day of natural and cultural history training for the folks that have moved here for the summer to guide visitors on raft trips, horseback rides, mountaineering expeditions, hiking, and fishing.
We have been offering a day for Terrestrial guides and one for Aquatic guides. Both days sold out this year and had an amazing Read the rest of this entry »
Title: Leave No Trace
Show Description: As the number of people who visit natural areas increases every year, minimizing our impact and evidence of our own visit has become more important. The principles of Leave No Trace guide us in how best to do that.
Ways you can connect to Where the Buffalo Roam:
You may also be interested in the official Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics website.
Every year the graduate students and the faculty go up to Lamar Valley in Yellowstone to watch wolves and bears. This was my first year going. I had an amazing time. I got my first prolonged look at a grizzly bear. Prior to this I’ve only seen fleeting hairy rear ends disappearing into willow thickets. This time, I watched a group of 20 bison chase a grizzly across a hill.
The wolves were amazing too. Four total. The one we got a really good look at is known as Druid 302. He was beautiful. 
The highlight for me was an interaction we watched between the wolf, grizzly, and a coyote. At one time I could see all three through my binoculars at once. There were no scuffles but it looked tense at times through the scope.
Title: Where in the World Am I?
Show Description: What makes the landscape of Grand Teton National Park such a unique place? The Park houses four different natural areas, called communities. Find out what they are, where they are located, and what you are likely to find there.
Josh Kleyman, Jaime Duval, and I have been out scouting sights for the botany portion of Advanced Elements of Field Natural History that starts next week. Sunny, warm days gave me my first sandal tan of the year and invited us to scour the sides of south facing hills and open plains for the first signs of spring. With temperatures still getting near freezing at night and an inch of snow forecasted for today there are some brave early bloomers that deserve a mention:
Buttercup
Western springbeauty
Yellowbell
Ball-headed waterleaf
Carpet phlox
Sugarbowls
Pasque flower
Woodland star
Shooting star
Prairie smoke
Violets
Rockcress
Biscuitroot
Dandelion
Bluebells
Stoneseed
Bistort
Phalecia
So- despite the inch of snow that may fall and putting my sandals away for the day. I’m convinced that spring is here.
Title: Out From the Shadows of Time
Show Description: The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the best place to view the Gray Wolf in the wild, but it was not always that way. Hated and feared, the Gray Wolf was completely eradicated from the area until their re-introduction in 1995. Follow one wolf’s journey on a typical day in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Title: The History and Creation of Grand Teton National Park
Show Description: Like the Snake River, the human history of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, is entwined through the landscape.
Title: Bison
Show Description: Bison, commonly called Buffalo, are an entrenched symbol of the American west. They are essential to both the history of change in America and the natural hisotry of grasslands that are so rare today. Jackson Hole is an important refuge ofr these amazing creatures and the National Parks work to ensure that bison continue to roam through parts of the United States.
