Yellowstone: Worth the Wait
For immediate release ‐ June 16, 2023
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
Twelve North Carolina educators are now in Yellowstone National Park on one of the Museum’s Educators of Excellence Institutes. They met at RDU at 4am on Wednesday, June 14, for ten days exploring the ecology and geology of our first national park, learning from experts and getting ideas and information to bring back to students in North Carolina.
This grizzly bear sow and her two cubs were near the road on our way into the park. Because they were relatively close, we viewed them from inside of our vans.
By trip participants Andrew Nelson, Rachel Hearn and Talicia L. Smith
It was only 6:45am — already we’d been greeted by a moose along the river and a grizzly with her two cubs in the brush. Not much later, we stopped to view a herd of bison on our right and spotted a grizzly bear nursing her cubs on a distant ridge. The morning did not disappoint.
This moose was feeding near Soda Butte Creek not far from our lodge in Silver Gate, MT.
The call of nature caused us to pause for a pit stop, which yielded the sound of coyotes yipping in the distance near Soda Butte. Then, we hiked up a mountainside with Ranger Michael in search of pika. We made observations and collected data for a citizen science project called Pikas in Peril.
Learning from Ranger Michael.
We drove to Mammoth Hot Springs. Melissa led us on a two-mile hike up a scenic and steep trail that we had all to ourselves. At the top of the trail, overlooking Park Headquarters and the travertine terraces, we had storytime in the blustery wind with Greg. Ask us about thistle, please, and we’ll tell you more! Then, we joined the throngs of visitors for the more typical experience of the Mammoth Terraces from the boardwalk.
Kim measures the temperatures of a hot spring next to the Howard Eaton Trail near Mammoth.
Here we are at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Our next stop — a highlight for many — was a Great Horned Owl nest for owlet viewing. The day was full of amazement and wonder and worth the wait. These words by John Muir sum up our experience:
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
For more posts from Yellowstone, visit the Educators of Excellence Blog.
For more information about our upcoming activities, conservation news and ground-breaking research, follow @NaturalSciences on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.