The Yellowstone National Park Association Institute Offers Winter Programs Focusing on Wolves

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, November, 2009 - This winter the Yellowstone Association Institute (YAI) will offer nine Field Seminars, 10 Lodging & Learning programs and as many Private Tours as people want to take devoted to one of the park’s premier wildlife attractions - the wolf. Wolves were only recovered in Yellowstone 15 years ago after the species was eradicated from the park decades earlier.

In January 1995 14 wolves that had been captured in Canada were relocated to Yellowstone. Three of those wolves were placed in a temporary pen approximately two miles behind the Buffalo Ranch Field Campus overlooking the Lamar Valley in the park’s remote northern range. A year later 17 more wolves were brought to Yellowstone, and the proliferation of wolves in the park and surrounding ecosystem is widely viewed as a true conservation success story. Today there are more than 100 wolves in the park and many more in the surrounding area.

“The return of the wolf to Yellowstone was clearly an exciting event,” said Jeff Brown, director of education for the Yellowstone Association Institute. “Even more exciting was studying the impact their existence has had in the area. It has been significant from the perspectives of their interaction with other animals and the way we humans view their role as part of the larger ecosystem.”

Over the past 15 years YAI has expanded its offerings to address the keen interest park visitors have in wolf behavior, their effect on other species, their effect on local communities and even their part in the political arena. Some studies estimate that more than $30 million comes to regional businesses due solely to interest in wolf watching.

This winter’s Lodging & Learning programs include the “Winter Wolf Discovery.” The program is offered as a collaboration between YAI and lodge operator Xanterra Parks & Resorts.

The “Winter Wolf Discovery” is offered Sunday through Thursday Dec. 27, 2009 to Feb. 28, 2010. Instructors provide expertise on the recovery of wolves in the park and lead wildlife viewing excursions through the Lamar Valley. This four-night package includes accommodations at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, breakfasts and lunches each day, welcome gift, in-park transportation, snowshoe rental, one-hour hot tub rental, unlimited ice skating and optional evening programs. Rates start at $635 per person for double occupancy and $801 for single occupancy.

Field seminars are multi-day courses taught by experts focusing on topics such as wildlife, geology, history and more. Most of these courses are limited to 13 participants and are based at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch, where simple and comfortable log cabins are available for $30 per person per night. Participants bring their own food and cook it in the ranch’s community building which serves as classroom, kitchen and gathering place.

This winter’s Field Seminars include:

· “The Wolves of Yellowstone” will be held at the Buffalo Ranch Jan. 18-20, 2010. Under the guidance of wildlife biologist George Bumann, up to 12 participants will undertake a comprehensive overview of wolf evolution, behavior, communication and predation through discussion and in the field observing wolves and prey on the winter landscape, visiting the carcass of an animal killed by wolves and exploring wolf habitat. The minimum age is 16. Rates are $290 for Yellowstone Association members.

· “The Living History of Yellowstone’s Wolves” is a new program led by wolf biologist Nathan Varley who has observed and studied Yellowstone’s wolves since their reintroduction in 1995. Offered March 8-11, 2010, the program focuses on the wolf’s history in Yellowstone. Participants will learn about wolf behavior as the instructor shares stories of famous individuals and packs and discusses wolf ecology and management in and around the park. The program is limited to 12 participants and will be held at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch. The minimum age is 16. Rates are $315 for Yellowstone Association members.

· “Food for the Masses - Researching How Yellowstone’s Wolves Affect Scavengers” is one-week volunteer program offered three times starting Nov. 23 and 29 and December 5, 2009. Participants will work with an Institute team leader experienced in field research. The research team’s primary responsibility will be to observe and document predator activity, collect data and learn about wolf and scavenger ecology through direct observation, informal field lectures and evening presentations by experts. The seminars will be based at the Institute’s historic Buffalo Ranch field campus in the Lamar Valley and will include expert instruction and in-park transportation. Rates are $690 for Yellowstone Association members.

Private Tours appeal to families or small groups up to 26 participants who want to learn about the park in eight-hour sessions under the guidance of an Institute naturalist/guide. Guides pick up participants in the morning and cover the topics “Wolves in Winter,” “Yellowstone by Ski or Snowshoe” and “Wildlife Watching on the Northern Range.” During winter, Private Tours are conducted in the northern area of the park - the primary location of many of the park’s wolves.

“Private Tours allow groups to get a comprehensive overview of the northern range or to focus on a topic such as the wolves,” said Brown. “It is not unusual for a group to go out in the morning, hear a wolf howling and to become ‘hooked’ on hearing, seeing and learning more about these fascinating creatures.”

For a free copy of YAI’s winter catalog, go to www.yellowstoneassociation.org/institute/catalogRequest.aspx

To make reservations for a Field Seminar or Private Tour, call 406-848-2400; for Lodging & Learning program reservations, call 866-439-7375. Yellowstone Association members receive a $10 discount on all courses, and family memberships begin at $35 per year. For more information on any Institute program, go to www.YellowstoneAssociation.org.

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The Yellowstone Association Institute is a non-profit field school operated by the Yellowstone Association in partnership with the National Park Service. The Institute was founded in 1976 and offers more than 500 courses each year on the park’s plants, animals, geology and history. Courses are based at the organization’s Lamar Buffalo Ranch field campus, at park hotels, and in the backcountry.

The Yellowstone Association was founded in 1933 to foster the public’s understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding ecosystem. In addition to operating the Institute on a break-even basis, the Association manages educational bookstores and a membership program that generate revenues for the National Park Service. Since its inception, the organization has raised more than $21 million for Yellowstone.

To receive a course catalog or for more information, go to www.YellowstoneAssociation.org, write to the Yellowstone Association at PO Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 or call 406-848-2400.

November 25, 2009   Posted in: United States NorthWest