DATES: MAY 23 – 27, 2025
TUITION & LODGING: $1,331
LOCATION: LAMAR BUFFALO RANCH
GROUP SIZE: 12
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 3
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Yellowstone National Park is world-renown for its wildlife and for having among the most intact carnivore assemblages in the United States, but it pales in comparison to its faunal diversity in the evolutionary past. Participants will trace the evolutionary, archaeological, and cultural history of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem over the past 2 million years, but with a special emphasis on the last ~20,000. Through lecture, hands-on archaeological demonstrations, film, and — most importantly — time in the field, participants will learn about the magnificent wildlife of Yellowstone in the Pleistocene epoch when humans were newcomers to North America and mighty glaciers shaped every aspect of life. Topics to be discussed will include the diversity and adaptations of wildlife in the Pleistocene compared to today, how ancient humans lived and interacted with wildlife, the shared evolutionary history of humans with animals, the special relationship between humans and their dogs, how humans made a living both during and after the retreat of ice sheets, and how to “listen for the language of wildlife” like those who came before.
Participants will aim to spend as much time as possible outdoors—weather and conditions permitting, this will include at least 6 hours+ looking for and observing animals and considering landscapes in which both humans and wildlife coexisted. These field forays will be expedition-like in nature, meaning that we will aim to be as spontaneous and exploratory as circumstances allow and as opportunities arise. In addition to wildlife observation, participants will be as attuned to their surroundings as possible, listening, watching, and even smelling every cue that the land is revealing about its wildlife, both then and now. Discussion will be on-going throughout the class – not just in lecture but in the field and vehicle as we make our way through the Park, especially the northern range (though we will may travel further afield as well – e.g., Hayden Valley, etc). Each day will have guided natural history hikes and a lecture; evenings will be spent in either lecture, watching film, or in facilitated group discussion.
DAY 1
WELCOME & ORIENTATION
The program starts with an evening orientation. Participants will get to know one another and be introduced to the program. Throughout the evening, the itinerary and seminar key concepts will be discussed, as well as what to expect to pack for the field each day.
DAY 2
Participants will spend each morning in the field looking for wildlife and observing behavior. In addition, participants will consider landscape and geological features. Emphasis will be on the northern range.
After a morning spent in the field, participants will return to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for a late lunch, a bit of down time, then a lecture. Each late afternoon the students will be given the option of going on a guided natural history hike in which animals will be observed. Depending on time, an early evening animal viewing drive might also be an option. Evenings will include lecture, films, or facilitated group discussion.
Impromptu discussions in the field will center on:
• What was the biodiversity of Yellowstone like 20,000 years ago? What animals persist today and which did we lose?
• How have animals changed morphologically and behaviorally over the epochs of geological time?
• What is known about human – wildlife interactions in the evolutionary past?
• How did humans make a living during periods of extreme cold and glaciation?
• What were the features of first contact of humans with naïve wildlife of North America as they entered from North America?
DAY 3
Participants will spend each morning in the field looking for wildlife and observing behavior. In addition, participants will consider landscape and geological features. Emphasis will be on the northern range.
After a morning spent in the field, participants will return to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for a late lunch, a bit of down time, then a lecture. Each late afternoon the students will be given the option of going on a guided natural history hike in which animals will be observed. Depending on time, an early evening animal viewing drive might also be an option. Evenings will include lecture, films, or facilitated group discussion.
Impromptu discussions in the field will center on:
• What was the biodiversity of Yellowstone like 20,000 years ago? What animals persist today and which did we lose?
• How have animals changed morphologically and behaviorally over the epochs of geological time?
• What is known about human – wildlife interactions in the evolutionary past?
• How did humans make a living during periods of extreme cold and glaciation?
• What were the features of first contact of humans with naïve wildlife of North America as they entered from North America?
DAY 4
Participants will spend each morning in the field looking for wildlife and observing behavior. In addition, participants will consider landscape and geological features. Emphasis will be on the northern range.
After a morning spent in the field, participants will return to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for a late lunch, a bit of down time, then a lecture. Each late afternoon the students will be given the option of going on a guided natural history hike in which animals will be observed. Depending on time, an early evening animal viewing drive might also be an option. Evenings will include lecture, films, or facilitated group discussion.
Impromptu discussions in the field will center on:
• What was the biodiversity of Yellowstone like 20,000 years ago? What animals persist today and which did we lose?
• How have animals changed morphologically and behaviorally over the epochs of geological time?
• What is known about human – wildlife interactions in the evolutionary past?
• How did humans make a living during periods of extreme cold and glaciation?
• What were the features of first contact of humans with naïve wildlife of North America as they entered from North America?
DAY 5
Participants will spend each morning in the field looking for wildlife and observing behavior. In addition, participants will consider landscape and geological features. Emphasis will be on the northern range.
After a morning spent in the field, participants will return to the Lamar Buffalo Ranch for a late lunch, a bit of down time, then a lecture. Each late afternoon the students will be given the option of going on a guided natural history hike in which animals will be observed. Depending on time, an early evening animal viewing drive might also be an option. Evenings will include lecture, films, or facilitated group discussion.
Impromptu discussions in the field will center on:
• What was the biodiversity of Yellowstone like 20,000 years ago? What animals persist today and which did we lose?
• How have animals changed morphologically and behaviorally over the epochs of geological time?
• What is known about human – wildlife interactions in the evolutionary past?
• How did humans make a living during periods of extreme cold and glaciation?
• What were the features of first contact of humans with naïve wildlife of North America as they entered from North America?
DAY 6
CHECKOUT & DEPARTURE
Dates & Times: The program begins at 7:00 PM on Friday, May 23, 2025, and goes through 4:00 PM on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Lodging Check-in & Check-out: Lodging check-in begins at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2025, and lodging check-out is at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Meals: This course is not catered. Participants will need to bring their own food; lunch should be able to travel in the field.
ACTIVITY LEVEL 3
- Be prepared to hike up to 5 miles per day, comfortably, with occasional elevation gains up to 1000 feet in undulating terrain.
- For more information about our activity levels, please visit our Activity Level webpage here.
- Most activities will take place at elevations between 7,200 to 8,000 feet. Participants residing at lower elevations may want to arrive a day early to adjust to the altitude.
- To learn more about how specific medical conditions can be affected by Yellowstone’s environment and our activities, please visit our site page on health information.
- All field activities will be conducted as a group. If members of the group cannot participate in the day’s activities, they need to let the educator know in advance.
- To participate in this program, each participant must fill out and sign a health questionnaire and assumption of risk waiver. These forms must be completed and returned at least 30 days prior to the program start date.
RECOMMENDED READINGS
- Flores D (2022) Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America. WW Norton & Company
- Brasatte S (2022) The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us. Mariner Book Publishers
- MacDonald DH (2018) Before Yellowstone: Native American Archaeology in the National Park. Samuel & Althea Stroum Book Publishers
- Nabokov P (2016) Restoring a Presence: American Indians and Yellowstone National Park. University of Oklahoma Press
Whom to Contact: For any questions, concerns, or additional information please contact the following:
Program itinerary, health forms, payment, and general program questions please contact Yellowstone Forever at [email protected] or 406-848-2400 extension 3
Road updates, park conditions, and general park information please contact Yellowstone National Park Service at https://www.nps.gov/yell/contacts.htm
If running late for a program, please contact 406-641-2185.
General Information: For general information about the facilities, preparation for classes, what to expect, cancellation policies, and more, please see the Lamar-Based Field Seminars – General Information document.
Cancellation Policy: Review our Cancellation & Refund Policies here.
BOOK THIS FIELD SEMINAR NOW
Joanna Lambert, Ph.D. & Jeff Reed, Ph.D.
Joanna Lambert, Ph.D.
Joanna Lambert, Ph.D. is a scientist and tenured professor of animal evolutionary ecology and conservation biology at the University of Colorado – Boulder. She has a deep passion for the natural world resulting in a career spent publishing and teaching about the ecology, evolution, and conservation biology of wild mammals. Her wildlife research has taken her to every continent on the planet though she has spent most time working in equatorial Africa (>30 years) and more recently in Yellowstone National Park where she studies canid biology. One of her proudest recent conservation-related contributions has been in the effort to restore gray wolves to her home state of Colorado, an initiative founded on the science of reintroduction and recovery of wolves to Yellowstone National Park.
Jeff Reed, Ph.D.
Jeff Reed, Ph.D. was born and raised in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in southwest Montana and owns Reedfly Farm, practicing regenerative agriculture and conservation. With a PhD in linguistics and history, he has published on the history of language and humans. He spent 30 years in the technology industry, working on linguistics and artificial intelligence, and now builds solutions that are used by wildlife researchers. He focuses much of his free time interacting with wildlife, practicing paleo-living, researching animal communication via computational linguistics, and living as part of nature. He is an executive committee member of the Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group, promoting the co-existence of people and wildlife…though he considers people wildlife too!
