DATES: JANUARY 14 – 18, 2027
PRICE: $1,524.03 | TUITION & LODGING
(TAXES INCLUDED)
LOCATION: LAMAR BUFFALO RANCH
GROUP SIZE: 12
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 2
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Scientists meet the natural world with rigorous curiosity and genuine wonder—perspectives you’re invited to share in this field seminar.
Class participants will learn firsthand about raven language, ecology, evolution, and behavior, emphasizing how this engaging species lives among wolves and exploits people.
This is an ancient and ever-evolving relationship that started in the Pleistocene and remains strong today. The connection between ravens and wolves is a dramatic example of a scavenger–predator partnership. The human–raven relationship is similar, but far more complex, shaped by thousands of years of shared landscapes and intertwined cultures.
Students will experience these connections firsthand during the challenging winter season by observing the many tagged raven pairs from Tower Junction to Cooke City as they interact with wolf packs at kill sites—and with people—across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
DAY 1
Welcome & Orientation
The program begins with an evening orientation where participants will have the opportunity to get acquainted and learn about the program. During this session, we’ll review the itinerary, introduce key seminar concepts, and provide guidance on what to pack for the field each day.
DAY 2
Raven Information Central and Finding Food
The students will travel the “raven highway” from the Lamar Valley to Gardiner and Beattie Gulch to experience the challenges of finding food in winter. Where ravens are encountered, the group will observe raven postures, flight styles, and vocalizations to learn their ways of communicating. They will also meet with Park Service biologists in the field and in Mammoth to learn about the park’s bird program and get updated on wolf activities and carnivore research. After returning to Lamar Buffalo Ranch, students will learn about raven lifestyles and their influence on people through lecture and an after-dinner movie.
DAY 3
Raven Nesting and Movements
The students will start early by joining their instructors as they attempt to capture, tag, and release ravens as part of their ongoing raven research project. They will hike or snowshoe to raven nesting sites to learn about the breeding behavior of the birds. After returning to Lamar Buffalo Ranch, students will learn about new research into the relationship between ravens and wolves. The instructors will give an after-dinner presentation on their prior research on ravens in the wilds of Maine.
DAY 4
Raven Social Behavior
The students will again start the day by joining the instructors as they attempt to capture, tag, and release ravens as part of their ongoing raven research project. During lunch at Lamar Buffalo Ranch, the students will view the recent documentary produced by Bob Landis on the Ravens of Yellowstone and gain insights from Bob on the making of the film. As the day ends, the students will watch ravens heading to their night roost. After dinner, interested students can watch a film about the instructors’ research on a close relative of the raven, the American Crow.
DAY 5
Checkout & Departure
Dates & Times: The program begins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 14, 2027, and goes through Sunday, January 17, 2027, at 7:00 p.m.
Lodging Check-in & Check-out: Lodging check-in begins at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 14, 2027, and lodging check-out is at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 18, 2027.
Meals: This course is not catered. Participants will need to bring their own food; lunch should be able to travel in the field.
Optional Airport Shuttle: We provide an optional airport shuttle for those interested. The shuttle service is provided on the first day of the program with a 1:00 p.m. pickup and the last day of the program with a departure from the Lamar Buffalo Ranch at 8:00 a.m.
1st Day of Program | Shuttle Pickup Location: Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
1st Day of Program | Shuttle Drop off Location: Lamar Buffalo Ranch
Check-out Day | Shuttle Pickup Location: Lamar Buffalo Ranch
Check-out Day | Shuttle Departure Location: Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
If you opt-in to the shuttle service, please ensure that your flight booking will allow for you to be picked up and dropped off during the above timeframes.
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 Buffalo Ranch – Winter General Information document.
ACTIVITY LEVEL 2
- Hikes on snow-packed trails, or snowshoe or ski trips, up to 3 miles per day with climbs up to 250 feet.
- 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
- Heinrich, B. (1999). Mind of the raven. Ciffstreet Books.
- Smith, D. W., Stahler, D. R., and D. R. MacNulty. (2020). Yellowstone Wolves. University of Chicago Press.
- Smith, D. W., Walker, L. E., and R. E. Duffy. (2023) Yellowstone Birds. Princeton University 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 Buffalo Ranch – Winter General Information document.
TESTIMONIALS
“Katy, Scott & the staff at Buffalo Ranch were fantastic! All the buildings were clean, organized & wonderful.” – Christine, VA
“I always love the classes and learn alot every time” – Sheree, OR
“It was outstanding. John and Colleen are great educators and made this a perfect field seminar. The volunteers were very helpful.” – Mary, MT
“All of it was very good, the lectures, movies – everything. But for me nothing beats being outside observing the spectacular creatures we were learning about. The hike out to the dismantled raven nest and seeing the locals in their environment made me happy. Watching the ravens watch John as he set the trap at Tower Junction and their behavior afterwards was also very interesting. John’s narration of their calls and behavior was essential to the experience.” – Matt, AZ
BOOK THIS FIELD SEMINAR NOW
John Marzluff, Ph.D.
John Marzluff is a professor emeritus of wildlife science at the University of Washington. Marzluff’s early research focused on the social behavior and ecology of Jays and ravens. His current interest is bringing a behavioral approach to pressing conservation issues, and blending biology, conservation, and anthropology to understand the co-evolution of human and animal cultures. Marzluff’s research has been featured in National Geographic, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Audubon, Science, and Birding publications, and PBS Nature, NOVA, Bill Nye Saves the World, and Animal Planet. His recent books, Welcome to Subirdia and In Search of Meadorlarks, suggest ways in which people can steward the splendid array of biological diversity in settled and farmed lands.
Colleen Marzluff, M.S.
Colleen Marzluff completed her bachelor’s degree at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington in 1982. She returned to her native southwest to study biology at Northern Arizona University, where she completed a master’s thesis on the feeding ecology of Abert’s squirrels. After completing her degree, she worked with Dr. Russell Balda as a technician in his Avian Cognition Lab. Today she is involved in several local organizations and to keep her animal behavior skills sharp, she engages young people in natural science, co-leads a study of magpies in the Bozeman area, and participates in pet therapy and agility.
