DATES: JANUARY 6 – 9, 2025
PRICE: $1,367 | TUITION & LODGING
LOCATION: LAMAR BUFFALO RANCH
GROUP SIZE: 12
ACTIVITY LEVEL: 2
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Scientists meet the natural world with rigorous curiosity and enthusiastic wonder, perspectives they try to instill in students. 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 of ravens to wolves is a dramatic example of a scavenger-predator relationship. The human-raven connection is similar but more complex as our cultures are tightly intertwined. Students will experience these connections 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 humans throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
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
Background on Ravens & Wolves: After breakfast students will be introduced to ravens and wolves through lectures by instructors and NPS researchers. As situations permit, the class will watch ravens scavenge from recent carnivore kills on the northern range. After dinner students will watch the Nature presentation entitled “Ravens.”
DAY 3
Raven Foraging & Movements: The class will recreate a typical raven’s day by visiting the many potential feeding sites used by ravens from the Lamar to Gardiner. Participants will observe ravens feeding from human food resources and discuss their use of hunting sites outside the park. After dinner, the instructors will discuss their early research in Maine, which is the topic of their book “Dog Days, Raven Nights.”
DAY 4
Raven Social Behavior: Participants will attempt to trap and tag ravens to demonstrate a research approach. By observing tagged ravens within the park, their roost sites and nest sites, students will observe the ravens’ social lifestyles. In the afternoon the class will snowshoe to the wolf release pens on Rose Creek and have a short presentation about his upcoming raven film by Bob Landis.
DAY 5
CHECKOUT & DEPARTURE
Dates & Times: The program begins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 6, 2025, and goes through Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
Lodging Check-in & Check-out: Lodging check-in begins at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 6, 2025, and lodging check-out is at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, January 10, 2025.
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
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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 participates in pet therapy, agility, and herding.
***Review our Cancellation & Refund Policies here.